1. In 1846, the first battle of the Mexican-American War took place on February 19 at a site called Palo Alto, near Brownsville, Texas. This battle resulted in a victory for the United States army led by General Zachary Taylor.

2. On February 19, 1861, the state of Texas became the seventh state to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

3. The first edition of the Dallas Morning News, a major Texas newspaper, was published on February 19, 1885. For many years the paper was known for its progressive journalism and was one of the most influential newspapers in the state.

4. Astronauts Alan Bean and Jack Lousma landed the Apollo 12 lunar module in the ocean off the coast of San Diego, California on February 19, 1970. The mission was notable for being the second successful landing on the moon and the first to conduct scientific experiments.

5. In 2015, controversy erupted in Texas over a practice called "re-homing," where adopted children were being transferred from one family to another without official consent or oversight. On February 19 of that year, the state house of representatives passed a bill that made "re-homing" illegal and provided more protection for adopted children.