Austin, Texas

1966University of Texas Tower Shooting: On August 1, Charles Whitman killed 17 people and wounded 31 from the observation deck of the UT Tower in one of America's first mass shootings. The tragedy led to the creation of SWAT teams and changed law enforcement response nationwide.

1839Austin Named Capital of Republic of Texas: President Mirabeau Lamar selected a site on the Colorado River as the new capital of the Republic of Texas, naming it after Stephen F. Austin. The decision was controversial — Sam Houston opposed the remote location.

1987South by Southwest Launched: SXSW began as a small music festival in downtown Austin and grew into the world's most influential convergence of music, film, and technology. The festival helped define Austin's identity as a creative and tech hub.

2020Tech Migration Transforms Austin: Tesla, Oracle, and dozens of other major tech companies announced relocations or expansions to Austin, accelerating a population boom that made Austin the fastest-growing large city in America.

1883University of Texas Opens: The University of Texas at Austin opened with 221 students and a single building. It grew into one of the largest and most influential public universities in the world, with an endowment second only to Harvard.

1935Congress Avenue Bridge Completed: The bridge's reconstruction inadvertently created ideal roosting habitat for Mexican free-tailed bats. Today, 1.5 million bats emerge nightly from under the bridge, making it one of Austin's most famous attractions.

1970Austin's Live Music Scene Explodes: The convergence of Willie Nelson's outlaw country movement, progressive rock, and Sixth Street's bar culture established Austin as the live music capital of the world, with more venues per capita than any other American city.

1984Dell Computer Founded: Michael Dell founded his computer company in a UT dormitory room, eventually building it into one of the world's largest technology companies and anchoring Austin's transformation into 'Silicon Hills.'.

2018Austin Bombing Attacks: A series of package bombs killed two people and injured five others across Austin over 19 days, triggering a massive law enforcement response before the bomber was identified and killed himself.

1900Dam Break Floods Austin: The original Austin Dam on the Colorado River collapsed, killing at least 8 people and destroying the city's electrical system. The disaster set back Austin's development by years.