history

Bluffs up to 120 feet tall once hugged the Missouri River by Kansas City, making it difficult to traverse the landscape and expand the growing town. So in the mid-1800s, a Catholic priest named Father Bernard Donnelly recruited hundreds of Irish immigrants for a dangerous but critical task: digging streets for the city from rocks and mud.

In Kansas, radical abolitionist John Brown is associated with a violent period of the state’s history in the lead-up to the Civil War. One hundred and seventy years later, some modern day activists and educators are still debating his legacy.

Historian Douglas Brinkley will be in Kansas City on the 23rd for the Truman Library Institute's annual "Wild About Harry" event. "We owe a lot to Truman," Brinkley told KCUR's Up To Date.

Events are planned throughout the tournament, featuring watch parties, live music, and cultural programs. Partnerships include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum.

Rick Atkinson, a renowned historian and former Kansas City Times reporter, is coming to Kansas City this month for an event at Unity Temple on the Plaza. His new book, "The Fate of the Day," is his latest on the American Revolutionary War.

Johnson County's Negro Creek runs through southern Overland Park and Leawood, and went mostly unknown and unmapped. But when social justice protests emerged in 2020, people took notice and petitioned to change the name. After years of research and public discussions, the creek will keep its name, but get new signage explaining its history.

On International Transgender Day of Visibility, Kansas should remember the accomplishments of Dr. Alan L. Hart, a doctor and author born in Halls Summit in the late 19th century. In 1917, he made history by becoming one of the first known trans men in the country to undergo gender affirming surgery.

Central High School in Kansas City went from an all-white student population to all-Black after Brown v. Board. UMKC professor Dr. Bradley Poos tells the story in his new book, "Urban Education: Kansas City’s Central High School and the Enduring Legacy of Racism."

Sarah Ruden uncovers how literature about women has been used to justify control over their bodies, starting with ancient poetry through modern debates. She'll be speaking about her new book "Reproductive Wrongs" at the Kansas City Public Library this week.

In Katy Schamberger's book, "Oldest Kansas City," readers can learn about the history behind the city's oldest barbecue restaurants, oldest brick house, oldest neighborhood and so much more.

The National Museum of Natural History commissioned Missouri artist Gary Staab for a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Staab sculpted three bison on a heroic scale.

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, Kansas Citians can view some of the nation’s founding documents like Declaration of Independence and Treaty of Paris. Beginning Friday, the Freedom Plane National Tour will put the artifacts on display at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.