-
Langston Hughes was born
Langston Hughes was an African-American poet, who was born in Joplin, Missouri but was raised in Lawrence, Kansas by his grandmother. He is credited with being one of the first innovators of a poetry form known as jazz poetry, and also is known as the leader of the Harlem Renissance. He was also a strong social activist, and suffered under much racial predjudice. -
World War 1
World War I, also known as the First World War, was a global war centered in Europe that began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918. World War 1 was triggered by the assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria. He was assasinated by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia, and alliances were invoked. 80,000 Kansas men participated in WW1 -
William Allen White writes editorial about the dangers of the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan is an organization that exists to enforce white supremacy in the United States. They preach against Semitism Catholicism, Communism, and any other religion other than Christianity. They also preach against being gay. -
White Castle Opens
White Castle is an American Fast food hamburger resteraunt founded in Wichita, Kansas, by chef Walt A. Anderson and financial investor Edgar Waldo A. Ingram. Generally credited as the first fast food resteraunt in the U.S, White Castle is known for its small, square hamburgers, and cheap prices. Originally selling their burgers for 5 cents apeice, they are now sold at $0.69 for 1 original slider. -
Kansan Walter Johnson leads Washington Senators to World Series victory.
In 1924 and 1925 , Kansan Walter Johnson pitched his way to two straight World Series appearences, against the New York Giants and the Pittsburg Pirates, respectively. The Senators overcame the Giants in one of the most dramatic World Series ever recorded, but lost to the Pittsburg Pirates 4 games to 3. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depresion that originated in the U.S due to the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday. The great depression lasted about 10-15 years. This affected many nations, and personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%. Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25%, and in some countries rose as high as 33%. -
The Dust Bowl
Although the exact date is unknown, the Dust Bowl began around 1930, and ended sometime in the 1940's. The Dust Bowl was was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US and Canadian prairies during the 1930s; severe drought and a failure to apply dryland farming methods to prevent wind erosion caused the phenomenon.Extensive deep plowing of the topsoil of the Great Plains during the previous decade had displaced the native, deep-rooted grasses. -
Kansas City Monarchs become the first proffesional baseball team to use a portable lighting system
In 1930, the Kansas City Monarchs became the first proffesional baseball team to use a portable lighting system, 5 years before any other team did. The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest running team in the Negro League, and was disbanded in 1965, after sending more players to the MLB than any other Negro team -
World War 2 begins
World War 2 was a global war lasting between 1939 and 1945, involving a vast majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, that eventually split into two opposing sides, the Allies and Axis. The US entered the war two years after the war started, and supported the Allies. More than 250k Kansan men and women participated in WW2 -
Charlie Parker makes his first professional recording
In 1940, Charlie Parker made his first professional recording. Charlie Parker was a jazz player from Kansas who was one of the creators of the jazz style known as bebop, and played Kansas City Jazz. Kansas City jazz is a jazz style that mainly focuses on improvisation, which means the music is made up by the player on the spot. -
Justin Lee was born
Justin Lee, the most epic person of all time, was born on this date. He saved mankind and is the best at everything ever thought of. He loves tequila!
