Looking for a free (and air-conditioned) outing this summer? Visit the Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC) in downtown Austin and explore the current exhibit on display in our lobby. Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas at the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library building features seven cases on significant episodes in Texas history that brought national and international attention to our state. Our team curated documents, images, artifacts, and publications related to the JFK assassination, Spindletop and the oil boom, the Galveston storm of 1900, the New London School explosion and other major events that made headlines in the twentieth century.
By the time of the Apollo II Mission in 1969, televisions were in most American homes and offered a new medium for the simultaneous sharing of experiences. The selection of the Houston area for the site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility focused on sending astronauts to the moon connected Texas to the most-watched event in television history, the moon landing on July 20, 1969. Texas Governor Preston Smith would later present astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin with the Medal of Valor. Dies used to create the medals are housed in the State Archives.
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 still holds the record for the greatest natural disaster in the history of our country. An astonishing 8000 – 12,000 people lost their lives in the wake of the storm that struck the Texas coast on September 8, 1900. The Houston Daily Post printed on September 11,1900 a “List of the Dead” with the subheading, “Full List Will Never Be Known.” Another article on “A Call for Relief” mentions Governor Sayers’ request for assistance. The exhibit showcases telegrams from leading figures, documentation for financial assistance, and legislation and photographs related to the sea wall built in response to this catastrophe.
Another legacy tied to a Texas city is the assassination of a U.S. President. While traveling the streets of Dallas in an open car and waving to spectators lining the roads, President John F. Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963, and the state’s governor, John Connally was wounded in the incident. Word of the president’s death was delivered by CBS journalist Dan Rather on the ground in Dallas then by news anchor Walter Cronkite on national television. Such a shocking event that reverberated throughout the country and the world led people to ask for years afterwards, “Where were you when you heard Kennedy was shot?”.
Episodes like these remind us that even across great distances there are moments that individuals seem to experience together. Historical collections preserve those instances, especially newspapers and media reports from the hours, days, and minutes following the event. Revisit or learn about for the first time major moments when all eyes were on Texas online www.tsl.texas.gov/extraextra or in person Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and the Second Saturday hours each month from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m..