On this date in Missouri history

On February 2, 1931, Lake of the Ozarks began to fill after the completion of Bagnell Dam.

On February 1, 1913, a Grand Masquerade was held at Adolph Hall in Antonia. “First class music” was furnished by Haefners Brothers Orchestra.  

January 31, 1934, is the birthday of actor James Franciscus, born in Clayton, Missouri. After graduating magna cum laude from Yale, he appeared on stage, in film, & TV.

On January 30, 2000, St. Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV. One of the most exciting Super Bowls ends with the Rams’ Mike Jones making a tackle as time ran out, allowing St. Louis to defeat the Tennessee Titans 23-16.

On January 29, 2014, Rand-McNally named Jefferson City, Missouri, the nation’s most beautiful small town.  

January 28, 1919, is the birthdate of Theodore McMillian. In 1956, Governor Phil M. Donnelly appointed McMillian as the first African-American judge in Missouri. He had a very distinguished career as a judge and as an educator. 

On January 27, 1963, plans were made for a miniature railroad in the St. Louis Zoo. 

On January 26, 1924, the National Football League franchised the team farthest west of all their teams, the Kansas City Blues.   

On January 25, 1955, H&R Block was founded in Kansas City by Richard and Henry Bloch. Their small tax preparation firm went on to become one of the largest accounting firms in the world.

On January 24, 1922, the patent was granted to Russell Stover for the Eskimo Pie ice cream bar. The treat helped propel growth for Stover’s company, Russell Stover Candies, which moved its headquarters to Kansas City in 1931.