Join Today Member Login Search

Texas Day by Day

Find out what happened in Texas history.

Lynch mob in Sherman touches off riot

96 years ago today on May 9th, 1930

Day by Day image

On this day in 1930, an angry mob stormed the Grayson County courthouse in Sherman and lynched an African-American farm hand accused of raping a white woman. The ensuing riot was one of the earliest and worst examples of racial violence during the Great Depression, and initiated a flurry of similar incidents in Texas. Despite the efforts of a small detachment of Texas Rangers, including the legendary Frank Hamer, the mob burned the courthouse and most of the town's black business section, prompting Governor Dan Moody to impose martial law. Eventually, fourteen men were indicted on various charges, though lynching was not among them. By October 1931, only two of the fourteen had been convicted, one for rioting and the other for arson.

Share this entry on Social Media:

Related entries from our Handbook of Texas:

Orange Show opens to the public

47 years ago today on May 9th, 1979

Day by Day image

On this day in 1979, the Orange Show, an open-air, multimedia sculptural installation dedicated to the orange, was opened to the public. The show, located in east Houston on 2401 Munger Street, was conceived and built singlehandedly over a period of twenty-five years by Houston postman Jefferson D. McKissack. He first became interested in oranges when he trucked them from Florida throughout the Southeast during the Great Depression. He built the exterior walls of what became the Orange Show in the mid-1950s, as part of his plant nursery on two vacant lots across the street from the bungalow where he lived. He began work on the interior space in 1962. Built without architectural plans, the Orange Show evolved into a labyrinth of stairs, catwalks, and passageways encompassing two amphitheaters, several enclosed display areas, a guest shop, a wishing well, fountains, and two observation decks. The entire complex is painted in bright primary colors and festooned with striped awnings, banners, two United States flags, and seven Texas flags. Considered the state's leading example of a "folk art environment," the Orange Show is open to the public on weekends and holidays from March through December.

Share this entry on Social Media:

Related entries from our Handbook of Texas:

El Paso workers walk out on Farah

54 years ago today on May 9th, 1972

Day by Day image

On this day in 1972, some 4,000 workers at five Farah, Incorporated plants in El Paso went on strike for the right to be represented by a union. Their labor action lasted until they won union representation in March 1974. Before the strike Farah was the second-largest employer in El Paso. The attempt to organize the company's workers began in 1969 and soon spread to all five El Paso plants. When workers at the San Antonio plant were fired for joining a union-sponsored march in El Paso, more than 500 of them walked out; the El Paso workers followed suit on May 9. A month later a national boycott of Farah products began, endorsed by the AFL-CIO. The strike exacerbated ethnic tensions between Anglos and Hispanics, and split the Hispanic community as well. The company, its sales badly damaged by the national boycott, was ordered by the National Labor Relations Board in January 1974 to offer reinstatement to the strikers and to permit union organizing. But a national recession and company mistakes in production and marketing left Farah in a serious financial predicament. Layoffs, plant closures, and high turnover of the work force followed. Subsequent contracts removed many of the benefits won by the strike.

Share this entry on Social Media:

Related entries from our Handbook of Texas:

Fugitive Confederate government officials captured in Georgia

161 years ago today on May 9th, 1865

Day by Day image

On this day in 1865, near Abbeville, Georgia, Jefferson Davis, former Texas governor Francis R. Lubbock, and Confederate postmaster and temporary treasurer John H. Reagan were captured by Union forces. Davis had been forced to flee Richmond with his cabinet on April 2, and the Confederate government had eluded Union patrols in both North and South Carolina. After his capture, Texan John Reagan was imprisoned until December.

Share this entry on Social Media:

Related entries from our Handbook of Texas:

handbook of texas logo

Want more? Get the book!

From Cabeza de Vaca's ship-wreck in 1528 through the Texas Revolution to present day—almost 500 years of recorded history—a myriad of significant events in Texas history have occurred. These events are arranged by day of the year to allow the reader to see into the past on any specific day.

Now Available!
Texas on This Day book cover image
texas day by day logo
*No membership required, but donations are welcome to help cover the costs.
Email Signup - Weekly Edition Email Signup - Daily Edition

Upcoming Historical Anniversaries in Texas

Mark your calendar — the following historical anniversaries are coming up soon.

205th Anniversary

190th Anniversary

175th Anniversary

170th Anniversary

165th Anniversary

155th Anniversary

150th Anniversary

145th Anniversary

140th Anniversary

135th Anniversary

130th Anniversary

125th Anniversary

115th Anniversary

105th Anniversary

100th Anniversary

95th Anniversary

90th Anniversary

70th Anniversary

65th Anniversary

60th Anniversary

55th Anniversary

45th Anniversary

35th Anniversary

Get your copy of our latest book from TSHA Press: La Colonia Mexicana de Melvin. Through the story of one small, West Texas town, this work reexamines myths about Mexican American life in Texas. Get your copy of our latest book from TSHA Press: La Colonia Mexicana de Melvin. Through the story of one small, West Texas town, this work reexamines myths about Mexican American life in Texas.

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

Texas America 250 logo

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

“

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

“

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Find Events

Discover commemorative events across Texas

Explore local and statewide programs, exhibitions, and public events connected to the semiquincentennial and the many stories that shape our shared history.

View Events

Get Involved

Participate through education and community engagement

Learn how students, teachers, families, and local communities can take part in Texas America250 through activities, programs, and opportunities tied to Texas History Day and beyond.

Get Involved

Learn More

Explore the initiative and its broader purpose

Learn more about Texas America250 and the effort to promote deeper understanding of the nation’s founding and the contributions of Texans past and present.

Learn More