Ever wonder why there’s a giant green pickle holding a pizza in the middle of Tomball, TX? Today we talk to Michael Dean Pierce from Cloud Chief & Co. to uncover the wild history of this local icon.
Browsing: Did HOU Know
Did HOU Know? is Houston City Beat’s quick-hit series of fun facts, hidden gems, and little-known stories about Houston’s people, places, and history. It’s your bite-sized way to discover something new about the city you call home.
Texas’s path from Mexican rule to the Republic and U.S. statehood was forged by settlers, Tejanos, and iconic battles. From Stephen Austin’s colonies to the Alamo and San Jacinto, the struggle shaped national debates over slavery and expansion, culminating in annexation on December 29, 1845.
In a recent episode of Let’s Talk on Houston City Beat, host Mike Acosta sat down with Rochella Cooper to revisit a bold chapter of Houston’s cultural history. Cooper shared her path to Houston, her leadership with the Houston Festival, and the story behind bringing Jean-Michel Jarre’s Rendez-Vous Houston: A City in Concert to life in 1986, an unforgettable spectacle that reflected the city’s resilience and honored the Space Shuttle Challenger astronauts.
A Fresh Take on Space City Legacy The Houston Astros launched their new City Connect uniforms at noon on Wednesday, March 19, via social media, ushering in a sleek evolution of their beloved Space City theme. Unveiled with a nod to the team’s NASA-inspired roots, these jerseys blend retro flair with modern polish, promising to captivate fans and players alike when they hit Daikin Park this season. The design keeps “Space City” front and center, echoing the spirit of innovation tied to Houston’s space exploration heritage. A shooting star, reminiscent of the 1990s Astros logo, sweeps across the chest, now…
On September 26, 1987 the George R. Brown Convention Center flung open its massive glass doors, a gleaming behemoth promising to put Houston on the map for more than just rodeos and roughnecks. Back then, it felt like the future had docked right in the heart of downtown, a 1.8-million-square-foot testament to a city dead set on outgrowing its cowboy boots.The GRB, as locals call it without a second thought, didn’t just appear out of the bayou mist. By the early ’80s, Houston was bursting at the seams. The population swelling, conventions clamoring for space, and the old Albert Thomas…
On April 9, 1965, Houston didn’t just open a stadium—it launched a revolution. The Astrodome, dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World, swung its doors wide open for the first time, and let me tell you, I wish I could’ve been there. Over 48,000 fans packed the place, dressed in their finest suits and ties, dresses shimmering under the dome’s lights. This wasn’t like today’s games with Astros t-shirts and jerseys; opening night was an event, dripping with glitz and glamour. The anticipation had been building for years, and when the Astros faced the New York Yankees in an exhibition…
As one strolls through Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, the serene calm that blankets this 393-acre sanctuary in Humble is striking. Founded by Thelma and Charles Mercer and preserved as a Harris County park since 1974, this botanical gem feels like a world apart from Houston’s hustle.
The Houston skyline saw a modern transformation that began in the early 1970s and continued through the 80s as several 50-plus story buildings were added in the downtown area. Among them were two supertall skyscrapers, which is considered to be any building 984 feet or taller in height.
When the Astrodome opened in 1965 rain-outs became a thing of the past for Houston baseball. As a result, the rain check basically became obsolete.
April 7, 2000, wasn’t just another day in Houston—it was the day the Astros turned the page on 35 years of history at the Astrodome and stepped into a bold new chapter at Enron Field, now known as Daikin Park. The air was electric, buzzing with anticipation as fans poured into downtown Houston to witness the Astros’ first official Opening Day in their retro-inspired, state-of-the-art ballpark. For a city that had cheered its team under the Eighth Wonder of the World’s dome for decades, this was a seismic shift—a move from the familiar to the future. And let me tell…
On March 15, 1965, Harris County handed over the keys to the world’s first fully climate-controlled domed stadium to Roy Hofheinz, president of the Houston Sports Association (HSA), signaling the completion of prime contract work on the revolutionary $31.6 million Astrodome, over $300 million in today’s dollars. This wasn’t just a handover; it was a bold proclamation that Houston had birthed a new era in sports architecture, one destined to echo worldwide.The HSA, parent company of the Houston Astros, had grand plans for their new home. On April 9, 1965, the Astros christened the Astrodome with an exhibition game against…