Posting again ☺️ 🤠 Facts about the great state of Texas: • Texas was once its own country. The Republic of Texas (1836–1845) with its own president, army, and money. • Texas is bigger than many countries including France, Spain, Germany, and Japan. • The 1901 Spindletop oil discovery launched the modern oil industry and helped make Texas an economic powerhouse. • Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony on earth... about 1.5 million bats. • Texas has more cattle than any state in America (around 12–13 million). • Texas gets more lightning strikes than any other U.S. state. • Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas at 8,751 feet. • The Texas State Capitol is actually larger than the U.S. Capitol. • NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston is where astronauts train and mission control operates. • West Texas contains part of the Chihuahuan Desert and Big Bend National Park, one of the darkest night skies in North America. • Six different flags have flown over Texas — Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States. That’s where the phrase “Six Flags Over Texas” comes from. • Texas has its own pledge of allegiance to the Texas flag that many schools still recite. • King Ranch in South Texas is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. • The Texas State Fair is home to “Big Tex,” the giant 55-foot talking cowboy statue that welcomes millions every year. • Dr Pepper was invented in Waco, Texas in 1885. • Texas has more farms and ranches than any other state in the U.S. • The town of Marathon, Texas has fewer than 500 residents but sits next to one of the most famous national parks in America. • The Texas coastline stretches over 350 miles along the Gulf of America. • Texas has the largest state capitol grounds in the United States. • The first frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas. • Texas produces more wind energy than any other U.S. state. • There are over 7,000 natural caves in Texas. • Texas has the largest German-descended population in the United States, especially around the Hill Country. • The city of El Paso is actually closer to Los Angeles than it is to the eastern side of Texas. • Texas has its own power grid separate from most of the United States. Texas isn’t just a state… it’s practically a whole world of its own. 🤠