Texans are famed for being resilient, adaptive, and inventive under all kinds of conditions, so it’s no wonder so many inventions have come out of the state. From technology to mixology and everything in between, here are some of the best examples that made a big impact when they were introduced.
Everything from Texas Instruments
Still a world leader in tech production to this day, Dallas-based Texas Instruments has a number of massive contributions to the modern world, including items that many of us take for granted. The most famous has to be the handheld calculator, introduced all the way back in the 1960s with that solar power strip design that stayed unchanged across the decades they were used. (Source: Unsplash)
More monumental, though, and something that the company is mainly known for today is the integrated circuit, created first in the world by TI engineer Jack Kilby in 1958. If that doesn’t ring a bell, it’s the underlying tech behind the microchips that go into computers, smartphones, and everything else in that line.
You can read the full story of the invention at ThoughtCo.com, but in short, it’s the entire reason that you can now have a computer in your pocket instead of needing a small warehouse to keep one. Fellow Texas company Dell certainly has a lot to thank Kilby for.
Everyones’ Favorite Card Game
Texas Hold’em is the undisputed king of competitive card games across the U.S. and the world, only competing with blackjack for the title of the most popular card game of all time. It holds a place of pride at many casinos, both online and offline, and the number of listings at sites like CasinoReviews.com just goes to show how widespread it is.
Many of these casinos list the number and the range of varieties of the game as highlight features for new players, as it’s almost a given that any table game player will seek that out first.
As the name suggests, the game finds its origins within the Lone Star State, but not many folks know exactly where it all started. Like a lot of history around that era, details are murky, and while there is no inventor named, the State of Texas itself recognizes Robstown as the home of the game.
Hold’em is actually one of the more recent versions of poker out there, descending hundreds of years of card games before finding form somewhere around the 1920s. From that point, the game spread north and onwards slowly across the decades, eventually reaching the high-flying Las Vegas of the 50s and 60s and taking off in a huge way.
Then in the 70s, the World Series of Poker took the game to new levels, and now you’d be hard-pressed to find a single casino worldwide that doesn’t have at least one Texas Hold’em table. Even most local bars with poker nights — like Fat Daddy’s (781 W Debbie Ln, Mansfield, 817-453-0188) — have Texas Hold’em events from time to time.
The World of Beverages
While there are several drink innovations that come from Texas, the most well-known is the beloved Dr Pepper. Created by Waco pharmacist Charles Alderton way back in 1885, it is the country’s first major soft drink.
There are now over 23 flavors of the iconic drink. While the exact recipe is kept under heavy guard, lots of recipe-hunting sites like ThreeSnackateers.com have had a good guess at what those 23 flavors are exactly and speculations on the ingredient quantities. (Source: Unsplash)
Texas Food Creations
Texas is famous for a lot of Tex-Mex creations, such as what most Americans now know as Fajitas and Chili Con Carne, plus who doesn’t love a Frito Pie? In the fall, the State Fair of Texas showcases the best dishes from Texas cooks and vendors sell innovative hand-held (and usually fried) items. Can you say #OnAStick?
The most iconic dish, though, has to be Texas’ evolution of the classic German schnitzel. While it now only bears a passing resemblance to its ancestor, the Chicken Fried Steak, it is a concept that is fundamentally Texan through and through.
Served in different forms as either dinner or breakfast, it is essentially a slab of fried chicken drizzled in a dripping cream gravy and certain to keep you filled from lunch to dinnertime, maybe even through breakfast.
Even though the iconic Edelweiss restaurant is now closed, you still have local options. Fan favorite Little Germany (6737 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, 682-224-2601) is open 10am-9pm Mon-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri-Sat, and 11:30am-8pm Sun.
The Future is Texan
From early 3D printing to Liquid Paper, there are plenty of other examples of Texas ingenuity. We look forward to seeing what y’all think up next!
