Today in Texas History, on May 8th, several significant events took place throughout the state. In 1846, the first major battle of the Mexican War was fought near Brownsville, an area later named Palo Alto, TX. Fast forward to 1914, Mildred “Babe” Didrickson Zaharias was born in Port Arthur, earning the title of “the Greatest Woman Athlete of the 20th century.” In 1917, the First Officers Training Camp was established near San Antonio at Camp Funston on the Leon Springs Military Reservation.
Moving on to more recent history, in 2011, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Four of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. This victory allowed the Mavericks to advance to the next round after securing four straight wins against the Lakers. The following year, in 2012, Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton made history by becoming the 16th major league baseball player to hit four home runs in one game, totaling 18 bases and setting an American League record.