The Arcane Texas of the Day: 62 years ago, "Bullet" Bob Hayes set the world record in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, running it in 10.0 seconds and, of course, winning the gold medal. Six days later, he won another gold medal in the 4x100 relay. He was also the first person to break 6 seconds in the 60 meter dash. Later, of course, he went on to become one of the most electrifying wide receivers in NFL history. Joining the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, Bob brought unprecedented speed to professional football, forcing opposing defenses to rethink their strategies and rely more heavily on zone coverage to keep him from outrunning everybody on the field. During his 11-year NFL career, including 10 seasons with Dallas and a final season with the San Francisco 49ers in 1975, Bob caught 371 passes for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns, averaging an astonishing 20 yards per reception. In one game he had nine receptions for 246 yards. He earned three Pro Bowl selections, helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl VI in January 1972, and became the first athlete to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl championship. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, seven years after his death. Here's a photo of Bob winning the 100 meters in Tokyo.

An old friend saw a Western Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus attenuatus) on the beach at Padre Island this weekend and mentioned it to me. Naturally, I went down a rabbit hole .... Slender glass lizards are primarily diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, and they are surprisingly fast movers. Their name comes from their easily broken tail which they can break off themselves without ever being touched. It is difficult to find a specimen with an undamaged tail. When threatened or captured, they often thrash violently, causing part of their remarkably fragile tail to break off, sometimes in several pieces. As the detached tail continues to wriggle, it distracts the predator long enough for the lizard to make its escape. They can even shed part of their tail without being touched. Although a new section eventually grows back, it is typically plain tan and lacks the original pattern, so the tail becomes shorter and more irregular with each subsequent injury. Contrary to popular folklore, the detached pieces cannot grow into new lizards or reattach themselves. Western slender glass lizards have also been observed swimming considerable distances to evade predators. They spend much of their time in burrows, often taking over those dug by other animals, though they are also capable of excavating their own burrows in sandy soil. During the cooler months they hibernate communally in underground shelters known as hibernacula, remaining dormant from roughly October until April or May. Their daily activity also changes with the seasons. In cool weather they remain active throughout the day, but during the heat of summer they are most active around dawn and dusk. Despite their snake-like appearance, slender glass lizards are true lizards and generally have a gentle disposition. They rarely bite when handled or threatened. More often, they rely on camouflage, remaining perfectly still in hopes of blending into the surrounding vegetation until danger passes. A 1989 study found that 79 percent of the individuals examined had lost at least part of their tails, making an unbroken tail something of a rarity in the wild. Photo by William L. Farr

This remarkable photograph captures a train paused on the Waller Creek bridge in Austin on Christmas Day, 1871—the very first train ever to reach the city. On that day, the Houston and Texas Central Railway extended its line to Austin, making it the westernmost rail terminus in Texas at the time, just 35 years after the Alamo. An inscription on the back of the photograph reads: “With a little steam left, this forerunner of a soon-to-be speeding civilization has stopped on the little Waller Creek bridge in Austin to let passengers from Houston and other points disembark at the Depot House, Christmas Day, 1871.” Photo courtesy the @AustinPublicLib

Fighting a fire in the Spindletop oilfield near Beaumont, 1902. This was only a year or two after oil was discovered there in one of most momentous events in Texas history. I can't imagine how calamitous this scene might have been. The fighting of oilfield fires was in its infancy, of course, and this beast appears to be really roaring. It would take considerable courage to even get close to it. As always, I'm interested in your thoughts/experiences.