Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20181110010804/@comment-29709319-20190201020658

February joined the calendar with January around 700 B.C. It derives its name from the Latin “februa” which means “purification rites.” It has 28 days, except in a leap year, in which it has 29 days.

Aquarius / The Water Bearer ♒ Jan. 20–Feb. 18 Pisces / The Fishes ♓ Feb. 19–Mar. 2 February Birthstone & Meaning – Amethyst - Wisdom

February 1st: National Texas Day, National Freedom Day (Freedom From Slavery), National Get Up Day, National Baked Alaska Day, National Serpent Day, National Wear Red Day, and Bubble Gum Day.

🇺🇸The origin of Texas's name is from the word taysha, which means "friends" in the Caddo language. It is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. It's nicknamed "The Lone Star State" to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. Austin, the second-most populous state capital in the U.S., Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S., while San Antonio is the second-most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, respectively. Although Texas is popularly associated with the U.S. southwestern deserts, less than 10% of Texas's land area is desert. Most of the population centers are in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. It's Motto: Friendship. State song: "Texas, Our Texas". Living insignia; Bird: 🕊Northern mockingbird, Fish: 🐟Guadalupe bass, Flower: 🌸Bluebonnet, Insect: 🦋Monarch butterfly, Mammal: 🐂Texas longhorn and nine-banded armadillo, Reptile: 🦎Texas horned lizard, Tree: 🌳Pecan. Inanimate insignia; Food: Chili, Instrument: 🎸Guitar, Shell: 🐚Lightning whelk, Ship: ⛴USS Texas, Slogan: The Friendly State, Soil: Houston Black, Sport: Rodeo, Other; Molecule: Buckyball. Texas highest point is Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 ft (2667.4 m). Its lowest point is the Gulf of Mexico at Sea level. When Europeans arrived in the Texas region, there were several races of Native peoples divided into many smaller tribes. But no culture was dominant in the region. Native American tribes that lived in the region include the Alabama, Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Aranama, Comanche, Choctaw, Coushatta, Hasinai, Jumano, Karankawa, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Tonkawa, and Wichita. Whether a Native American tribe was friendly or warlike was critical to the fates of European explorers and settlers in that land. The region was primarily controlled by the Spanish for the first couple centuries of contact, until the Texas Revolution. By the 1830s, the U.S. had drafted the Indian Removal Act. Fearing retribution of other native peoples, Indian Agents began desperately trying to convince all their native peoples to uproot and move west. Following the Texas Revolution, the Texans chose to make peace with their Native peoples, but did not honor former land claims or agreements. This began the movement of Native populations north into what would become Indian Territory—modern day Oklahoma. The first historical document related to Texas was a map of the Gulf Coast, created in 1519 by Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda. Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his cohort became the first Europeans in what is now Texas. European powers ignored the area until accidentally settling there in 1685. Miscalculations by René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle resulted in his establishing the colony of Fort Saint Louis at Matagorda Bay rather than along the Mississippi River. The colony lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives. In 1690 Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed competitive threat, constructed several missions in East Texas. In 1718 San Antonio was created as the first Spanish civilian settlement in Texas. In 1749, the Spanish peace treaty with the Lipan Apache angered many tribes, including the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai. The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785 and later helped Spain to defeat the Lipan Apache and Karankawa tribes. When the United States purchased Louisiana from France in 1803, American authorities insisted the agreement also included Texas. The boundary between New Spain and the United States was finally set at the Sabine River in 1819, at what is now the border between Texas and Louisiana. In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence included the Texas territory, which became part of Mexico. Due to its low population, Mexico made the area part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas. Under the Mexican immigration system, large swathes of land were allotted to empresarios, who recruited settlers from the United States, Europe, and the Mexican interior. In doing so they inadvertently encouraged the spread of slavery into this territory. Although Mexico banned slavery in 1836, Texas gained independence that year, and continued to develop an economy dominated by slavery in the eastern part of the territory. The first grant (for empresarios) to Moses Austin, after his death, was passed to his son Stephen F. Austin. Austin's settlers, the Old Three Hundred, made places along the Brazos River in 1822. Twenty-three other empresarios brought settlers to the state. The Anahuac Disturbances in 1832 were the first open revolt against Mexican rule and they coincided with a revolt in Mexico against the nation's president. Texians sided with the federalists against the current government and drove all Mexican soldiers out of East Texas. Texians elected delegates to the Consultation, which created a provisional government. The provisional government soon collapsed from infighting, and Texas was without clear governance for the first two months of 1836. During this time of political turmoil, Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna personally led an army to end the revolt. Santa Anna's forces, after a thirteen-day siege, overwhelmed Texian defenders at the Battle of the Alamo. The newly elected Texian delegates to the Convention of 1836 quickly signed a Declaration of Independence on March 2, forming the Republic of Texas. The new government joined the other settlers in Texas in the Runaway Scrape, fleeing from the approaching Mexican army. After several weeks of retreat, the Texian Army commanded by Sam Houston attacked and defeated Santa Anna's forces at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign the Treaties of Velasco, ending the war. Mexico launched two small expeditions into Texas in 1842. The town of San Antonio was captured twice and Texans were defeated in battle in the Dawson massacre. Despite these successes, Mexico did not keep an occupying force in Texas, and the republic survived. The republic's inability to defend itself added momentum to Texas's eventual annexation into the United States. As early as 1837, the Republic made several attempts to negotiate annexation with the United States. Texas was finally annexed when the expansionist James K. Polk won the election of 1844. On December 29, 1845, Congress admitted Texas to the U.S. as a constituent state of the Union. After Texas's annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. While the United States claimed Texas's border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River. President Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor south to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in the Thornton Affair starting the Mexican–American War. The first battles of the war were fought in Texas. After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory ending the fighting in Texas. In return, for US$18,250,000, Mexico gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, ceded the Mexican Cession in 1848, most of which today is called the American Southwest, and Texas's borders were established at the Rio Grande. The Compromise of 1850 set Texas's boundaries at their present form. U.S. Senator James Pearce of Maryland drafted the final proposal where Texas ceded its claims to land which later became half of present-day New Mexico, a third of Colorado, and small portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming to the federal government, in return for the assumption of $10 million of the old republic's debt. Texas joined the newly created Confederate States of America on March 4, 1861 ratifying the permanent C.S. Constitution on March 23. While far from the major battlefields of the American Civil War, Texas contributed large numbers of men and equipment to the rest of the Confederacy. Texas's border with Mexico was known as the "backdoor of the Confederacy" because trade occurred at the border, bypassing the Union blockade. The Confederacy repulsed all Union attempts to shut down this route, but Texas's role as a supply state was marginalized in mid-1863 after the Union capture of the Mississippi River. The final battle of the Civil War was fought near Brownsville, Texas at Palmito Ranch with a Confederate victory. On January 10, 1901, the first major oil well in Texas, Spindletop, was found south of Beaumont. Other fields were later discovered including under the Gulf of Mexico. Oil production eventually averaged three million barrels per day at its peak in 1972. World War II had a dramatic impact on Texas, as federal money poured in to build military bases, munitions factories, POW detention camps and Army hospitals. Texas manufactured 3.1% of the total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking eleventh among the 48 states. The current Texas Constitution was adopted in 1876. Like many states, it explicitly provides for a separation of powers. The state's Bill of Rights is much larger than its federal counterpart, and has provisions unique to Texas. The Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction. They investigate it all, from murder on down the crime list of activities. The Texas Rangers were unofficially created by Stephen F. Austin in 1823 and formally constituted in 1835. The Rangers were integral to several important events of Texas history and some of the best-known criminal cases in the history of the Old West. Texas has the most farms and the highest acreage in the United States. The state is ranked No. 1 for revenue generated from total livestock and livestock products. It is ranked No. 2 for total agricultural revenue. Texas leads the nation in the production of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, wool, mohair and hay. The state also leads the nation in production of cotton which is the number one crop grown in the state in terms of value. The state grows significant amounts of cereal crops and produce. Texas has a large commercial fishing industry. With mineral resources, Texas leads in creating cement, crushed stone, lime, salt, sand and gravel. Texas throughout the 21st century has been hammered by drought. This has cost the state billions of dollars in livestock and crops. If Texas were its own country it would be the sixth largest oil producer in the world. Texas has known petroleum deposits of about 5 billion barrels (790,000,000 m3), which makes up about one-fourth of the known U.S. reserves. The state's refineries can process 4.6 million barrels (730,000 m3) of oil a day. The Port Arthur Refinery in Southeast Texas is the largest refinery in the U.S. Texas also leads in natural gas production, producing one-fourth of the nation's supply. Several petroleum companies are based in Texas such as: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Marathon Oil, Tesoro, and Valero, Western Refining. Unlike the rest of the nation, most of Texas is on its own alternating current power grid. As an independent nation, Texas would rank as the world's eleventh-largest producer of electricity. The state is a leader in renewable energy commercialization; it produces the most wind power in the nation. In 2014, 10.6% of the electricity consumed in Texas came from wind turbines. The Roscoe Wind Farm in Roscoe, Texas, is one of the world's largest wind farms with a 781.5 megawatt (MW) capacity. The state also has the highest solar power potential for development in the nation. Climate: Due to Texas size and location it has highly variable weather. Texas has wide variations in precipitation patterns. Depending on location Texas receives on averages 8.7 inches (220 mm) to 64 inches (1,600 mm) of precipitation per year. Thunderstorms strike Texas often, especially the eastern and northern portions of the state. The state experiences the most tornadoes in the United States, an average of 139 a year. These strike most frequently in North Texas (Tornado Alley) and the Panhandle. And they generally occur in the months of April, May, and June. Some of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history have impacted Texas. A hurricane in 1875 killed about 400 people in Indianola, followed by another hurricane in 1886 that destroyed the town. These events allowed Galveston to take over as the chief port city. The 1900 Galveston hurricane subsequently devastated that city, killing about 8,000 people or possibly as many as 12,000. This makes it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport as a Category 4 Hurricane, causing significant damage there. The storm stalled over land for a very long time, allowing it to drop unprecedented amounts of rain over the Greater Houston area and surrounding counties. The result was widespread and catastrophic flooding of hundreds of thousands of homes. Harvey ultimately became the costliest hurricane worldwide, causing an estimated $198.6 billion in damage, surpassing the cost of Hurricane Katrina. Other devastating Texas hurricanes include the 1915 Galveston hurricane, Hurricane Audrey in 1957, Hurricane Carla in 1961, Hurricane Beulah in 1967, Hurricane Alicia in 1983, Hurricane Rita in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008. Snow falls multiple times in the Panhandle and mountainous areas, once or twice a year in North Texas, and once every few years in Central and East Texas and south of San Antonio or on the coast in rare circumstances only. With the exception of the Christmas Eve snowstorm in 2004 when as far south as Kingsville they received 6 inches (150 mm) of snow. (The average high temperature in December is 65°F.) The temperatures in the summer months average from the 80s°F (26°C) to around 100°F (38°C) but most of the state summer high temperatures are around 90°F (32°C) range. Night-time summer temperatures range from the upper 50s°F (14°C) to 80s°F (27°C). The highest temperature ever measured in Texas was 120°F (48.9°C), recorded on August 12, 1936 in Seymour, during the 1936 North American Heatwave, and again on June 28, 1994 in Monahans. The lowest temperature ever measured in Texas was -23°F (-30.6°C), recorded on February 8, 1933 in Seminole. Education: The second president of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, is the Father of Texas Education. During his term, the state set aside three leagues of land in each county for equipping public schools. An additional 50 leagues of land set aside for the support of two universities would later become the basis of the state's Permanent University Fund. Lamar's actions set the foundation for a Texas-wide public school system. Students in Texas take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) in primary and secondary school. STAAR assess students' attainment of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies skills required under Texas education standards and the No Child Left Behind Act. The state's two most widely recognized flagship universities are The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) ranks the state's public universities into three distinct tiers: 1️⃣National Research Universities (Tier 1): 🍁The University of Texas at Austin, 🍁Texas A&M University, 🍁Texas Tech University, 🍁University of Houston, 🍁The University of Texas at Arlington, 🍁The University of Texas at Dallas, 🍁The University of North Texas, 🍁The University of Texas at El Paso. 2️⃣Emerging Research Universities (Tier 2): 🍁The University of Texas at San Antonio, 🍁Texas State University. 3️⃣Comprehensive Universities (Tier 3): 🍁All other public universities (25 in total). Medical research: Texas has many research medical centers. The state has nine medical schools, three dental schools, and two optometry schools. Texas has two Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories: one at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, and the other at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio—the first privately owned BSL-4 lab in the United States. The Texas Medical Center in Houston, holds the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions, with 47 member institutions. Texas Medical Center performs the most heart transplants in the world. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston is a highly regarded academic institution that centers around cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. San Antonio's South Texas Medical Center facilities rank sixth in clinical medicine research impact in the United States. The University of Texas Health Science Center is another highly ranked research and educational institution in San Antonio. Both the American Heart Association and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center call Dallas home. The Southwestern Medical Center ranks "among the top academic medical centers in the world". The institution's medical school employs the most medical school Nobel laureates in the world. Sports: While American football has long been considered "king" in the state, Texans enjoy a wide variety of sports. Within the "Big Four" professional leagues, Texas has two NFL teams (the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans), two Major League Baseball teams (the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers), three NBA teams (the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets, and the Dallas Mavericks), and one National Hockey League team (the Dallas Stars). The Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex is one of only twelve American metropolitan areas that hosts sports teams from all the "Big Four" professional leagues. Outside of the "Big Four" leagues, Texas also has a WNBA team, (the Dallas Wings) and two Major League Soccer teams (the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas). The world's first rodeo was hosted in Pecos, Texas. The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest rodeo in the world. It begins with trail rides that begin from several points throughout the state that convene at Reliant Park. The Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth is the oldest continuously running rodeo incorporating many of the state's most historic traditions into its annual events. Dallas hosts the State Fair of Texas each year at Fair Park. Texas Motor Speedway hosts annual NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar Series auto races since 1997. Since 2012, Austin's Circuit of the Americas plays host to a round of the Formula 1 World Championship —the first at a permanent road circuit in the United States since the 1980 Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International—, as well as Grand Prix motorcycle racing, FIA World Endurance Championship and United SportsCar Championship races. Things To Do: 1️⃣Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, also called "The Modern", is Texas's oldest art museum. The museum dates back to 1892 and its current building in the city's Cultural District opened in 2002. The Modern maintains one of the foremost collections of international modern and contemporary art in the central United States. Various movements, themes, and styles are represented. They have a Permanent Collection of more than 3,000 works of art. The contemporary works are displayed in Ando’s, a concrete and glass building surrounded by a reflecting pond. The Museum also hosts special exhibitions and provides daily docent-led tours. 2️⃣Kimbell Art Museum hosts an art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, who also provided funds for a new building to house it. 3️⃣Amon Carter Museum! The museum's permanent collection features paintings, photography, sculpture, and works on paper by leading artists working in the United States and its North American territories in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The greatest concentration of works falls into the period from the 1820s through the 1940s. Photographs, prints, and other works on paper produced up to the present day are also an area of strength in the museum's holdings. The collection is particularly focused on portrayals of the Old West by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, artworks depicting nineteenth-century exploration and settlement of the North American continent, and masterworks that are emblematic of major turning points in American art history. 4️⃣National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educational resource with exhibits, a research library, and rare photography collection. It annually adds Honorees to its Hall of Fame. As of 2013, there are over 200 Cowgirl Hall of Fame honorees, with additional women being added annually. Honorees include women from a variety of fields, including pioneers, artists, businesswomen, educators, ranchers and rodeo cowgirls. 5️⃣Will Rogers Memorial Center! This 120-acre facility plays host to an extensive variety of cultural, corporate, educational and sporting events including many international-level equestrian and livestock shows. 6️⃣Dallas Museum of Art! The museum collection is made up of more than 24,000 objects, dating from the third millennium BC to the present day. 🌟The Mildred R. and Frederick M. Mayer Library (the museum’s non-circulating research library) contains over 50,000 volumes. With 159,000 square feet (14,800 m2) of exhibition spaces, it is one of the largest art museums in the United States. 🌟Objects in the museum’s African collection come from West Africa and Central Africa. The objects date primarily from the 16th to the 20th centuries, although the earliest object is a Nok terracotta bust from Nigeria that dates from somewhere between 200 BC to 200 AD. 🌟The American art collection includes paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the United States from the colonial period to World War II, and art from Mexico, and Canada. 🌟Ancient Mediterranean art includes Cycladic, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Apulian objects. 🌟Their South Asian art range from Gandharan Buddhist art of the 2nd to 4th centuries AD to the arts of the Mughal Empire in India from the 15th to the 19th century. 🌟Many important artistic trends since 1945 are represented in the museum’s vast collection of contemporary art. 🌟Decorative Arts and Design feature over 8,000 works mostly from Europe and America in various media including furniture, ceramics, glass, textiles, and metalware. 🌟European art starts in the 16th century. Some of the earlier works include paintings by Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Pietro Paolini, and Nicolas Mignard. Art of the 18th century is represented by artists like Canaletto, Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre, and Claude-Joseph Vernet. 🌟The Ancient American art collection covers more than three millennia, displaying sculptures, prints, terracotta, and gold objects. 🌟(This collection is housed in the Dallas Museum of Art but it's a small museum in itself.) The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection. In 1985 the Dallas Museum of Art received a gift from Wendy Reves in honor of her late husband, the publisher Emery Reves. The Reves collection is housed in an elaborate 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) reproduction of the couple' home in France, the Villa La Pausa. Among the 1,400 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper Emery Reves had collected are works from leading impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modernist artists. An extremely fine collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures include very fine bronze casts, rare marble like the first version of the Sirens, a unique piece The poet and contemplative life from the Fenaille family, and even an unusual original wax piece. An extensive accompanying collection of decorative arts works includes Chinese export porcelain; European furniture; Oriental and European carpets; iron, bronze, and silver work; European glass; and rare books. Memorabilia of the Reves' friendship with English statesman Winston Churchill, a frequent guest at La Pausa, is housed in the wing as well. Along with some of La Pausa original furniture. 7️⃣Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, is a concert hall and ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls. It is the permanent home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony Chorus, as well as the primary performing venue of the Dallas Wind Symphony as well as several other Dallas-based musical organizations. The Meyerson Symphony Center also is home to the 4,535 pipe C.B. Fisk Opus 100 organ, known as the Lay Family Concert Organ. 8️⃣Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House was designed as a 21st-century reinterpretation of the traditional opera house, the Winspear seats 2,200 (with a capacity of 2,300) in a traditional horseshoe configuration. A site to see all its own is the 318-rod chandelier located inside the performance hall, named The Moody Foundation Chandelier. The chandelier hangs 50 feet below the ceiling. Starting Friday, June 28, 2013, the traditional pre-performance ascent of The Moody Chandelier has been accompanied by an exclusively adapted piece “The Light” by American composer Philip Glass. Once retracted into the ceiling, it leaves the impression of a star lit night, as each rod has the ability to "twinkle." The acrylic rods are illuminated by three primary color LEDs which allows the chandelier to be lit in virtually any color. 9️⃣Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art! Trammel and Margaret Crow have traveled extensively throughout the world, but Asia was a favorite destination. This is their collection from their travels. The museum is dedicated to celebrating the arts and cultures of Asia including China, Japan, India, Korea, Tibet, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines, from ancient to the contemporary. In total, the Crow family has amassed more than 4,000 pieces of Asian art, among which the 569 best were selected, after extensive analysis, by a noted curator for inclusion in The Crow Collection. At that point, the interior of the Pavilion at the Trammell Crow Center was redesigned and renovated to meet the special needs of a gallery displaying centuries-old art year-round. The Trammell Crow Center stands at a height of 686 feet (209 m) and the 18th-tallest building in Dallas. The building totals 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2) on 50 floors and has a polished and flamed granite exterior with a garden plaza and is bordered by the Crow Collection. 🔟Nasher Sculpture Center houses the Patsy and Raymond Nasher collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. The Nasher Sculpture Center features rotating exhibitions drawn from the Nasher Collection as well as special exhibitions in its indoor and outdoor galleries. 1️⃣1️⃣Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History, a Disney animatronic version of Sam Houston narrates the story of Texas. The museum has three floors of interactive exhibits. 1️⃣2️⃣Dealey Plaza, Dallas. this is where the assassination of John F. Kennedy occurred on 22 November 1963. 1️⃣3️⃣Romanesque Revival courthouse building was constructed between 1890 and 1892 as the county's sixth courthouse. The building is situated directly across from Dealey Plaza. Also known as the "Old Red Courthouse", it is constructed of Pecos red sandstone and Little Rock blue granite. The three-story building features two 118-foot (36 m) columns of Texas granite at each of the four entrances with a central 118-foot (36 m) main column. The building now houses the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture, dedicated to the cultural, economic, political and social history of Dallas County. 1️⃣4️⃣San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park includes the location of the Battle of San Jacinto, the San Jacinto Monument and the museum ship USS Texas. The San Jacinto Monument is a 567.31-foot-high (172.92-meter) column located near the city of Houston. The monument is topped with a 220-ton star that commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. The San Jacinto Museum of History is located inside the base of the monument, and focuses on the history of the Battle of San Jacinto, the history of Texan culture, including Mayan, Spanish and Mexican influences, the history of the Texas Revolution and the Republic of Texas, and important figures in Texas history. Battleship Texas was the first battleship memorial museum in the US. When the battleship was presented to the State of Texas, she was commissioned as the flagship of the Texas Navy. 1️⃣5️⃣The Alamo Mission in San Antonio is commonly called The Alamo and was originally known as Misión San Antonio de Valero. It was founded in the 18th century as a Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound. Visitors may tour the chapel, as well as the Long Barracks, which contains a small museum with paintings, weapons, and other artifacts from the era of the Texas Revolution. 1️⃣6️⃣Fort Davis National Historic Site was established in 1961 to protect one of the best remaining examples of a United States Army fort in the southwestern United States. The fort was established in October 1854 along the Limpia Creek at Painted Comanche Camp by Bvt. Maj. Gen. Persifor Frazer Smith. Hoping to protect the garrison from winter northers, Smith tucked the fort into a canyon flanked on three sides by sheer rock walls. The Confederates evacuated the fort and all other posts west of Fort Clark in August 1862. Fort Davis is important in understanding the presence of African Americans in the West and in the frontier military because the 24th and 25th U.S. Infantry regiments and the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry regiments, all-black regiments (known as the buffalo soldiers), which were established after the Civil War, were stationed at the post. Lt. Col. Wesley Merritt led Troops C, F, H, and I of the 9th Cavalry in reoccupying the fort on June 29, 1867. They rebuilt the fort, using limestone and adobe, outside the canyon walls. Today, 24 restored historic buildings and over 100 ruins and foundations are part of Fort Davis National Historic Site. Five of the historic buildings have been refurbished to the 1880s, making it easy for visitors to envision themselves being at the fort at the height of its development. 1️⃣7️⃣Big Bend National Park is one of the largest, most remote, and one of the least-visited national parks in the contiguous United States. Big Bend's primary attraction is its hiking and backpacking trails. Particularly notable among these are the Chimneys Trail, which visits a rock formation in the desert; the Marufo Vega trail, a loop trail that passes through scenic canyons on the way to and from the Rio Grande; the South Rim trail which circles the high mountains of the Chisos; and the Outer Mountain Loop trail in the Chisos, which incorporates parts of the South Rim loop, descends into the desert along the Dodson Trail, and then returns to the Chisos Basin, completing a 30-mile loop. Floating the Rio Grande can take you through miles of canyons up to 1,500 feet deep. 1️⃣8️⃣Big Thicket National Preserve is the name of a heavily forested area in Southeast Texas. The preserve includes 112,501 acres. The Big Thicket has been described as one of the most biodiverse areas in the world outside the tropics. The Big Thicket National Preserve (BITH) was established in 1974 in an attempt to protect the many plant and animal species within. BITH, along with Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, became the first national preserves in the United States National Park System. Big Thicket was also designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1981. Hiking trails (approximately 40 miles of hiking trails) and waterways meander through nine different ecosystems, from longleaf pine forests to cypress-lined bayous. It is a place of discovery, a place to wander and explore, a place to marvel at the richness of nature. The many miles of creeks, bayous, and river flowing through Big Thicket National Preserve make it an ideal place to explore by canoe and kayak. Numerous access points provide many different trip options for paddlers of all experience levels. Two official Texas Paddling Trails inside the preserve, the Village Creek Paddling Trail (21 miles) and the Cooks Lake to Scatterman Paddling Trail (4.8 miles), offer clearly-defined routes to explore. Camping is allowed on sandbars. 1️⃣9️⃣Guadalupe Mountains National Park is in the vast Chihuahuan Desert of western Texas. It’s known for its bright-white Salt Basin Dunes, wildlife-rich grassland and fossilized reef mountains. The mountain range includes Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet (2,667 m), and El Capitan (formed of limestone laid down in a vast, prehistoric reef and subsequently fossilized), which was used as a landmark by travelers along the route later followed by the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. The ruins of an old stagecoach station stand near the Pine Springs visitor center. The restored Frijole Ranch contains a small museum of local ranching history and is the trailhead for Smith Spring. The park covers 86,367 acres (134.9 sq mi; 349.5 km2) in the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns National Park, about 25 miles (40 km) to the north in New Mexico. The Guadalupe Peak Trail winds through pinyon pine and Douglas-fir forests as it ascends over 3,000 feet (910 m) to the summit of Guadalupe Peak, with views of El Capitan and the Chihuahuan Desert. Guadalupe Mountains N.P. has two major campgrounds: Pine Springs, which is near the park's main entrance, and Dog Canyon, which is on the very remote north end of the park. 2️⃣0️⃣Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle. As the second-largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly 120 mi long and has an average width of 6 mi, but reaches a width of 20 mi at places. Its elevation at the rim is 3,500 feet above sea level. Its depth is around 820 ft (250 m), but in some locations, it increases to 1,000 ft (300 m). The park has over 30 miles of marked trails for hiking, mountain biking, or horse riding. 🌟Elkins Ranch is a working cattle ranch which spans part of the canyon. It offers horse and jeep rides, cowboy poetry and music, chuckwagon meals, and its authentically-costumed staff do their best to make you feel you are out on the range in the mid-1800s. 🌟Old West Stables gives guided horse rides. Various routes are available, Reservations are required for the 6-mile loop route to see the Lighthouse formation. Chuckwagon meals and other food items are also available. (Chuckwagon meals - smoked ribs and chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, beans, and cowboy coffee.) Three Other Prominent Features: Capital Peak, the Spanish Skirts and the Devil's Slide. 2️⃣1️⃣South Padre Island is a resort town on a barrier island of the same name, off the southern coast of Texas. It’s known for its beaches and calm waters. South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center is home to a 5-story watchtower with views of migrating birds. The South Padre Island Dolphin Research & Sealife Nature Center offers boat tours and touch tanks. Sea turtles are rescued and rehabilitated at Sea Turtle Inc. South Padre is known for its water sports, including jet skiing; bay, surf, and deep-sea fishing; parasailing, sailing, dolphin cruise, and windsurfing. Other island activities include bicycling, tennis, shelling, and horseback riding on the beach. The popular Laguna Madre Nature Trail for nature enthusiasts and bird-watchers is north of the city next to the convention center. 2️⃣2️⃣The Fort Worth Zoo is home to 7,000 native and exotic animals and has been named as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life magazine, the Los Angeles Times and USA. 2️⃣3️⃣Hurricane Harbor is North Texas' largest water park, features 50 acres of rides & slides & a 1-million-gallon wave pool. Park Rides; 🌟Lazy River: Take a relaxing and scenic raft cruise down a lazy river, past the coolest neighborhoods in the Harbor. (The ride cruises at 3 MPH.) 🌟Hook’s Lagoon Treehouse: This wet kid-zone has loads to climb on and splash, plenty of lounging area for mom and dad. 🌟Raging Rapids: Grab an inner tube and hurtle down a splashy river of whitewater rapids! 🌟Sea Wolf has a minimum height requirement of 36". This toboggan ride has walls so slick you’ll be banking to stay afloat. 🌟Splashwater Beach: A massive, interactive water playground with nearly 40 water features for the younger set. 🌟Suntan Lagoon: A giant million-gallon pool is the ultimate hangout spot for sun lovers. 🌟Surf Lagoon: The phenomenal million-gallon wave pool makes king-sized waves in an ocean of fun. 🌟Surf Rider has a minimum height requirement of 48". A realistic surfing simulator you ride on your own boogie board. 2️⃣4️⃣Schlitterbahn, New Braunfels is a water park. 2️⃣5️⃣Wonderland Park is an amusement park that is open March thou September. List of Amusement Park Rides; 🌟Main rides: Bumper Cars, Fantastic Journey, Fiesta Swing, Himalaya, The Pirate Ship, The Rainbow, Scrambler, Sky Ride, Sky Rider, Tilt-A Whirl, Wonder Wheel, Texas Intimidator, Drop of Fear, Balloon Swing Ride. 🌟Water rides:Thunder Jet Racers, Big Splash Log Flume, Pipeline Plunge, Rattlesnake River Raft Ride, Shoot The Chute. 🌟Roller coasters: Texas Tornado, Mouse Trap, Cyclone, Hornet. 🌟Children's rides: Boats, Cars, Helicopters, Froghopper, Merry Go Round, Train, Kiddie Bumper Cars. 🌟Other; Miniature Golf, Arcade/Games, The Food Booth, Drink Booth, Cotton Candy Booth. 2️⃣6️⃣Joyland Amusement Park is a small family-owned traditional amusement park within Lubbock's Mackenzie Park. It operates from March to September of each year, opening 6 days a week but only during the evening on weeknights. The park has about 30 rides, including 3 roller coasters. There is an old time carousel at the park entrance, as well as a selection of typical rides such as a Trabant (ride), Scrambler (ride), and bumper cars. 2️⃣7️⃣Six Flags Fiesta Texas, in San Antonio offers pulse-pounding roller coasters to gentler options for tots. Cool off at White Water Bay or take a break at one of their entertaining shows. 2️⃣8️⃣Sea World, San Antonio is a 250-acre marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park. It's s the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Entertainment, and the world's largest marine-life theme park. Roller Coasters and Thrill Rides; 🌟Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster. An Intamin double-launch coaster based on SeaWorld's animal rescue team. 🌟The Great White	: The park's first coaster, a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster. Top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). 🌟Steel Eel: Advertised as "the first and only hypercoaster in Texas," it reaches speeds close to 70 mph (110 km/h). 🌟Journey to Atlantis: The first ride of its kind in North America. It is a combination of a roller coaster and log flume ride. 🌟Shamu Express: A Zierer kiddie roller coaster with cars themed as Shamu. 🌟Rio Loco: A river rapids ride. 2️⃣9️⃣The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Texas, with 2,501 species of native and exotic plants in its 21 specialty gardens. (This is the entire article.) In addition to wooded areas, major garden features include: 🌟Back Yard Vegetable Garden - Vegetable garden that hosts many educational programs. 🌟Conservatory (10,000 square feet) - tropical displays of orchids, bromeliads, and trees. 🌟Four Seasons Garden - Hundreds of iris, daylily, and chrysanthemum varieties. 🌟Fragrance Garden - small garden build for the seeing impaired with fragrant plants and fountain. 🌟Fuller Garden - pathways and lawn; site for weddings and garden parties. 🌟Japanese Garden (7 acres; established 1973) - the Fort Worth Japanese Garden, with three koi ponds, waterfalls, bridges, teahouse, pagodas, pavilions, zen garden, cherry trees, and Japanese maples. 🌟Lower Rose Garden - rose garden inspired by Villa Lante (Italy). 🌟Native Texas Boardwalk - A raised path through the trees with educational information along the way. 🌟Oval Rose Garden - hundreds of roses. 🌟Perennial Garden - perennials with culinary herb collection, as well as ponds and small waterfall. 🌟Rock Springs - Elevated pathways, and bridges over ponds and streams. 🌟Trial Garden - evaluation site for hundreds of species of perennials. 🌟Water Conservation Garden - demonstration xeriscape garden. 🌟Water Wise Entrance - entry garden with agave, Texas sage, salvia greggii, Mexican Bush sage, red yucca and Esparanza. 🌟The garden also contains a Begonia Species Bank, established and operated to prevent the loss of begonia species, it is the largest begonia collection in the United States. 3️⃣0️⃣The Fort Worth Water Gardens (4.3 acre (1.7 hectare). This urban park is frequently billed as a "cooling oasis in the concrete jungle" of downtown Fort Worth. Its focal points are three pools of water and a terraced knoll, which helps to shield the park from the rest of the City. The quiet, blue meditation pool is encircled with cypress trees and towering walls that are covered in thin plane of water that cascades almost 90 degrees down to the sunken blue water feature. The sound of the water on the walls evokes thoughts of a gentle rain shower. The aerating pool features multiple illuminated spray fountains under a canopy of large oak trees. The main attraction of the Water Gardens is the active pool which has water cascading 38 feet (11 m) down terraces and steps into a small pool at the bottom. The active pool experience was built for people to be able to walk down the terraced steps to be surrounded by and experience the power, sounds and motion of water crashing around them. Single Tidbits: 🌟Texas has the joint-highest number of Fortune 500 company headquarters in the United States, along with California. 🌟In 2010, there were 346,000 millionaires in Texas, constituting the second-largest population of millionaires in the nation. 🌟Laredo – the US's largest inland port. 🌟Lubbock – birthplace of Buddy Holly.

🇺🇸National Freedom Day celebrates freedom from slavery. It also recognizes that America is a symbol of liberty. It honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. It was not ratified by the states, however, until later on December 18, 1865. A former slave by the name of Major Richard Robert Wright, Sr. created National Freedom Day. Major Wright was looked upon as a great leader in the community. It was believed by Major Wright, that this day needed to be celebrated. Because of Abraham Lincoln’s signing the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865, February 1st was chosen as the day for National Freedom Day. On June 30, 1948, President Harry Truman signed a bill proclaiming February 1st as the first official National Freedom Day in the United States.

🛋National Get Up Day is an opportunity to share inspiring stories of perseverance; it’s a reminder to pick ourselves up when we’ve fallen and give it (whatever it may be) another go! February 1 marks the official end of National Skating Month (January) when rinks across the country bring communities together to experience the joys and benefits of skating. One of the first lessons every figure skater learns is how to fall and to get back up. This day isn’t just about skating, though. It’s about celebrating that Get Up spirit that applies to every aspect of life and inspiring others through stories, pictures, videos and social media. More importantly, February 1 reminds all of us to Get Up when we stumble. We never know when our efforts to seek a goal or overcome an obstacle will encourage another to do the same. Whether inspiration is found on or off the ice, in a classroom, through a co-worker or your own neighborhood, share your Get Up story on National Get Up Day! U.S. Figure Skating founded National Get Up Day in 2017 to provide a platform to celebrate Get Up stories in communities around the country and to urge others to Get Up.

🍰National Baked Alaska Day! An elaborate dessert that is also known as “Omelette Norvegienne,” Baked Alaska is made with hard ice cream on a base of sponge cake and covered in a shell of toasted meringue. In the United States 1867 there was earnest debate over the potential purchase of Alaska from Russia. Secretary of State William Seward agreed to a purchase price of $7 million, and Alaska became a United States territory in 1868. Those who were of the opinion the purchase was a giant mistake referred to the purchase as “Seward’s Folly.” Enter Charles Ranhofer, the chef at Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City, notorious for naming new and renaming old dishes after famous people and events. Capitalizing on the heated controversy surrounding the purchase in the frozen north, Baked Alaska fit the bill. It was cold, nearly frozen and quickly toasted in a hot oven before serving.

🐲National Serpent Day! Across religions and cultures, the serpent has been used as a symbol of evil, medicine, fertility and much more. Around the world, there are over 3,000 species of snakes. The world’s smallest snake is the Barbados thread snake. This serpent is smaller than a night crawler at about 4 inches. In comparison, the longest snake is the reticulated python and the heaviest is the green anaconda. Snake Facts: Only 1/8 of the known species are venomous. Their upper and lower jaw separate to allow snakes to consume prey up to three times larger than the diameter of their head. Snakes eat their prey whole. Most snakes are nocturnal. Their tongue is used to smell their air. Snakes are cold-blooded, or ectotherms, and must sun themselves to regulate their body temperatures. While most snakes lay eggs, some give live birth. From anti-tumor treatments to antibacterial properties, snake venom has been studied for medical purposes for many years.

👠🎒National Wear Red Day! Heart disease and stroke kill one in three women. These diseases are 80 percent preventable according to Go Red for Women’s official website. Go to www.goredforwomen.org for more information. The Go Red for Women campaign started in 2004 when the American Heart Association took on the challenge of raising awareness about the number 1 cause of death in women.

💭Bubble Gum Day helps raise money for schools and the charities they support. Students donate 50 cents to be able to chew bubble gum in class on Bubble Gum Day. Long before any substantial chewing gum formed bubbles, ancient human beings chewed bits of resin from trees. All around the world, people collected substances from the available trees and used them for dental care and general enjoyment. It wasn’t until 1928 after decades of failure by those before him, and several of his own, that Walter Diemer created the first bubble producing gum. His employer, the Fleer Chewing Gum Company, marketed it as “Dubble Bubble”. The largest bubble gum bubble ever blown was 50.8 centimeters (20 inches) in diamter. Chad Fell of Haleyville, Alabama blew the bubble with three pieces of Dubble Bubble on April 24, 2004 at Double Springs High School in Winston County, Alabama. In 2006, Ruth Spiro, children’s author and mother, founded Bubble Gum Day to create a fun way for children to participate in school fundraising.

Thanks MD for the heads up on the Kindle update.

I'm glad Bixby is all right.

Sending warmer hugs!🐶🐶💕❄️☃️💕