March 3, 1911

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.

February 21, 1915

The only crematorium west of the Mississippi was located in St. Louis. On this day the body of Frank James was cremated there so it could be kept in a bank vault until the eventual burial with his wife in Independence.  

J.C. Penney store. The business empire's founder, James Cash Penney of Hamilton, Missouri, died on this date in history.

February 12, 1971

This date in Missouri history: Missouri native J.C. Penney dies at the age of 91. James Cash Penney was a Missouri business icon who changed the retail industry while also changing millions of lives around the world.

Welcome Home image to illustrate Missouri History today by Missouri Life magazine, and the date that Iran hostage Rocky Sickman returned home to Krakow, Missouri

January 28, 1981

This day in Missouri history: Rocky Sickman, a hostage in Iran for 444 days came home to cheering crowds and a return to quiet Krakow, Missouri.

Betty Grable

December 18, 1916

Birthday of actress, singer, and pin-up girl, Betty Grable from St. Louis.  Lloyds of London insured her legs for $1 million.

Inside Walt Disney’s Life in Marceline

Very little remains of the once massive cottonwood tree Walter Elias Disney called his “Dreaming Tree.” The coarse, woody debris is an anchor tying a small town in Missouri to the pioneer of the American entertainment industry.