St. Louis

On February 12, 1899, Missouri was in the middle of a terrible cold snap. It was -16˚ in St. Louis. Columbia recorded its coldest day ever, with 26˚ below zero. There it was -20˚ or colder for eight straight days! On the 12th, Springfield dropped to 29˚ below zero – it's the coldest night ever! 

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

On January 21, 1916, Laura Kinkead was hired as the first female police officer in St. Louis.  She was given a badge but was not permitted to wear a uniform or a gun. 

On January 18, 2015, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig declared St. Louis the “Best Baseball Town” in America.   

On January 16, 1933, T.S. Eliot, the noted poet born in St. Louis, visited his hometown for the first time in 19 years.  

On January 14, 1932, the Cardinals signed 19-year-old Dizzy Dean to his first contract. 

On January 13, 1988, the Supreme Court decided that school newspapers don’t have the same First Amendment protections as other news media. The case resulted from an offensive student newspaper that the Hazelwood faculty had censored. 

On January 10, 1945, Ozark Air Lines began service around Missouri. The first scheduled flights for Ozark Air Lines shuttled passengers between Springfield and St. Louis, intending to connect underserved communities in the Ozarks. Unfortunately, the first iteration of the airline was short-lived due to political and logistical issues and shuttered two years after launching.

On January 8, 1894, Ralston Purina is founded as the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company. William Danforth opened a small feed store near the St. Louis riverfront in 1894; the company became Ralston Purina in 1902.

On December 31, 1997, Steve Fossett took off in a hot air balloon from Busch Stadium on this day. The trip ended a few days later in Russia, establishing a new distance record.