1. In 1896, the Supreme Court of Texas affirmed the conviction and death sentence of the infamous outlaw John Wesley Hardin for the murder of a deputy sheriff. Hardin claimed to have killed 42 men, and his trial was a major sensation at the time.
2. On May 18, 1933, the Texas Legislature approved the construction of Lake Travis, a major reservoir on the Colorado River. It was completed in 1941 and today provides drinking water, hydroelectric power, and recreation opportunities for the Austin area.
3. In 1953, a massive tornado struck the town of Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and injuring hundreds more. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history and led to major changes in how tornado warnings are issued.
4. On May 18, 1974, the University of Texas at Austin became the first major American university to divest from companies doing business in South Africa, in protest of that country's system of apartheid. The move sparked a nationwide movement that helped bring an end to apartheid in the 1990s.
5. In 2018, a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas left 10 people dead and 13 injured. It was one of the deadliest school shootings in American history and led to renewed calls for gun control measures.