11 Insane Things That Happened In Texas You Won't Find In History Books
By Katie Lawrence|Published April 01, 2016
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Katie Lawrence
Author
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and began writing for OnlyInYourState in 2015.
Today, Katie writes, edits, and performs several other tasks for OnlyInYourState and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on with a hot cup of coffee, practicing yoga, baking, or exploring the beautiful Lone Star State (in particular, the vast and mystical West Texas desert).
Yeah, yeah – the flags of six nations flew over our state, we became a state in 1845, and we could legally split into five jurisdictions. Yawn. I don’t want to read about facts that have been drilled into my head since the seventh grade. What about the INTERESTING things that go on in Texas? Believe me, there are quite a few. Instead of bringing you back to classes that bored you to tears, I’m delivering facts that can’t be found in history books. Here are 11 insane things that have happened in our state – you may need to sit down first.
1. Until 1974, it was legal for a man to kill his wife's lover in Texas if he found them together.
Mobile City was the only place in the dry county of Rockwell where alcohol could be purchased outside of a restaurant until 2007.
5. The famous "last meal" for prisoners on Death Row was abolished in Texas after an inmate ordered a 5-course meal only to turn it down because he "wasn't hungry."
He ordered two chicken-fried steaks, a triple cheeseburger with bacon, a bowl of fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, and a meat-lover's pizza - only to decide he wasn't hungry for any of it.
6. A Christian congregation in Texas raised $400 to help pay for the eye surgery of an atheist man who was threatening to sue the local courthouse if they didn't remove a nativity scene from their property.
8. In 1971, a Texas House Representative wrote a bill honoring the Boston Strangler to prove a point that the House doesn't pay attention to the bills they pass. It passed.
11. A prisoner once escaped from prison by using laxatives to fake the symptoms of AIDS. He then impersonated a doctor and called the prison asking for prisoners interested in an experimental treatment and volunteered. Once out of Texas, he sent his own fake death certificate to the prison.
