November 2, 1948

The Show-Me State’s Harry S. Truman was elected president.

Fun fact: Since the middle initial S did not stand for a name, Harry didn’t use a period after it for most of his life. Soon after he was elected president, the editors of the Chicago Style Manual informed Truman that omitting a period after his middle initial was improper grammar and a bad example for America’s youth. From that moment on, the 33rd President signed his name Harry S. Truman. (Fun fact source: trumanlittlewhitehouse.org.)

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.

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash