When people think of Texas history, they often picture March 2, 1836, or April 21, 1836. But the month of February is packed with important dates that influenced the state’s identity just as much. From the early days of the Republic to modern milestones in space, sports, and business, February tells a story of change, resilience, and growth.
This guide brings together notable Texas events that happened on each day of the month. You’ll see constitutional milestones, famous battles, transportation firsts, landmark court and legislative actions, cultural breakthroughs, and unforgettable weather extremes. Each entry is grounded in the historical record, making this both a resource for history buffs and a practical reference for educators, writers, and anyone curious about the state’s past.
| Date | Category | Event |
|---|---|---|
| February 1, 1861 | Government & Politics | Texas Secession Convention adopts the Ordinance of Secession by a vote of 166 to 8. |
| February 1, 1947 | Museum & Education | Dallas Health Museum opens full time at Fair Park, later evolving into The Science Place and then into the Perot Museum system. |
| February 1, 2003 | Space & Disaster | Space Shuttle Columbia (STS‑107) breaks up during reentry over Texas; seven astronauts are lost and debris falls across Texas and Louisiana. |
| February 2, 1848 | Diplomacy & Borders | Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the U.S.–Mexican War and fixing the Rio Grande as the Texas boundary. |
| February 2, 1860 | Railroads | Columbus Tap Railway is chartered to connect Columbus with the BBB&C line at Alleyton. |
| February 3, 1959 | Culture & Music | Texans Buddy Holly (Lubbock) and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson (Beaumont) die in an Iowa plane crash, remembered as “the day the music died.” |
| February 5, 1840 | Law & Government | The Republic enacts the Law of February 5 concerning free persons of color, restricting residency without legislative exemption. |
| February 5, 1955 | Biography | Historian Martin Lalor Crimmins dies in San Antonio. |
| February 5, 2017 | Sports | Super Bowl LI is played in Houston at NRG Stadium; New England defeats Atlanta 34-28 in the first Super Bowl overtime. |
| February 6, 1860 | Transportation & Infrastructure | Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad completes the bridge from Virginia Point to Galveston Island. |
| February 6, 1959 | Technology & Business | Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files his integrated‑circuit patent application, “Miniaturized Electronic Circuits.” |
| February 6, 2011 | Sports | Super Bowl XLV is played in Arlington; the Packers beat the Steelers 31-25 at Cowboys Stadium. |
| February 7, 1837 | Military & Politics | Gen. Felix Huston wounds Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston in a duel over command of the Texas Army. |
| February 8, 1933 | Weather | Seminole records −23°F, tying the state’s all‑time low first set at Tulia in 1899. |
| February 9, 1902 | Civil Rights | Juanita J. Craft is born in Round Rock; she becomes a key NAACP organizer and later serves on the Dallas City Council. |
| February 11, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | Col. James C. Neill leaves the Alamo on leave; William B. Travis assumes command. |
| February 11, 1850 | Railroads | Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway is chartered, becoming the first railroad to operate in Texas. |
| February 12, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | James W. Fannin assumes command at Presidio La Bahía in Goliad; the post soon goes by Fort Defiance. |
| February 12, 1888 | Invention & Business | James Field Smathers is born near Valley Spring; he pioneers the power‑operated electric typewriter. |
| February 12, 1899 | Weather | During the Great Arctic outbreak, Tulia hits −23°F, setting the original state low that Seminole ties in 1933. |
| February 13, 1844 | Transportation & Settlement | The Republic authorizes the Central National Road from the Red River toward the Trinity. |
| February 14, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | James Bowie and William B. Travis agree to share command of the Alamo garrison. |
| February 14, 1854 | Communications | First Texas telegraph office opens in Marshall, linking with Shreveport. |
| February 14, 1882 | Community & Place | Valentine, Texas is founded and named by a Southern Pacific crew that reached the site on this date. |
| February 14, 1995 | Sports | Houston Rockets acquire Clyde Drexler from Portland, a move that helps power the 1995 title run. |
| February 14, 2013 | Business | American Airlines and US Airways announce a merger agreement; the combined airline keeps its headquarters in Fort Worth. |
| February 15, 1876 | Law & Government | Texas voters ratify the Constitution of 1876, the state’s current governing charter. |
| February 15, 1980 | Transportation Policy | The Wright Amendment is signed into law, limiting most long‑haul flights at Dallas Love Field (later repealed). |
| February 16, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | Santa Anna’s main army crosses the Rio Grande into Texas and advances toward San Antonio. |
| February 16, 1861 | Government & Military | Gen. David E. Twiggs agrees to evacuate U.S. troops and posts at San Antonio; formal surrender follows on February 18. |
| February 17, 1973 | Space & Institutions | The Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston is renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. |
| February 18, 1870 | Government & Civil Rights | Texas ratifies the 14th and 15th Amendments as part of Reconstruction readmission requirements. |
| February 18, 1910 | Aviation | Louis Paulhan makes the first recorded airplane flight in Texas during a public demonstration near Houston. |
| February 19, 1846 | Statehood & Government | Formal transfer of authority from the Republic of Texas to the United States takes place in Austin. |
| February 20, 1685 | Exploration | La Salle’s expedition lands on Matagorda Bay, leading to the Fort St. Louis settlement. |
| February 21, 1862 | Civil War | Battle of Valverde in the New Mexico Territory sees Texans in Sibley’s Brigade win a tactical victory but fail to take Fort Craig. |
| February 23, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | Siege of the Alamo begins as Santa Anna’s forces enter San Antonio de Béxar. |
| February 23, 1861 | Government & Politics | Texas voters approve secession in a statewide referendum, ratifying the convention’s ordinance. |
| February 24, 1836 | Military & Letters | William B. Travis writes his famous appeal, “To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World,” calling for reinforcements. |
| February 24, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | James Bowie becomes seriously ill; Travis assumes sole command at the Alamo. |
| February 25, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | Alamo defenders burn nearby jacales and other structures to deny cover to Mexican skirmishers. |
| February 25, 1989 | Sports Business | New owner Jerry Jones fires Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry and hires Jimmy Johnson. |
| February 26, 1977 | Labor & Civil Rights | Texas Farm Workers Union begins a 420‑mile march from San Juan to Austin seeking a state union‑election law. |
| February 26, 1995 | Culture & Music | Selena performs an iconic RodeoHouston set at the Astrodome before a crowd of about 67,000. |
| February 27, 1836 | Military (Texas Revolution) | Battle of San Patricio: Gen. José de Urrea surprises and defeats a Texian force under F. W. Johnson, opening the Goliad Campaign. |
| February 28, 1845 | Statehood & Politics | The U.S. House adopts the Senate’s joint resolution to annex Texas; President John Tyler signs the measure the next day. |
| February 28, 1993 | Law Enforcement | ATF raid at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco begins, starting a 51‑day standoff. |
February 1
2003 — Space: Space Shuttle Columbia (STS‑107) breaks up over Texas during reentry.
All seven astronauts were lost when Columbia disintegrated during reentry after a 16‑day science mission. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board later concluded that a foam strike during launch breached the left wing’s leading edge, allowing superheated plasma to destroy internal structure on reentry. The loss paused shuttle flights and led to major safety reforms.
February 2
1860 — Railroads: Columbus Tap Railway is chartered.
Local leaders in Columbus created a three‑mile “tap” to connect their town to the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway at Alleyton on the opposite bank of the Colorado River. Civil War disruptions delayed construction; the line and a permanent bridge were completed in 1867, giving Columbus direct rail service.
February 5
2017 — Sports: Super Bowl LI is played at NRG Stadium, Houston.
New England rallied from a 28–3 second‑half deficit to defeat Atlanta 34–28, the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. Tom Brady was named MVP.
February 6
1959 — Technology & Business: Jack Kilby (Texas Instruments) files his integrated‑circuit patent.
Kilby filed “Miniaturized Electronic Circuits,” a key patent that underpinned the microelectronics industry. His pioneering IC work at TI began in 1958; the Feb. 6 filing is one of the landmark legal steps that protected the invention.
2011 — Sports: Super Bowl XLV is played at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington.
Green Bay beat Pittsburgh 31–25; Aaron Rodgers was MVP. Attendance topped 100,000 at the then‑new stadium.
February 8
1933 — Weather: Seminole records −23°F, tying Texas’s all‑time low.
The reading matched the state record set at Tulia during the Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899. NOAA and NWS documents recognize the Tulia record, later tied at Seminole on this date.
February 9
1902 — Civil Rights & Politics: Birth of Juanita J. Craft (Round Rock).
Craft became a key NAACP organizer, helped desegregate Texas institutions, and later served on the Dallas City Council. Her South Dallas home is a city landmark and museum dedicated to civic engagement.
February 11
1850 — Railroads: Texas charters the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway (BBB&C).
Incorporated on this date, the BBB&C was the first railroad to begin operating in Texas. Service started in the 1850s from Harrisburg toward the Brazos River, with Sidney Sherman among its founders.
February 12
1888 — Invention: James Field Smathers is born near Valley Spring.
Smathers designed the first practical power‑operated (electric) typewriter and later consulted for IBM. His work addressed speed and operator fatigue in typing, influencing 20th‑century office technology.
1899 — Weather: The Great Arctic Outbreak grips Texas; Tulia hits −23°F on Feb. 12.
That reading set the original state low, later tied at Seminole in 1933. The outbreak produced record cold across much of Texas.
February 13
1844 — Transportation & Settlement: The Republic of Texas establishes the Central National Road.
Planned as a 30‑foot‑wide military and emigrant road from the Elm Fork of the Trinity near present‑day Dallas to Kiomatia on the Red River, it linked to U.S. routes into Arkansas and Missouri and guided early settlement in North and Northeast Texas.
February 14
1882 — Local History: Valentine, Texas, is founded.
A Southern Pacific construction crew reached the site on February 14 and named the new station “Valentine.” Some later accounts suggest the name may also honor Wells Fargo executive and SP stockholder John J. Valentine.
1995 — Sports: The Houston Rockets trade for Clyde Drexler.
On Valentine’s Day, Houston acquired Drexler from Portland. He reunited with Hakeem Olajuwon and helped the sixth‑seed Rockets win the 1995 NBA title.
2013 — Business: American Airlines and US Airways announce a merger agreement.
The Valentine’s Day deal created American Airlines Group, headquartered in Fort Worth, pending regulatory approvals that were resolved later that year.
February 15
1876 — Law & Government: Texas voters ratify the present Texas Constitution.
The Constitution of 1876, drafted in 1875 and ratified by a 136,606 to 56,652 vote, remains the state’s governing document, albeit heavily amended.
1980 — Transportation Policy: The Wright Amendment is signed into law.
Public Law 96‑192 restricted most interstate commercial flights at Dallas Love Field to nearby states, a compromise meant to protect the new DFW Airport. (The restrictions were later modified and ultimately repealed.)
February 16
1836 — Military (Texas Revolution): Santa Anna’s main army crosses the Rio Grande into Texas.
The crossing marked the campaign’s push north toward San Antonio. Within a week the army reached Béxar and began the Alamo siege.
1861 — Civil War in Texas: Gen. David E. Twiggs agrees to evacuate U.S. troops from San Antonio; formal surrender follows on Feb. 18.
A marker and contemporary accounts indicate Twiggs agreed on Feb. 16 to evacuate. Two days later he surrendered federal posts and property in Texas to state commissioners.
February 17
1973 — Space & Institutions: The Manned Spacecraft Center is renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
President Richard Nixon signed the joint resolution on Feb. 17, honoring the late President Johnson’s role in the U.S. space program.
February 18
1870 — Reconstruction & Civil Rights: Texas ratifies the 14th and 15th Amendments.
The newly seated 12th Legislature approved both amendments to satisfy Congressional requirements for readmission. National readmission was proclaimed the following month.
1910 — Aviation: First documented airplane flight in Texas (South Houston).
French aviator Louis Paulhan made demonstration flights before large crowds, inspiring early Texas fliers and marking the state’s entry into powered flight.
February 19
1846 — Statehood & Government: Formal transfer of authority from the Republic of Texas to the United States.
Anson Jones delivered his valedictory remarks as the republic ended and state government took shape under U.S. annexation.
February 21
1862 — Civil War (New Mexico Campaign): Battle of Valverde.
Texans under Brig. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley clashed with Union forces near Fort Craig, New Mexico Territory. Confederates won tactically but failed to force the fort’s surrender, and the campaign ultimately stalled at Glorieta Pass in March.
February 23
1836 — Military (Texas Revolution): Siege of the Alamo begins.
Santa Anna’s vanguard reached San Antonio and demanded surrender; the garrison retired into the Alamo compound and opened the siege that would last until March 6.
1861 — Politics: Texas secession referendum passes.
Voters approved secession by 46,153 to 14,747. Only 18 of 122 counties recorded majorities against secession.
February 24
1836 — Military & Letters: William B. Travis writes the “To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World” appeal.
The “Victory or Death” letter urgently requested reinforcements for the Alamo. It remains one of the most cited documents from the Texas Revolution.
1836 — Command at the Alamo: James Bowie falls ill; Travis assumes sole command.
During the siege, Bowie’s illness left Travis in sole command of the garrison’s defense.
February 25
1836 — Military (Alamo siege): Defenders burn nearby jacales to deny cover to Mexican skirmishers.
Accounts of the siege describe the destruction of outside huts to keep attackers from using them as shelter close to the walls.
1989 — Sports Business: New owner Jerry Jones fires Cowboys coach Tom Landry.
Jones completed his purchase of the Dallas Cowboys and replaced Hall‑of‑Fame coach Landry with Jimmy Johnson, ending a 29‑season tenure.
February 26
1977 — Labor & Civil Rights: Texas Farm Workers Union begins a 420‑mile “March for Human Rights” from San Juan to Austin.
The march sought state legislation allowing farmworkers to vote on union representation and drew attention to wages and conditions in Texas agriculture.
1995 — Music & Culture: Selena’s final RodeoHouston concert at the Astrodome.
The show drew roughly 67,000 attendees and cemented her mainstream breakthrough, later memorialized on recordings and in film.
February 27
1836 — Military (Texas Revolution): Battle of San Patricio.
Mexican Gen. José de Urrea surprised Texian forces tied to the Matamoros Expedition, beginning the Goliad Campaign along the Gulf Coast.
Late February 1836 — Alamo siege tactics: Mexican forces attempt to restrict the Alamo’s access to water.
Analyses and public‑history resources note Mexican efforts to control or block acequia channels during the siege to stress the defenders’ water supply.
February 28
1993 — Law Enforcement & Public Safety: ATF raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco begins; 51‑day standoff follows.
Agents attempting to serve warrants were met by gunfire, leading to a prolonged federal‑state operation that ended tragically on April 19. Official chronologies and subsequent reviews detail the sequence and criticisms of tactics.
February may be the shortest month of the year, but Texas history shows it’s far from quiet. From battles and constitutions to cold snaps and cultural milestones, each day adds another layer to the story of the state. Keeping these dates in mind is a simple way to see how Texas has always been in motion.