Hello fellow Texans and friends of Texas. Today is Friday, Jan. 31, 2014. • • • • • • =+ -+ -+-+= Shepard, first American in space, also took trip to moon< On Jan. 31, 1971, Alan Shepard, who became the first Americans thrust into space on May 5, 1961 as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, made his second space flight as spacecraft commander of Apollo 14. He was accompanied on mans third lunar landing mission by Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot. Maneuvering their lunar module, Antares, to a landing in the hilly upland Fra Mauro region of the moon, Shepard and Mitchell deployed and activated various scientific equipment and experiments. Born on Nov. 18, 1923, in East Derry, N.H., Shepard was a Houston-area business executive for many years before retirement. He died on July 21, 1998. Shepard graduated from the U.N. Naval Academy in 1944. He graduated Naval Test Pilot School in 1951 and Naval War College 1957. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor (Space) and was a delegate to the 26th United Nations General Assembly from September to December 1971. Shepards first American to journey into space carried him to an altitude of 116 statute miles and to a landing point 302 statute miles down the Atlantic Missile Range. In 1963, he was designated Chief of the Astronaut Office with responsibility for monitoring the coordination, scheduling and control of all activities involving NASA astronauts. • • • • • • =+ -+ -+-+= Approval of Astrodome brought major league baseball< On Jan. 31, 1961, voters of Harris County approved bonds to build a domed stadium. The general obligation bond issue of $22 million allowed the county to begin building the first indoor baseball arena, a condition Judge Roy Hofheinz said National League owners gave while approving Houston for an expansion franchise. Ground was broken on Jan. 3, 1962. After excavation work was completed it was found that more money was needed to complete the structure. On Dec. 22, 1962, another bond issue of $9 million was approved by Harris County property owners. Although there were two lawsuits and other delays, construction on the stadium itself started on March 18, 1963, and was completed two years later. The stadium structure itself cost $20 million but the overall cost was more than $40 million of which $31.6 million came from two county bond issues and $3.75 million from the state highway department and the city of Houston for off-site improvements, including paved streets, bridges and storm sewers. The Houston Sports Association, which leased the stadium from the county for 40 years, added $6 million for expensive apartments, restaurants, cushioned seats and a $2 million scoreboard. First event in the Astrodome was held on April 9, 1965, when the Houston Astros played the New York Yankees in exhibition baseball. The first football game was played in the Astrodome on Sept. 11, 1965, when Tulsa beat the University of Houston 14-0. Pro football came to the Astrodome when the Houston Oilers began playing home games there after a preseason exhibition game with the Washington Redskins on Aug. 1, 1968. Newer facilities lured events from the dome until it had no use. The last NFL game was on Dec. 21, 1996. The Astros left for Minute Maid after an Oct. 9, 1999 game. The last rodeo was held in 2003. Final events of any kind took place in 2006. Once the Eighth Wonder of the world, the Astrodome sits idle and decaying while officials wonder what to do next. • • • • • • =+ -+ -+-+= Also on Jan. 31 in Texas: • In 1851, David Spangler Kaufman, lawyer, Indian fighter, and politician, died in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 31, 1851, and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery there. In 1932 his remains were moved to the State Cemetery in Austin. Kaufman County and the city of Kaufman are named for him. He also played a role in the Compromise of 1850, where the government assumed the debts of Texas. No other Jewish Texan served in Congress until the 1970s. • In 1859, William Menger opened his hotel, now a landmark, on Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. In partnership with Charles Philip Degen, he also operated a brewery on the site. The building has been remodeled many times and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Menger continues to serve as a center for meetings and other social affairs. • In 1899, Bull Town received the more refined name of Bovina when a post office was established. The community’s obvious connection to the cattle industry dates from its origin as the site of the Hay Hook Line Camp of the XIT Ranch in western Parmer County. Cattle often gathered an unfenced railroad right-of-way, and the well-fed bovines lazed about the tracks. • In 1938, 12,000 San Antonio pecan shellers, mostly Hispanic women, walked off their jobs to protest a wage cut, beginning a three-month strike. The strike was settled but over the next three years cracking machines replaced more than 10,000 shellers in San Antonio shops. • In 1947, baseball legend and former Texas Rangers president/CEO Nolan Ryan was born in Refugio. His family soon moved to Alvin where he grew up. Ryan was drafted out of high school in the 12th round by the New York Mets in 1965, launching a career that would see him elected to the Hall of Fame and become baseballs all-time leader in shutouts (seven) and strike outs (5,714). • In 1955, the Vance post office was closed after continual population decline. The community was originally called Bullhead, deriving its name from Bullhead Mountain just to the north. Bullhead served as county seat from September of that year until sometime in 1884, when voters moved the Real county government to Leakey. In 1886, the town was renamed after Xavier Wanz (sometimes written Vance), who pursued Indian raiders into the area and recovered a stolen herd of horses in the 1860s. • • • • • • Texas History Day-by-Day is compiled by retired newspaper journalist Bob Sonderegger (anglebob61@yahoo). A primary source of information is Handbook of Texas Online. Your comments or additions are welcome.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:24:33 +0000
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