Missouri History Today

On this date in Missouri history, legislators pass a bill which reads, “all free persons of color had to apply for a freedom license.” That law meant that not only did African Americans have to apply for freedom, but they also had to prove they met the requirements to be free, which was nearly impossible.

On this date in history: The Beatles made their first concert appearance in St. Louis. They appeared in Kansas City on September 17.

The Budweiser team of Pat Patterson, Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Tom Hennessey, and Dick Weber rolled the greatest series in bowling history, a record that stood for 35 years. On lanes seven and eight at Floriss Lanes (Warne at W. Florissant), they finished with a three-game total of 3,858 pins.

On this day in history, Missouri’s Supreme Court ends deliberations on “Blue Laws,” which prohibit shopping on Sunday. According to the 137-year-old law, the only items that stores were able to sell were “articles of immediate necessity.”

Jean Harlow, the original "blonde bombshell," was born in Kansas City. She was famous for pinup posters, movies, and her ability to make front-page news in Hollywood magazines.

The Kansas City school board agrees to hire married women to teach. Though many women were already teaching, school districts across the state had barred married women from the jobs, so they could focus on duties at home. As of 2019, more than 80 percent of teachers nationwide were women.

The first parachute jump from an airplane takes place in St. Louis. U.S. Army Captain Albert Berry made history when he got into an airplane, took off from Kinloch Field, and then jumped out over Jefferson Barracks Army Base.

The M*A*S*H finale ends with Missouri storylines. The television series was based on an award-winning movie directed by Kansas City’s Robert Altman and included local storytellers, from references to Independence, Mo.’s President Harry S. Truman and lead character Col. Sherman Potter reminiscing about his home in Hannibal.

On this date in Missouri history: Missouri lawmakers kickstart “Plank Road Mani.” The biggest, longest, and most planked road in America, the Missouri Plank Road, eventually stretched more than 42 miles, running from Sainte Genevieve through Farmington to Iron Mountain.

On this date in Missouri history: The Missouri Supreme Court rules that concealed weapons are constitutional.