April 9th in 1554, three Spanish ships set sail from Mexico to Spain, only to be wrecked during a storm off Padre Island. Dozens of lives were lost, and the recovery expedition was only able to salvage half of the valuable cargo on board. Fast forward to 1947, when a series of tornadoes ravaged Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, resulting in 169 fatalities and 1,300 injuries.
In more recent years, Texas has been the site for major sports events. In 1965, the Houston Astros played the New York Yankees at The Astrodome, marking the first event at the stadium. Fast forward to 2011, when the Samsung Mobile 500 took place at Texas Motor Speedway, the first night race at the track.