history

Author Craig Fehrman will be at the Kansas City Public Library later this month for a conversation about his new book "This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark."

Nearly four and a half decades after the infamous "Disgrace of Gijón" effectively eliminated Algeria from the 1982 World Cup, the Algerian and Austrian national teams are set to meet again on the final day of the World Cup group stage in Kansas City.

The JuneteenthKC Heritage Festival takes place this year across two days in a newly-transformed Historic 18th and Vine district. It's also the first time festival organizers will welcome a World Cup audience.

Residents and visitors can get in the World Cup spirit with these six soccer-themed exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across the area.

Historian H.W. Brands has written more than 30 books about American history, highlighting prominent figures ranging from the era of the Revolutionary War to the presidency of Ronald Reagan. He’ll be in Kansas City for an event on Thursday to discuss his new book on George Washington.

Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell regrets not interviewing and documenting her mother’s life. The former Kansas City Star journalist is helping others not make the same mistake. She talked with KCUR’s Up To Date about preserving family histories and legacies.

During the first weekend in May, Latinos from across Kansas City celebrated 100 years of a beloved Cinco de Mayo fiesta at the Guadalupe Centers. What began as an annual celebration of Mexican immigrants and their cultural roots has grown into a weekend-long block party filled with music, food and the chance for longtime supporters to reconnect.

The eight-state highway's origins started in Springfield, Missouri, a century ago on April 30, 1926. The route helped keep some Missouri and Kansas towns afloat during the Great Depression and after World War II.

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.