1. In 1836, the Convention of Texas signed the Declaration of Independence from Mexico, paving the way for the creation of the Republic of Texas. March 5 is celebrated as Texas Independence Day in the state.

2. On March 5, 1862, the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern - also called the Battle of Pea Ridge - was fought in Arkansas during the American Civil War. Confederate forces were defeated, and the Union army gained a strategic victory that helped to secure Missouri for the North.

3. Texas Tech University was founded on March 5, 1923, as Texas Technological College. The school was established to provide higher education opportunities to residents of West Texas, and has since become a major research institution with a variety of academic programs.

4. On March 5, 1970, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in the case of Sweatt v. Painter that the segregation of African American students from white students in public schools was unconstitutional. The decision helped to pave the way for desegregation across the United States.

5. In 2013, the city of West, Texas, was rocked by a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed 15 people and injured hundreds more. The explosion was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in Texas history, and prompted new safety regulations for chemical plants across the state.