On this date in 1845, Texas became the 28th state of the U.S. The name Texas comes from the Caddo Indian word teysha, which means “hello, friend.”
The phrase “
six flags over Texas” hints at Texas’s complex (we might even say “messy”) history: |
| Can you figure out which of the flags listed below is which flag in the picture above? |
1. Confederate States of America
3. Mexico
4. (Independent) Republic of Texas
5. Spain
Notice that there was no flag from the original inhabitants, the Caddo Indians and other Indian groups. This backs the point that comedian Eddie Izzard once made: Europe stole countries “with the cunning use of flags.”*
TEXAS TRIVIA
Take a quiz to see how much you know about Texas.
1) Texas is the ______ state in the U.S.
a. largest
b. second largest
c. third largest
2) Texas’s official nickname is _________.
a. the Bluebonnet State
b. the Longhorn State
c. the Lone Star State
3) The Alamo (often referred to by the phrase, “Remember the Alamo!”) was the site of _____.
a) a victory of Mexican troops against Spain
b) a victory of Mexican troops against white “Texians”
c) a victory of white “Texians” against Mexico
4) The largest city in Texas is ________.
a) Houston
b) Dallas
c) Austin
5) One of the most important aspects of the Texan economy is _______.
a) cattle
b) wheat
c) oil
6) Which of these U.S. presidents were born in Texas?
a) Dwight D. Eisenhower
b) Lyndon B. Johnson
c) George W. Bush
d) “a” and “b” above
e) “b” and “c” above
f) all of the above
ANSWERS:
* Warning: Eddie Izzard is very funny but uses some curse words in his act.
Texas has a reputation for everything BIG!
Big state, big (unobstructed) sky, big ranches and cars and hairdos and money and even hurricanes.
So, of course, there has to be some big art, too! Monumental land art (also called “earthworks”) is an art form that is large-scale and involves a sizable chunk of land. There are several pieces of monumental art in Texas.
 |
| Above, the making of Cadillac Ranch
Below, generations of folks have left |
 |
| Isn’t this tribute to Cadillac Ranch gorgeous??? It’s called Electric Renaissance, and I have to admit that it isn’t located in Texas; it’s in Nevada… |
Plan your own monumental art piece. If you had a lot of money and land for land art, what would you create? Draw your plan.
Color a Texan flag, state flower, or map.
Learn to talk like a Texan.
Also on this date:
Scientist Carl Ludwig’s birthday
(he’s a pioneer in the study of urine!)
Kulig in Poland
President Andrew Johnson’s birthday
Kulig in Poland
Anniversary of a language going extinct
Birthday of Elizabeth of Russia
Anniversary of Texas’s statehood
(original post)
Madame de Pompadour’s birthday
Tick Tock Day
Anniversary of Emma Snodgrass being arrested for wearing pants!
Birthday of musician and molecular biologist Dexter Holland
Independence Day in Mongolia
Plan ahead:
Check out my Pinterest pages on:
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December holidays
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December birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in December
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January birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in January