Brian Burnes
Freelance Writer
Stories by Brian Burnes
Veterans Who Write: Sharing Their Stories, Seeking Peace
Many Kansas City area veterans have chosen to write – often several decades after the fact – stories about their military experiences. Here are their stories.
Historic Elmwood Cemetery Honors Those Above and Below the Sod
Kansas City's historic Elmwood Cemetery’s 150th anniversary will be celebrated from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the cemetery at 4900 E. Truman Road.
Inside David McCullough’s Relationship with the Truman Library
Here's the inside story of how Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough helped raise the profile of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
Harry Truman’s Remarkably Fraught First Political Campaign
Harry Truman almost was the president who never was. His first campaign, waged a century ago, was fraught with missteps that could have ended his political career.
Truman, Eisenhower and the Endless Pursuit of UFOs
This summer is the 75th anniversary of the Roswell, New Mexico, alien conspiracy incident. Here's a brief history of our ongoing pursuit of proof aliens have visited Earth.
Memorial Honors Hundreds of Black People in Liberty’s Unmarked Graves
The Liberty African American Legacy Memorial honors 761 Black people who have been confirmed to be interred, mostly in unmarked graves, in the formerly segregated sections of two cemeteries in Liberty.
Family Historians Parse the Past With Newly Released 1950 Census Data
The official release of detailed 1950 Census data for individuals is cause for celebration for folks fascinated by researching family histories.
Recalling Kansas City’s Gilded Age
"The Gilded Age," a new HBO drama, makes several references to Kansas City. Here's a more fact-based account of Kansas City's Gilded Age.
Clay County’s Colorful History Left Some (Land)marks
Clay County, Missouri, has a rich and complex history, which will be remembered during this year’s bicentennial observance.
Record Executive From KC Rejected the Beatles, Scrambled to Get Back
In the early 1960s Kansas City native Dave Dexter Jr., as a record company executive, held the first right of refusal to sign the Beatles in the United States. He rejected them. Here's the story of how he scrambled to get them back.