October 14 in San Antonio history…

1885
Ground is broken for the new San Antonio National Bank building on Commerce street.

1956
Elvis Presley with his band, Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D.J. Fontana,  plays two shows at the Bexar County Coliseum to thousands of swooning, screaming, mainly female, fans.  It was the third appearance for Elvis in San Antonio in 1956. (photo from Freeman Coliseum.)

1980
The Spurs kick off their season against their new division rival Kansas City Kings.  With the addition of the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA, the Spurs move from the Central Division of the Eastern Conference to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference.  The division also includes the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.

September 21 in San Antonio history…

1885
City authorities declared they would strictly enforce the six-shooter ordinance, which required even law officers to obtain a permit from the mayor to carry a pistol.

1942
Col. William C. Ocker, known as “The Father of Blind Flying” for his pioneering work and writings on instrument flying, is buried with full military honors at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

2001
Texas Attorney General John Cornyn announces his candidacy for U. S. Senate.  He was scheduled to make the announcement here in San Antonio on Sept. 12 but the events of the day before cancelled those plans. Former Texas Supreme Court Justice, Greg Abbott, announces plans to run for Cornyn’s Attorney General seat.

July 24 in San Antonio history…

1885
Track laying begins for the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad.

1943
Ike Kampmann announces that the Menger Hotel has been sold to the National Hotel Company, operators of numerous hotels throughout the South and Southwest, at a price of $265,000.  The hotel was purchased by the Kampmann family from the Menger family sixty years ago.

2012
The Plug-In 2012 Conference and Exposition at the Convention Center offers attendees their choice of test driving the Infiniti LE electric concept car, the Nissan Leaf or the new Tesla Roadster.

June 19 in San Antonio history…

1885
The first graduates of San Antonio High School are given their diplomas.  They are: Charles Arnold, Clara Carrico, Leila Emrie, Anna Graves, Lillite Gill, Ada Hockett, William Knox, Hannah Morris, Virginia Newton, Hart Poor, Seymour Thomas and Nannie Weir.

1917 
Subscriptions for the purchase of the ancient governor’s palace, a relic of the royal government of Spain, which stands on Military Plaza and which is in danger of being torn down, are beginning to be received by the committee working for its preservation, Miss Adina De Zavala, chairman. A regular plan of campaign has not been decided upon, but a meeting of the executive and advisory
committees will be held at some time next week, the time and place to be announced later. This building is one of the oldest structures in San Antonio and was erected by the Spanish government as the administrative palace when Texas was a province of Spain. In spite of disfiguring signs and years of neglect and abuse, the building has a commanding appearance and the ancient seal of Spain still remains over the door.

1954
After six Negro boys go swimming in Woodlawn Pool, the San Antonio City Council votes to ban people of color from city swimming pools, making law of a de facto segregation that had existed for 90-plus years.  To add insult to such a despicable action, the law takes effect on “Juneteenth,” the 89th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Texas.  This law would be repealed two years later, on March 16, 1956.

February 22 in San Antonio history…

1885
U.S. Marshal Hal Gosling of San Antonio is shot to death by a bandit on a train south of New Braunfels.

1937
The Ripley’s Believe It or Not appearing in the San Antonio Light features a dog owned by Mr. C. F. Schultz of St. Paul, Minnesota (right).  A picture of the dog is drawn by his son, Sparky.  Charles “Sparky” Schultz.  The dog is named Spike, and will be the model for Snoopy in the future “Peanuts” comic strip.

1999
Amtrak opens a new passenger station between Sunset Station and the Alamodome.

November 2 in San Antonio history…

1867
The first game of baseball is played in San Antonio.  The game takes place in San Pedro Springs Park.

1885
Construction of the new iron Commerce Street bridge was completed.

1911
Governor and Mrs. O. B. Colquitt, accompanied by Adjutant General Henry Hutchings and Col. Emmet Walker, arrived in San Antonio tonight to formally open the International Fair tomorrow.  Gov. Colquitt will go to Waco tomorrow night to open the Cotton Palace there.

September 21 in San Antonio history…

1885
City authorities declared they would strictly enforce the six-shooter ordinance, which required even law officers to obtain a permit from the mayor to carry a pistol.

1977
Lt. Michael Probasco, a Material Management Directorate flight test and aerospace engineer at Kelly AFB, is named a semi-finalist in NASA’s search for space shuttle pilots and mission specialists.

1978
Felix Stehling opens the first Taco Cabana restaurant at the corner of San Pedro and Hildebrand avenues (right).  It’s still there.

July 24 in San Antonio history…

1885
Track laying begins for the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad.

1943
Ike Kampmann announces that the Menger Hotel has been sold to the National Hotel Company, operators of numerous hotels throughout the South and Southwest, at a price of $265,000.  The hotel was purchased by the Kampmann family from the Menger family sixty years ago.

1951
Randolph Air Force Base graduates its final class of aviation cadets and will now concentrate on the training of combat crews for B-29 bombers.  Three San Antonians were among the last class of 86 graduates, along with Robert Rickenbacker, son of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I flying ace.

July 19 in San Antonio history…

1885
San Antonio began keeping weather statistics in 1885.  On this day in that year, the temperature dropped to 65 and it’s still the record low temperature for the date.

1954
“Peanuts,” by Charles M. Schultz, first appears in the San Antonio Express and News newspaper comics section.

1975
The San Antonio Wings of the World Football League play their first home game at Alamo Stadium – an exhibition game against the Memphis Southmen.  The Wings win, 7-0.

June 21 in San Antonio history…

1877
Work on the Quartermaster’s Depot and Water Tower at Ft. Sam Houston is begun by Braden & Angus. It will have a height of over 88 feet.  The United States Congress has appropriated $100,000 for work on this Depot.

1885
A herd of 300 cattle stampedes through Military Plaza, down Houston and Commerce streets.

1925
The Missouri Pacific railroad announced plans for a $50,000 Monte Vista station to serve 100,000 people every five years.