March 16, 1964

Walt Disney meets with St. Louis officials to discuss plans for the Riverfront Square theme park. But his plans were met with resistance, particularly from August "Gussie" Busch Jr., who insisted that if a theme park were to be built at the site, Disney would have to sell beer


March 11, 1987

On this day in Missouri history, the Admiral riverboat opens again on the Mississippi River. The popular attraction along the St. Louis riverfront arrived in 1940 and stopped cruising in the late 1970s when it was grounded by the Coast Guard for structural weakness.


David Rice Atchison: President for a day?

James Polk’s presidency ended on March 3. Zachary Taylor had been elected to succeed Polk. March 3 was on a Sunday and Taylor’s religious convictions would not allow him to swear the oath of office. Therefore, with Polk’s term ended and Taylor refusing to be sworn in, David Rice Atchison became president. (Or so it seemed.)


Painting done by local missouri artist George Caleb Bingham, features people on riverboat having a good time.

Melodies of Missouri

You will be surprised by some of the songs about Missouri and some of the celebrities who sang them. Our state, its people, and their stories are reflected in these six songs from our past.


Chilling Auschwitz Exhibit Expands Hours

Union Station Kansas City has expanded the hours of its Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibit for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning February and running through March 19, 2022. Union Station officials announced the expanded hours as a response to public demand. he exhibition features artifacts and materials—never before seen in North America—on loan from more than twenty institutions and private collections around the world.


The Tribes of Missouri Part 1: When the Osage & Missouria Reigned

Two groups with distinct cultures emerged from our region’s first residents to dominate this land. Worshipful and warlike on an untouched landscape, the Osage and the Missouria did more than live here. For centuries, they ruled.


Belle starr Fort Smith on a horse with a pistol. Public domain

February 3, 1846

This date in Missouri history: The “Bandit Queen,” Belle Starr, was born in Carthage, Missouri. She was probably the most infamous of all the pistol-packin’ mamas of those days.


Preserving the Disappearing Memory of Missouri’s Little Tuskegee

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that separate-but-equal facilities like schools were unconstitutional. This led to the closure of the school perched on the hillside in Dalton. After the 1956 school year, active Dalton students attended now-integrated schools in their hometowns.
Now seemed like a great time to gather memories of Dalton Vocational School from the shrinking pool of aging alumni. This podcast tells the story of Dalton Vocational School—Missouri's "Little Tuskegee"—in the former students' own words. 


The enduring legacy of Hiram Young

The story is familiar, replicated by scores of people living and working in Missouri in the 1800s. It goes something like this: a person starts from humble beginnings, takes big risks in moving west to pursue new opportunities, starts simple and builds a trade or business, employs many people, offers essential products or services that make life possible, and in the end not only enjoys success but becomes a benefactor for the common good.
Those stories are common. What is rare is a person who was born into slavery and then did all those things, like Hiram Young.


Missouri women senators, past and present, pose for a photo in the Senate chamber.

‘You Can, Too!’ Celebrates Missouri’s Female Senators

Fifty years after Mary Gant became the first woman elected to the Missouri Senate, a record number 11 women now occupy nearly one-third of the 34 seats in the Senate chamber. That history is the fulcrum of a new book, You Can, Too! Journey to the Missouri Senate, presented by Missouri Humanities Council and published by Missouri Life Media.