December 31, 1928
Marlin Perkins, host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and director of the St. Louis Zoo, was bitten by a Gaboon viper and became one of only a few people to ever survive such a bite.
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.
AdobeStock photo
Related Posts
December 15, 1951
The mayor of St. Louis approved plans to appoint 5,000 auxiliary police officers to help in the event of nuclear attack. Their jobs would be to patrol devastated areas.
December 6, 1875
Birth of Albert Bond Lambert, the eighth balloon pilot in America and the person who bought, cleared, and leveled a flying field that is now an international airport at St. Louis.
December 31, 1821
Governor McNair signed a bill that designated the site for the City of Jefferson, which was to become the capital city for Missouri.