Key Dates in Texas History

Milestones shaping Texas:

• Mar 2, 1836: Texas Declaration of Independence signed.
• Apr 21, 1836: Battle of San Jacinto secures independence.
• Dec 29, 1845: Texas annexed by the United States.
• Feb 23, 1861: Texas secedes, joins Confederacy.
• Jun 19, 1865: Union occupies Texas; Reconstruction begins (Juneteenth).
• Sep 1, 1870: Texas readmitted to the Union.
• Jan 1, 1876: First Texas oil well drilled near Corsicana.
• Sep 8, 1900: Galveston hurricane kills ~6,000.
• 1917–18: Texas contributes heavily to WWI effort.
• 1940–45: WWII spurs military production and oil boom.
• 1950s–60s: Economic expansion; civil rights movements (Chicano, women's rights).
• 1980s–90s: Growth in tech, healthcare, finance.
• 2001: 9/11 response led by President George W. Bush from Texas.
• 2005: Hurricane Katrina evacuees sheltered in Houston/Galveston.
• 2012: Resumption of executions after two-year pause.
• 2015: First state to exceed $1 trillion annual GDP.
• 2017: Hurricane Harvey devastates Houston/Gulf Coast.
• 2020: Severe winter storm causes massive power outages.