March 15, 1931
On this date in Missouri history, celebrations are held for the final section of Route 66 to be paved in Missouri. It was a big party in downtown Rolla, as an estimated 8,000 people turned out to commemorate the completion of Route 66 across Missouri.
March 14, 1835
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.
March 13, 1964
On this date in history: The Beatles made their first concert appearance in St. Louis. They appeared in Kansas City on September 17.
March 12, 1958
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.
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.
March 10, 1963
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.”
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.
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.)
March 2, 1944
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.