Little Known Interesting (?) Facts About Texas

Okay, I've been neglectful with my blogging and even though I have some deep, insightful and meaningful (earth shattering, I'm sure) blogs in mind ... I'm taking the easy way out today and passing along part of an email forwarded to me by my friend Prissy - a'way over yonder in Odessa! :-) I haven't bothered myself to actually check these facts, I mean - come on - they are in an email afterall, they have to be true! Alls I know is ... I will look into No. 16 -- I mean ... that could be depressing, if true - and yes, I really should be working instead ... but it is FRIDAY - have a fabulous one!

1... Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles

2... Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles

3... El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas.

4… World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.

5… The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. Destroyed by Hurricane Ike - 2008!

6… The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice University in Houston.

7... Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.

8... Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

9… Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

10… The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane, in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.

11… The first word spoken from the moon, July 20,1969, was "Houston," but the space center was actually in Clear Lake City at the time.

12... King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island.

13... Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43' in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979.

14... Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the U.S. Flag, and may divide into 5 states.

15... A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

16… Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

17... Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper.

18… Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco, West Columbia and Austin.

19... The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington DC (by 7 feet).

20. The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world and it is taller than the Washington Monument.