So 5 hours after leaving Louisiana, we entered the State of Texas.
Before 1845 Texas was an independent nation, recognised by the USA, UK, France and Holland. In 1845 it was annexed into the USA and it is now the second largest state in terms of population and area (the first in each category being California and Alaska respectively).
The name " Texas" comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends and Texas is known for its friendly people. For instance, they say:
- If someone in a store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may be in Texas
- If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may be in Texas
Two useful facts about Texas (probably only useful for those who are active in pub quiz circles):
- “Dr Pepper” was invented in Waco in 1885. Secondary useful fact: There is no full stop in “Dr Pepper”
- The Texas State Mascot is the Armadillo. Secondary useful fact: Armadillos always have four babies. They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females.
And so 16 days and 10,146 miles after leaving Epsom, UK we arrived in Houston, Texas.
Now you will recall the title of today’s entry being the first words spoken by Neil Armstrong from the Moon on 20 July 1969, making “Houston” itself the first word spoken from there.
Here are some other useful (pub quiz) facts about Houston:
- Houston is the fourth largest city in the USA, after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago
- Houston is named after Sam Houston, the former President of the Republic of Texas. A 67 ft statue of him in Hunstville, Texas is the world’s largest statue of an American
- Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America
- The first domed stadium in the USA was the Astrodome in Houston
- Houston is twinned with The Grampian Region of Scotland
- Houston has the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and medical research institutions
- Over 90 languages are spoken in Houston
- The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was -15C. In the summer the temperature is typically over 32C and in the Winter 17C