August 29, 1891
Birthday of Joyce C. Hall from Kansas City who founded Hallmark Cards, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Hall of Fame, etc. Read more about him in Tales From Missouri and the Heartland.
August 27, 1933
On this day Lieutenant Tito Falconi flew his open-cockpit airplane from St. Louis to Joliet upside down. He was happy to set the record for inverted flight but was a little worried also because one of the straps that held him in broke along the way.
August 26, 1856
District Attorney Thomas C. Reynolds and editor of the St. Louis Democrat, Benjamin Gratz Brown, fought a duel on Bloody Island. Brown was wounded, and Reynolds was unhurt. Brown went on to become Governor of Missouri, and Reynolds went on to become the Confederate Governor of Missouri.
August 25, 1863
Artist, George Caleb Bingham painted, Order No. 11. showing what General Ewing was doing with Order No. 11. Ewing destroyed the painting with his sword and Bingham quickly painted another. The result was that Ewing's career was seriously damaged and he became one of the most hated men in the war.
August 23, 1880
This the birthday of Jesse Clyde Nichols, the visionary developer who created Kansas City’s beautiful Country Club Plaza.
August 22, 1848
After a four-year engagement, Julia Dent married Ulysses S. Grant and moved to a large dogtrot cabin at Hardscrabble Farm known today as Grant's Farm. The open "dog trot" section of Grant's Cabin has been filled in. Settlers often did this to provide a large entrance to their homes and additional living space.
August 21, 1883
After having robbed dozens of banks and trains over nearly two decades, Frank James finally turned himself in October, 1882. His trial began in Gallatin on today's date. It was held in the city opera house in order to accommodate the crowds of spectators. Read what he did after the trial in Tales from Missouri and the Heartland.
August 20, 1966
The last buildings in St. Louis' "Chinatown" came down on this date to make room for a stadium parking garage.
August 19, 1855
Records show a “sharp frost” in Greene County. This was the beginning of one of the worst winters ever seen.