El Paso, Texas

1881Railroads Transform El Paso: The Southern Pacific, Texas and Pacific, Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe, and Galveston Harrisburg & San Antonio railroads all arrived within months, turning El Paso from 800 residents to a boomtown of saloons, gunfighters, and opportunity.

2019Walmart Mass Shooting: A gunman drove 10 hours from Dallas to target El Paso's Latino community, killing 23 people and injuring 23 others at a Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall. It was the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern American history.

1911Battle of Juárez Watched from El Paso: During the Mexican Revolution, El Paso residents gathered on rooftops and the hills above the Rio Grande to witness the battle that toppled dictator Porfirio Díaz's forces in the neighboring city of Ciudad Juárez.

1942Fort Bliss WWII Expansion: Fort Bliss grew from a small cavalry post to one of the nation's largest military installations, training anti-aircraft and armored units. The base would later become the Army's primary air defense center.

1598Spanish Expedition Through the Pass: Juan de Oñate led 500 colonists through El Paso del Norte, claiming the territory for Spain and establishing the route that would connect Mexico City to Santa Fe for two centuries.

1916Pancho Villa Raids and Pershing Expedition: After Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico, General John J. Pershing launched his Punitive Expedition from El Paso's Fort Bliss, deploying 10,000 troops into Mexico.

1963Chamizal Treaty Resolves Border Dispute: The United States and Mexico signed the Chamizal Convention, settling a century-old border dispute caused by the shifting Rio Grande. The U.S. returned 630 acres to Mexico, and the Chamizal National Memorial was created.

1910Mexican Revolution Refugees Flood El Paso: Thousands of refugees crossed the border fleeing the Mexican Revolution, dramatically reshaping El Paso's demographics and culture. The city became a center of revolutionary exile politics.

1994NAFTA Transforms Border Economy: The North American Free Trade Agreement supercharged cross-border commerce, making El Paso one of the largest international trade hubs in the Western Hemisphere with billions in annual trade.

1952White Sands Missile Range Era: El Paso became central to America's Cold War defense as White Sands Missile Range and Fort Bliss tested rockets and missiles. Former Nazi rocket scientists, including Wernher von Braun, worked in the area.