Through the years, countless Texans have made history, though some are far less remembered or memorialized. We’re bringing some of those stories to light today, from the far reaches of space exploration to the farmworkers who fought for change with the Texas Farm Workers Union.
History
A tale of a stolen town
On the western side of the Panhandle, right on the Texas/New Mexico border are two towns that were established just a few years apart in the late 1800s. They were separated by a line as thin as a goal line. They both still exist today — with populations of less than 1,500 each. But Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong says their beginnings were very different.
Could Napoleon have ruled over Texas?
A strongman politician is something we’ve heard a lot about recently. This Stories From Texas is about a strongman from history and a plan to set him up anew in Texas.
Texas Standard Commentator W.F. Strong dug up this story — one that you probably didn’t hear about in Texas history, for one, because it didn’t come to fruition.
Texas Extra: A documentary on the Texas Farm Workers Union
The story of the TFWU is one of epic strikes and marches, but also one that occasionally brushes up against controversy. But what this documentary ultimately aims to do is simply share a story few Texans know from history.
A second siege of the Alamo
Even though the words “Remember the Alamo” are available on t-shirts, bumper-stickers, and kitchen kitsch, the Alamo wasn’t always remembered with the reverence it is today. For a long time, the Alamo was used mostly as a warehouse. Even the church, which people rather universally think of as the Alamo, was used as an army depot for decades. Texas Standard commentator WF Strong has the story of two women who helped to change that.
My brush with fate or serendipity
Sometimes things happen in the world that just seem too coincidental to be coincidental. We have lots of words to describe these moments — luck, serendipity, maybe fate or destiny, perhaps a miracle?
Texas Standard Commentator WF Strong remembers one of these moments he just can’t explain.
Texas Extra: It’s Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in ‘America First’
UT-Austin historian H.W. Brands is known for taking a very personal approach to history. This is an extended interview about his latest book, America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War.
‘The Stadium’ reconsiders the role of our modern arenas
The Democratic National Convention kicked off with an emotional evening and Texans among the featured speakers.
A jury found that the parents of the accused gunman in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting were not responsible for his actions.
Highway lanes are shrinking in Austin. It’s part of national trend – but what does it mean for safety?
Why an effort to ban books in a Rio Grande Valley high school library failed.
Also: A new book from historian Frank Guridy delves into why sports stadiums are more than places to cheer on your favorite team.
Texas Extra: How do we define a museum?
Texas Standard kicked off a new project in August: The Texas Museum Map. To begin, we decided to get answers to some challenging questions about museums. This Texas Extra is an extended version of that interview with Kenneth Hafertepe, a fellow with the Texas State Historical Association and chair of the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor.
How one Austin neighborhood paved the way for a culture of central air conditioning
Seventy years ago, 21 families took part in an experiment in Austin. They were testing something most of us would say we can’t live without today. KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy has this story.
What’s next for Houston after deadly storms
We’ll have the latest on relief and recovery efforts in Houston days after deadly storms hit the region and left hundreds of thousands without power.
A new plan for mental health care in Texas and what some Texans say needs to be a shift in priorities.
The Texas delegation to Congress is set to up the stakes in a water fight with Mexico.
A small green beetle, the ash borer, has steadily decimated forests across the U.S. for more than two decades – and it’s recently spread to five new counties in Texas.
This week in Texas music history: recounting the spring of 1963, when Texas’ own Roy Orbison hit the road with the Beatles.
Plus, the antiquated music machines still playing back part of Texas history.
Historic church site in South Texas recognized as stop on Underground Railroad
A Galveston County judge has pushed back the start of a trial in a civil lawsuit against the parents of the accused gunman in the Santa Fe High School shooting, which left eight students and two teachers dead in 2018.
Houston has a new acting police chief in the wake of the abrupt retirement of Chief Troy Finner. We’ll have the latest.
The Jackson Ranch Church in the Rio Grande Valleyis being recognized as a stop on the Underground Railroad ushering enslaved people to freedom in Mexico.
Plus: A group of Gen Z rappers go on a road trip across Texas in the new film “Lost Soulz.”
A tower has loomed in Austin’s Clarksville neighborhood for 72 years. What does it do?
At one point, this tower was Austin’s main communication link to the outside world. Decades later, is it a landmark — or an eyesore — for the neighborhood?
The mystery of the Texas box
We’ve all heard the proverb about one man’s trash being another’s treasure. Well, for generations of a family now living in Texas, the treasure in question was an old box found discarded many years earlier. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has the story.
New Year’s Eve on Houston Street
Champagne toasts, fireworks, making resolutions, fancy meals… those are just some of the many ways Texans chose to to ring in 2024. Texas Standard commentator WF Strong, however, decided to welcome the New Year by reflecting on the past.
The Gift of the Tidelands
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has a little holiday tradition. Every December he likes to count our collective blessings as Texans by highlighting a great gift to Texas.
He says the tidelands were special because the giver didn’t realize how much goodness would continue to flow from them.
Found in Translation
For those with a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, traveling Texas becomes more interesting because the Spanish names of places reveal, or hint at, their histories. Texas Standard commentator WF Strong has some examples.
Jessica Taylor (Ep. 49, 2023)
On this week’s In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with Ezra Coffee founder and CEO Jessica Taylor, a former educator and Diversion and Inclusion strategist, as well as reality TV show cast member, who incorporates her passion for storytelling, and the celebration of African American culture and history in the making and marketing of specialty coffees.
‘The Killers of the Flower Moon’ is an Oklahoma story with Texas ties
There’s a much-anticipated film coming out next month. It’s the latest from Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Texan Jesse Plemons also has a big role — playing a Texan from history. Commentator WF Strong profiled the story when it was told in a bestselling book with the same name as the new film: “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
A version of this commentary first aired on March 20, 2019.
KUT Morning Newscast for September 20, 2023
Central Texas top stories for September 20, 2023. More information on the centuries old bodies in the Oakwood Cemetery. Vote on Central Health’s budget is delayed. City of Kyle starts buying water from San Marcos.