Random Facts All Texans Should Know

Texas is a pretty wild place filled with so much history that its hard to know all the interesting stuff about it. Lets dig into some random facts about The Lone Star State that I learned randomly over the years.

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Six Flags Over Texas

So I actually learned this from King of The Hill when Hank agrees to take Bobby to Texas if he does well in his History class. He doesn't, but Hank takes him anyway cause technically it wasn't his fault. I wont spoil it if you haven't seen it, its The Alamo episode and its wacky.

Fact: The term "Six Flags Over Texas" refers to the six different nations that have governed Texas at various points in history: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. This unique historical fact is the inspiration for the name of the popular Six Flags amusement park chain, which originated in Texas. Extra Fact: I've never been to Six Flags.

The Texas Archive War

I made a joke about how Texas could have its own civil war because its so big when I was in middle school. My social studies teacher told me this fun fact about a small war that happened between Austin and Houston. One of the many Texas wars he would wind up telling me about because there have been so many.

Fact: In 1842, there was an incident known as the Texas Archive War. When Mexican forces invaded Texas, President Sam Houston ordered the Texas archives to be moved from Austin to Houston for safekeeping. Austinites, fearing the loss of their city’s status as capital, resisted the move. This resulted in a standoff where citizens, led by Angelina Eberly, fired a cannon to prevent the removal of the archives. The archives were eventually returned to Austin. Good job, Austin.

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The Republic of Texas

I learned about this from a video game that's recently become a very popular TV show, Fallout. Texas in the series is kind of a mystery but one of things we know is that Texas was still The Republic of Texas in this game but had merged with Arkansas. So I googled and I learned about how Texas was separate from Mexico AND the US for a while. We are the ONLY STATE in America to join the US by treaty.

Fact: Texas is the only state in the United States that was once an independent nation. After gaining independence from Mexico in 1836, Texas existed as the Republic of Texas for nearly a decade before joining the United States in 1845 through a treaty.

The First Dr. Pepper

I learned about this while I was arguing with a kid in elementary school about whether to call it pop or soda. Some other kid chimed in and started saying why Dr. Pepper was the best soda and apparently he knew it came from Texas. He was a big fan of The Lone Star State. I asked my dad if it was true and he had no idea so I kind of forgot about it until today.

Fact: Dr Pepper, one of the world's most popular soft drinks, was invented in Waco, Texas, in 1885 by pharmacist Charles Alderton. Originally called "Waco" after the city, the drink's name was later changed to Dr Pepper. The beverage remains closely associated with Texas and is often referred to as the "Texas Original."

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Frozen Margs

I learned about this in a bar in Nebraska when some drunk elderly gentleman heard me say I was from El Paso. I told him my name and he heard Mariano, because of that drunken error, I gained the gift of knowledge.

Fact: The world's first frozen margarita machine was invented in Texas. Mariano Martinez, a Dallas restaurateur, invented the machine in 1971 by converting a soft-serve ice cream machine into a frozen margarita maker. This innovation helped popularize the frozen margarita and cemented its place in Tex-Mex culture.