19 Lesser known Texas trivia facts

Academy Award Oscar was named after Texan Oscar Pierce. He was not whatsoever linked to show business but the statuette’s prototype unintentionally happened to resemble his face. Tweet This

“Texas” comes from the Spanish pronunciation of a Hasinai Indian word meaning “friends”. Ironically, the Hasinai tribe was completely wiped out. Tweet This

Texas is in top three states in terms of poverty rate, adults without diplomas, and children without health insurance. Tweet This

The least populated U.S. county is Loving County, TX with only 82 residents. Its territory however, is larger than Hong Kong and Singapore combined. Tweet This

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The first rodeo ever was held in Pecos, TX in 1883. Tweet This

The Galveston hurricane of 1900 is thought to be the deadliest natural disaster in the U.S., killing 12,000 people. Tweet This

Dallas TV series ran from 1978 to 1991 and has been broadcast into almost 100 countries. Tweet This

Texas had the highest number of prisoner-of-war camps in the WWII – over 70. They housed German, Italian and Japanese soldiers. Tweet This

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John Pershing, Commander of the U.S. Expeditionary Force in WWI, failed to stop Pancho Villa from crossing the border. Villa’s troops reached New Mexico before retreating. Tweet This

Amarillo, TX hosts the World’s Largest Calf Fry Festival. “Calf fries” are in fact bull testicles. Tweet This

Texas has more obese adults than Wisconsin has people. Tweet This

El Paso is in fact closer to California than it is to Dallas. Tweet This

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Beaumont is at almost the same distance from El Paso, as it is from Chicago. Tweet This

“Maverick” is derived from the name of an early Texan lawyer and pioneer, Samuel Maverick. Tweet This

Bowie knife is named after the Alamo hero – Jim Bowie. Tweet This

Hamburger was invented in Athens, TX. Tweet This

Almost 80% of all Snickers bars are made in Waco, TX. Tweet This

The Flagship Hotel in Galveston was built entirely over the water – the only one in North America. Tweet This

Dr Pepper was invented in Waco, TX in 1885. And no, there is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper. Tweet This