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Phil Collins has donated his extensive collection of Alamo memorabilia to the Battle of the Alamo historic site in San Antonio, Texas.

Phil Collins, 63, said he had amassed more than 200 artifacts after becoming fascinated with the 1836 battle as a child.

The former Genesis star said he was donating the collection – thought to be the largest in private hands – to ensure it was better cared for in the future.

It includes items such as a rifle owned by folk hero Davy Crockett.

Phil Collins has donated his extensive collection of Alamo memorabilia to the Battle of the Alamo historic site in San Antonio

Phil Collins has donated his extensive collection of Alamo memorabilia to the Battle of the Alamo historic site in San Antonio

At an event announcing the donation in San Antonio, Phil Collins joked he had spent “all the money I made from music” on his collection related to the battle where 1,500 Mexican troops laid siege to 200 Texans fighting for Texas independence.

“Some people would buy Ferraris, some people would buy houses, I bought old bits of metal and old bits of paper,” he said.

Phil Collins explained he first became interested in the Alamo after watching the 1950s TV series Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.

“I’ve had a love affair with this place since I was about 5 years old. It’s [all] at my home, in my basement in Switzerland. I look at it every day, but no one else was enjoying it.”

The collection also includes Davy Crockett’s leather shot pouch, a pair of powder horns which the soldier is believed to have given to a Mexican officer before his death, muskets belonging to Mexican soldiers and one of the original Bowie knives, made famous by Alamo defender Jim Bowie.

Texas land commissioner Jerry Patterson said Phil Collins would pay to ship the collection to Texas with the understanding the state would use public funding and private donations to redevelop the Alamo site – including a new building to house the collection.

The collection will begin arriving in Texas in the next few months and will be displayed on a rotating basis at the museum.

Phil Collins said he would continue buying Alamo memorabilia and “once I’ve lived with whatever I buy for a month, I’ll ship it over here”.

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Two earthquakes took place on Thursday in Texas and California, according to US Geological Survey.

The first one was a 4.8 magnitude earthquake which took place in Texas, having the epicenter near rural Karnes County, 47 miles southwest of San Antonio. The quake struck at 7:24 a.m. local time and was eye-opening because it was a record breaker.

It was the largest earthquake on record for the area, surpassing a magnitude of 4.3 shock recorded in 1993, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Don Blakeman, USGS geophysicist, said that southern Texas has been experiencing small earthquakes since the 1970s, and that 14 quakes between 2.6 and 3.4 magnitudes have been recorded since 1982.

However, the Thursday morning quake was significantly larger.

Don Blakeman also said it is impossible to predict if there will be any aftershocks. The Texas quake was both big enough to produce some small aftershocks and small enough that they wouldn’t necessarily be expected.

The second earthquake took place in California and had a 3.9 magnitude. The quake had the epicenter two miles southeast of Berkeley near San Francisco. It caused a sharp jolt but no immediate signs of damages or injuries.

The earthquake in California struck at 2:31 p.m. local time and was at a depth of about 6.1 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

San Francisco quake struck in the same day Californians took part in an annual earthquake preparedness drill

San Francisco quake struck in the same day Californians took part in an annual earthquake preparedness drill

Yesterday, the earthquake in California was felt as a sharp jolt in the East Bay area, and across the bay in San Francisco. The quake came almost 22 years to the day after the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area during the 1989 World Series.

It also came on the same day Californians took part in an annual earthquake preparedness drill at 10:20 a.m. Thursday. More than 8.5 million people signed up to participate in the 2011 Great California ShakeOut.