| Vol 8, No 25 | January 25, 1878 | Friday Evening |
(1969) 
On this date in 1969, ground is broken and construction begins on the new 58,000 seat Irving Stadium, future home of the Dallas Cowboys.
(1975)
On this date in 1975, Texas born OA "Bum" Phillips was hired as Head Coach and General Manager of the Houston Oilers. From 1975 til he was fired in 1980, Bum Phillips was the winningest coach in Oilers History. He was once quoted as saying the "Dallas Cowboys may be America's team, but the Houston Oilers are Texas' team." Bum was a working man's Texan. He once told a reporter from the New York Times, that there are "five things I know about" ... pickups, cold beer, barbecued ribs, gumbo, and chewing tobacco. Under Phillips, Earl Campbell from the University of Texas won three consecutive Rushing titles, 1978 (1450 yrds), 1979 (1679 yrds) and 1980 (1934 yrds).
(2005)
On this date in 2005, the "Golden Voice of Rock and Roll", Ray Peterson died at his home in Smyrna, near Nashville. Born in Denton, Ray had two giant smash hits with "Tell Laura I Love Her", and "Corinna, Corinna".
(1819)
On this date in 1819, Anna W Raguet was born. She was once the heart-throb of Sam Houston in Nacogdoches. In 1833, Houston even sought legal help for a divorce from Eliza Allen to marry Anna, but under Mexican law, divorces were illegal. He eventually became President of the Republic of Texas and passed a law legalizing divorce. His divorce was secured on April 8, 1837, but Anna didn't approve of his scruples. She eventually married Robert Irion and had five children by him. She died in 1883.
On this date in 1878, The Denison Daily News printed the story of John Martin's January 2nd siting of "A Strange Phenomenon" while out hunting near his Denison farm. Unfamiliar with this type of reporting, the newspaper quotes Martin almost entirely. At one point, Martin refers to the phenomenon as being like "a large saucer" going through space "at wonderful speed." After it had stopped directly above him for a time, "It went as rapidly as it had come and was soon lost to sight in the heavenly skies." The newspaper summarizes "Mr. Martin is a gentleman of undoubted veracity and this strange occurrence, if it was not a balloon, deserves the attention of our scientists."
On this date in 1845, the US House voted to admit Texas into the Union. The bill will work its way through the Senate, but finally, on December 29th, Texas became the 28th State. By February 1846, government of the Republic of Texas will replaced by a governor and state officials.
On this date in 1839, President of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, approved the adpotion by the Texas Congress of the Texas national flag, the familiar red, white and blue Lone Star flag which is now the state flag.
