1. In 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto took place in Texas, marking the decisive victory of the Texan army led by General Sam Houston over the Mexican army led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. This battle led to the independence of Texas from Mexico.

2. In 1907, the state of Texas became the first state in the US to pass a workers' compensation law that provided compensation to workers who were injured on the job. This law was modeled after the European system of social insurance and eventually became the standard for all US states.

3. In 1927, the University of Texas at Austin opened its newly built football stadium, which is now known as Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of over 100,000 and is one of the largest football stadiums in the US.

4. In 1970, Lubbock was hit by a devastating tornado that caused extensive damage and killed 26 people. The tornado was one of the deadliest in Texas history and ranks as the sixth deadliest tornado in US history.

5. In 2002, the Enron scandal broke out, which became one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in US history. Enron, a Houston-based energy company, had been involved in fraudulent accounting practices and had misled investors about its financial health. The scandal led to the downfall of Enron and resulted in the conviction of several of its top executives.