Birthday of Henry Shaw who spent most of his adult life trying to find ways to give millions of his dollars to benefit St. Louis.  He is most famous for starting the Missouri Botanical Gardens and donating Tower Grove Park, the largest Victorian park in America.

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.