The not-so-arcane Texas Fact of the Day:
It was 187 years ago today, on Feb. 23, 1836, that the advance guard of Santa Anna’s Army of Operations reached Béxar (San Antonio). In The Alamo, William Travis and Jim Bowie had not expected the Mexican troops to arrive until the middle of March. Santa Anna sent forth an emissary to demand the surrender of The Alamo "at discretion," i.e. without any agreement regarding how the defenders of The Alamo would be treated were they to surrender.
William Travis answered with a cannon shot.
Shown here: an 1860 stereoscopic view of @OfficialAlamo