HOUSTON HISTORY

Houston Newsmakers: Largest murder trial in US history one reason behind clemency efforts for convicted Camp Logan soldiers

Sometimes, the building outlives the business. Though these notable Houston structures were renovated and repurposed, longtime Houstonians remember what they were in their heyday.

Houston’s roads are intimidating as all get-out, y’all.

Seventy-five years ago, Alley Theatre was founded.

Do you profess to be a Houston history junkie, a die-hard Houston Zoo fan, or perhaps a genuine zookeeper with a soft spot for trivia? Just how deep does your Houston Zoo knowledge go? Take a few minutes, answer the questions, and see how many you can get right.

In celebration of the institution’s centennial, we dug through history books and archives to unearth some wild and wonderful facts about the Houston Zoo.

YEE-HAW!! One Junior Market Steer exhibitor was able to make RodeoHouston history after a special guest purchased her Grand Champion Steer for a record-breaking $1,000,000.

Here we highlight the lives and legacies of four trailblazing Houston women whose names you might not recognize — but who nonetheless made a profound impact on the Houston Police Department.

Here we highlight the lives and legacies of six trailblazing women with Houston ties whose names you might not recognize — but who nonetheless made a profound impact on music history in Texas and beyond.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo welcomed its first star entertainer in 1942. In the decades since, hundreds of musicians have graced the Rodeo’s rotating stage.

Here we highlight the lives and legacies of 14 trailblazing Houston women whose names and stories you might not have learned about in school — but who nonetheless left a lasting mark on Houston and beyond.

Sometimes, a picture without color can tell you a thousand words, but a portrait of a man, woman, or child of color with no color can tell a million.

Step right up and test your Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo knowledge.

Southwest of Downtown Houston is a close-knit area brimming with African-American heritage.

A hundred years ago, the Houston Zoo was founded.

Wearing a monochromatic ensemble, the seasoned storyteller quips that he has received all three of his vaccination shots before removing his mask to admire the renovations at his old stomping ground.

Once billed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the long-abandoned Astrodome is arguably still Houston’s most iconic landmark.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a 90-year-old institution touted as one of the world’s largest gatherings of cattlemen and cowboy sportsmen, has returned after a lengthy hiatus due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Advertised as “tomorrow’s newest, fastest, cheapest way to travel,” the first commercial operating monorail in the United States made its grand debut in Houston in February 1956.

Here’s a look at some of the key Houston historical anniversaries coming up during this particular calendar year.

Listed chronologically by opening date, here’s a look at the longstanding Houston eateries that have been dishing out burgers and fries for decades. Note that several of the burger joints listed below have been in business longer than half a century.

Ike made landfall over Galveston Island as a Category 2 Hurricane at 2:10 a.m. on Saturday, September 13, 2008. The storm devastated the regions, killing dozens and causing billions in damage. The Houston-area locals that lived through shared what they remember most about Ike.

48 years ago, Dean Corll, one of the country’s most prolific serial killers, was shot dead at his home in Pasadena, Texas. Texas EquuSearch announced Sunday it will soon begin searching for the remains of any additional victims.

Emancipation Park is located in Houston’s Third Ward, and is a great place for community members to gather and celebrate Juneteenth. This year, they have been presenting virtual programs on their online platforms throughout the month of June, with support from corporate partners like Shell.

Three Brothers Bakery is celebrating its 72nd anniversary this Friday, June 18th by offering all of their cookies for 72¢ each at their original location, 4036 S. Braeswood Blvd.

In Houston’s food scene, high value is often placed on innovation, novelty and aesthetics -on the most Insta-worthy menu items, the most unique dining experience or the latest foodie fad. It is no wonder, then, that so many of the city’s oldest bakeries and dessert shops have disappeared.

Once billed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Astrodome is arguably Houston’s most iconic landmark.

Eight community volunteers are being honored by Comcast this year, in celebration of Black History Month. It has been four years now since the Mayor’s History Makers Awards presented by Comcast kicked off. Comcast partners with the Mayor of Houston annually to recognize eight African-American citizens who are making a difference in the local community. They deserve to be celebrated every day -- and especially during Black History Month,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Publisher, Houston Style Magazine; Edward Pollard, Houston City Council Member, District J; and Dr. Ruth Simmons, President, Prairie View A&M University.

After serving eighteen years as head librarian, Norman became unsatisfied and wanted to continue her educational path. Therefore, Norman returned to school and received her Master of Education degree from Texas Southern University in 1956. Upon completing her Master’s degree, Norman missed doing what she loved most: being a librarian. KPRC 2 is partnering with Texas Southern University throughout the month of February for a celebration of Houston Black history. She is a junior majoring in Journalism at Texas Southern University.

Ever wonder what it’s like inside the only Houston house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright? Take a virtual tour.

In Houston’s restaurant scene, high value is often placed on innovation, novelty and newness -on the trendiest restaurant, the most unique dining experience or the latest foodie fad. His children own and operate the only Christie’s restaurant location still operating. Texas barbecue legend John Davis and his wife Leila opened the historic Houston restaurant in 1935 as Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q. The eatery still operated out of its original location, situated at 7006 I-45 South at Woodridge. Following the success of its original location, several additional locations followed and a local fried chicken empire was born.

A job at AstroWorld was the hottest thing a teenager could do in Houston in the ’80s. But when our school bus passed by AstroWorld, I often stared at the spectacular rides tucked behind the gate. AstroWorld was ours; it belonged to the children of Houston, not the world or even Texas at large, although we were willing to share. As a child, I remember the sights, sounds, and smells at AstroWorld constantly changing with each new turn in the park. In addition to manning the games and rides, AstroWorld workers were constantly hawking some candy or treat for a few bucks.

Since 1970, the Galleria has been a family destination for many Houstonians and visitors from all around the world.

It wasn’t until 1974 when KPRC 2 introduced a new piece of equipment that would change its news coverage forever. #Houston's @KPRC2 introduced the Big 2 Instant News Camera on #ElectionDay 1974, reporting from multiple candidate HQs simultaneously. https://t.co/HKDIZNPAIp — TAMI (@texasarchive) November 3, 2020Prior to 1974, ‘Big 2 News’ had to do a variety of steps to get footage on air for its newscasts. On November 5, 1974, KPRC 2 introduced the ‘Big 2 Instant News Camera’ on Election Day. Photojournalist shooting KPRC reporter with the Big 2 Instant News camera (KPRC)The Big 2 Instant News Camera changed the way KPRC delivered its news.

The Houston Zoo opened in Hermann Park in the 1920s and acquired its first ghost just two decades later. The adventurous, German-born lion-tamer Hans Nagel was the institution’s first zookeeper. During his tenure, Nagel, a media darling who’s wild antics were fodder for local newspapers, would become a well-known figure about town.

While there were early members throughout the Beatles’ existence, one Houstonian was claimed as the fifth member of this band and helped lead the group to a successful album. His name was Billy Preston.

SUGAR LAND, Texas About 2.5 years after workers stumbled upon the first skeletal remains during construction of a Fort Bend Independent School District Career and Technical Center, the school district published a 500-page report honoring the Sugar Land 95.Its not speculation, its archeology, a true historical report that documents all of this, said Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Dr. Charles Dupre. RELATED: Sugar Land 95 reburied, public memorial planned for springThe report includes a roster of 72 African American men who worked and died on Bullhead Convict Labor Camp in the late 1890s and early 1900s, part of a horrific and state-sanctioned prison labor system, who were likely buried in some of the 95 unmarked graves. The roster includes William Crawford, who records suggest was a 21-year-old married man accused of forgery and was gunned down trying to escape the prison camp. Researchers have secured funding for the first batch of DNA extractions, officials wrote on the Fort Bend ISD website. Additional funding will be needed to fund the remaining DNA extractions, analysis, comparisons to existing databases, public outreach, and genealogical studies.Read more here.

HOUSTON Gerald D. Hines was known for his commitment to architectural excellence, superior engineering and integrity. Hines at the time the Hines firm was founded in 1957 (Tim Connolly, Hines)His true love was building. Gerald D. Hines brought innovation, excellence in design, the efficiency of construction and sustainability to the international real estate investment and development world as perhaps no builder of our time has done. No city (bears) his signature as clearly as does Houston and in Houston the Uptown / Galleria area is his grandest triumph, said John Breeding, President of Uptown Houston, in a statement. Here are seven signature properties in Texas developed by Gerald Hines.

HOUSTON A fun guessing game turned into an interesting history lesson when a Galveston museum revealed the purpose behind bathing machines used in the during the Georgian or Victorian eras. According to The Bryan Museum, bathing machines were used to offer Georgian or Victorian women privacy to undress as well as a dry place for swimmers to keep their belongings. At some locations, there were female attendants known as dippers who could help women out of the bathing machines and into the water. Just as they came, women would travel back to shore in the bathing machine and get redressed in private. According to an article on the subject by Messy Nessy Chic, the use of bathing machines diminished during the 1920s.

Charlotte Marie Baldwin Allen Do you know who the "Mother of Houston" is? Meet Charlotte Marie Baldwin Allen. Houston received its namesake and Allen became known as the ”Mother of Houston.”Over the next 45 years, she became a prominent role in the development of Houston. Charlotte Allen died on August 3, 1895. In 1907, Charlotte Baldwin Allen elementary school became the first public school in the city named after a woman.

HOUSTON On July 9, 1990, seven world leaders stood in front of Lovett Hall at Rice University, for the 16th G7 Economic Summit. Known as the Group of Seven, G7 consisted of seven industrialized nations including France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the President of the European Commission. G7 members walk through the Sallyport of Lovett Hall at Rice University (Rice University)The 16th G7 Summit, which began in 1975 was held on the campus of Rice University from July 9th through July 11th, its purpose was to provide a venue for the non-communist powers to come together and address economic concerns. G7 members walking on the inner loop at Rice University (Rice University)According to the Houstorian Calendar, its believed barbecue and not-so-great stereotypes of Texas were featured on the opening day of the summit. There is a memorial of the G7 Summit on the grounds of Rice University near Herring Hall.

Nearly 50 years ago, the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York were considered the beginning of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The historical riot was the spark that helped ignite Houston’s first gay and lesbian organization in the early 70s. However, the city didn’t celebrate its first parade celebration almost a decade later.

According to the Texas State Historical Association, this became part of the calendar of public events by 1872 under the direction of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Jack Yates along with a few other community members, who were also former slaves, united to raise $1,000 to purchase ten acres of parkland to host Juneteenth celebrations. However, the magnitude of Juneteenth celebrations declined through the years due to economic and cultural forces. During the 1970’s late Houston Democrat Rep. Al Edwards introduced a bill calling for Juneteenth to become state holiday. Related: Juneteenth celebrations around the country mark the day enslaved Texans were finally told they are free 155 years agoToday Juneteenth celebrations spread all across the country.

(Photo by Dave Einsel/Getty Images) (2006 Getty Images)2011: Occupy Houston movementOn December 11, 2011, several protesters associated with Occupy movements across Texas were arrested near the Port of Houston on Monday. A month prior, several Occupy Houston protesters were arrested in downtown Houston blocking traffic in the intersection of Commerce and Travis streets. Occupy Houston was a collaboration that has included occupation protests that stand in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. 2017: Womens MarchOn January 21, 2017, more than 20,000 people walked through downtown Houston, one of the hundreds of Womens Marches taking place across the country. 2018: March for Our LivesOn March 24, 2018, nearly 15,000 Houstonians marched through downtown Houston.

On May 22, 1991, thousands of Houstonians filled the streets waving British flags, hoping to get a glance of British royalty. It was a rainy Wednesday morning when Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip were greeted by a choir group in front of City Hall.

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. is credited as the first American to journey into space on May 5, 1961. According to NASA, in 1959 NASA invited 110 top test pilots to volunteer for the manned space flight program. 1923: Alan Shepard, the naval aviator and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space, is born in Derry, New Hampshire. (NASA via Wikimedia Commons)He received numerous awards, including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. You can learn more about Alan B. Shepard, Jr. and his mission in the video below.

HOUSTON – Hour by hour, the City of Houston is working around the clock, hoping to flatten the curve and avoid a rapid spread of COVID-19. Nearly 100 years ago in 1918, the world dealt with the pandemic influenza, known as the “Spanish flu.” With little to no knowledge of this influenza, people were dying at a rapid rate. Although the spread began in the early spring of 1918, cities in Texas didn’t become affected until fall. At the time, Houston wasn’t the only city in Texas dealing with the Spanish flu. Learn more about the 1918 flu pandemic in the video below.

AdSissy Farenthold: A Noble Citizen (The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice)1926 - Frances “Sissy” Farenthold is born in Corpus Christi. I liked the competition.”Sissy Farenthold: A Noble Citizen (The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice)1949 - Sissy graduates from law school. Sissy Farenthold: A Noble Citizen (The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice)1969-1973 - Sissy served in the Texas House of Representatives. Sissy Farenthold: A Noble Citizen (The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice)1976-1980 - Sissy serves as president of Wells College in Aurora, New York. She continues to lend her voice and support to human rights efforts around the world and in Houston.

Long before 1941, high-rise buildings in Houston were not built with any cooling systems. As technology advanced, developers began adding central air to existing buildings.

Although researchers can’t determine the exact city of Brodbeck’s flight, they can all agree that the airship was destroyed. Jacob Brodbeck's airplane after it crashed in 1865 (Daughters of the Republic of Texas)Years later, the Wright brothers achieved the first powered airplane flight in 1903. After arriving from Los Angeles, Frenchmen, Louis Paulhan made history as the first person to fly an airplane in the Lone Star State. The flight happened at 2:30 p.m. at Aviation Camp in South Houston and admission was $1. Read the Houston Post’s coverage after the historical eventA few weeks later, Lt. Benjamin Foulois would follow the footsteps of Paulhan, completing a similar flight in San Antonio.

Jack Yates was a prominent black who played a significant impact on the black community in Houston. Born on July 11, 1828, in Gloucester Country, John Henry “Jack” Yates was the son of two slaves. His missionary work and leadership led him to become a founding pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston’s first black Baptist church in 1866. On one lot, he built his a two-story house, which still stands today Sam Houston Park. Jack Yates Plaque (KPRC)Watch a brief history on the Jack Yates House

As you stroll down Andrews Street, just west of Downtown, you’ll see the slightly red-bricks paved in the streets.

In the early days of Houston’s founding, one little ship paved the way to our city’s port. Built in 1835, in Louisville, Kentucky, Laura the steamboat was operated by Thomas F. McKinney and Samuel May Williams. Steamboat Laura Advertisement (KPRC)The steamboat was intended to travel through the Brazos River but was used for a different purpose during the Texas revolution. However, it would play another role in the history books, by traveling to Buffalo Bayou, making it the first steamboat to vessel through this waterway. Telegraph and Texas Register, Friday, January 27, 1837 (University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History)In January 1837, Laura took the founders of Houston and other prominent figures across the bayou to Houston.

Known as the Prudential Insurance Co. Building, the 18-story structure was the first high-rise corporate office building outside downtown. Houston Main building (Courtesy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)Designed by Kenneth Franzheim, the Prudential Building was constructed of Indiana limestone and natural Texas Granite. New plans were set to construct a four-building medical campus in place of the Houston Main Building. The University of Texas System officially named the building the Houston Main Building in 1980. (Courtesy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center)The Prudential Building Today

HOUSTON – Meet Howard Robard Hughes Sr., the man that changed the oil industry. Howard R. Hughes Sr. (KPRC)At the time, many drilling companies had a difficult time getting through underground rock formations to drill oil. Howard R. Hughes Sr. drill patented on August 10, 1909 (KPRC)Two years later in 1909, they patented the new tool and founded Sharp-Hughes Tools Co. on Buffalo Bayou. Sharp-Hughes Tool Co. (KPRC)In 1912, Sharp passed away and Hughes purchased half of the company from Sharp’s widow, becoming Hughes Tools. Twenty four years later, Hughes Tools would patent another useful tool, the Tricone roller cone drill bit, technology still used today.

On Dec. 22, 2004, a cold front made its way across the South Texas region, plunging temperatures into the mid-30s with frigid weather continuing into the next day. Annotated satellite imagery of South Texas and north-eastern Mexico on Christmas Day morning in 2004. (NASA EODIS Worldview)Although the Houston metro didn’t receive a foot of snow, parts of southwest Houston and the greater area did receive a few inches. Snowfall Totals from 2004 (National Weather Service)The real Christmas miracle took place in a large portion of South Texas where amounts from 6 to 12 inches of snow were recorded. Video of snow in Houston 2004Do you remember when it snowed in 2004?

An African-American man is seated on a box of " Grand Prize Lager Beer" in the front center of the two cars. He sought the best brewer at the time, hiring Belgium brewmaster Frank Brogniez from Houston Ice and Brewing to create a new beer, and so Grand Prize Beer was born. Grand Prize Beer, Gulf Brewing Company (KPRC)The new brew was named after Brogniez’s original 1912 beer, Southern Select. In 1963, Gulf Brewing Co. closed its doors and Grand Prize Beer stopped producing. Today, you won’t find any cases of Grand Prize Beer, however you might find some memorabilia of the once-beloved cold drink.

Across from Market Square park sits a two-story brick building filled with more than 175 years of rich history.

On Nov. 21 1954, Elvis made his Houston debut and performed at Magnolia Gardens. Elvis performing at Magnolia GardensOn Nov. 25, 1954, Elvis and the band were booked at the Paladium. It’s believed the musician performed 13 times in Houston in 1955. Elvis performing at the Houston Livestock Show and RodeoThe era of Elvis came to an end on August 16, 1977 when Elvis died in his home at Graceland. Although Tennessee and Mississippi are mainly associated with the musician, Texas played a vital role in the rise of Elvis Presley.