Welcome to Wikipedia! This is a multi-language encyclopedia which you can contribute to. Learn how to edit pages, experiment in the sandbox, and visit our Community Portal to find out how to contribute to our 3,136,184 articles in the English version. Introduction · Almanac · Categories · Glossaries · Lists · Overviews · Portals · Questions · Site news · Index Art | Culture | Geography | Health | History | Mathematics | People | Philosophy | Science | Society | Technology More main page alternatives Featured article  French Texas was the period of Texas history from 1685 until 1689. During this time, a French colony, Fort Saint Louis, existed near what is now Inez, Texas. Explorer Robert de La Salle intended to found the colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but inaccurate maps and navigational errors caused his ships to instead anchor 400 miles (644 km) west, off the coast of Texas near Matagorda Bay. The colony faced numerous difficulties during its brief existence, including hostile Native Americans, epidemics, and harsh conditions. Mindful of his original mission, La Salle led several expeditions to find the Mississippi River; instead, he explored much of the Rio Grande and parts of East Texas. During one of his absences in 1686 the colony's last ship was wrecked, leaving the colonists unable to obtain supplies from the French colonies in the Caribbean Sea. As conditions deteriorated, La Salle realized the colony could only survive with help from French settlements in Illinois Country. His last expedition ended along the Brazos River in early 1687 when La Salle and five of his men were murdered by rivals in the group. Although a handful of men reached Illinois, help never arrived. The remaining members of the colony were killed or captured during a Karankawa raid in late 1688. Although the colony lasted only three years, its existence established France's claim to possession of the region that is now Texas, and later supported the claim by the United States to the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase. (more...) Recently featured: Z. Marcas – Icelandic horse – Battle of Tory Island | Browse Wikipedia by topic | In the news... - Luis Francisco Cuéllar, governor of Caquetá Department (coat of arms pictured) in Colombia, is found dead after being kidnapped at gunpoint.
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| Today's featured picture | On this day... December 24: Christmas Eve - 1777 – An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island, the largest coral atoll in the world.
- 1814 – The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States.
- 1865 – Six Confederate veterans of the American Civil War founded the Ku Klux Klan, which would later become a white supremacist group.
- 1964 – The Vietcong bombed the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two US Army officers, raising fears of an escalation in the Vietnam War.
- 1968 – Astronaut William Anders of the NASA spacecraft Apollo 8, the first manned voyage to orbit the Moon, took the famous photograph known as "Earthrise" (pictured), showing the Earth rising above the lunar surface.
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