History

The exterior of the historic Central United Methodist Church.

Historic Central United Methodist Church Reflects on its Complex Past as it Prepares to Close

The historic Central United Methodist Church is reflecting on its complex past as it prepares to close. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection will reopen the church in December.

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David McCullough (at right), when not in the Truman Library research room, would seek out then-living Harry Truman contemporaries across the Kansas City area for interviews.

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.

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A dust storm approaches the southwest Kansas town of Elkhart during the Dust Bowl in 1937.

Here Are 7 Ways 2022 Stacks Up Against the Worst Droughts in Kansas History

How bad is the Kansas drought? Among the worst droughts in recorded history. But some other years were more extreme. Here are the numbers.

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Archival image shows cliff drive.

curiousKC | What Was Kansas City’s First City Park?

The story of George Kessler and the first city park in Kansas City.

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A small theater showcasing Harry Truman's experience as a World War I artillery battery captain displays a field gun used by American troops.

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.

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Horseman and children's book author Trae Q. L. Venerable.

Black Cowboys: Then and Now

Horseman and children’s author Trae Venerable is a living legacy of underappreciated Black cowboys.

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An advertisement of the KCMO-TV Tower from the '60s. (eBay)

curiousKC | A Quick History Lesson on the TV Tower Near 31st and Main Street

Here’s your brief history lesson on the red steel tower at 31st Street and Main Street.

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George and Sylvester “Pat” Johnson, Reuben Benton and Leroy Doty came to be known as “The Foursome.”

KC Filmmakers Tee Up Documentary on Black Golfers

In March 1950, four Black men placed their fees on the counter of the whites-only Swope Memorial Golf Course and left to tee off. Slashed tires, broken windows and a decade-long battle to assert the right for equal play on Kansas City’s golf courses ensued.

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Tour sign for an alleged UFO crash site near Rosewell, New Mexico.

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.

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KC Streetcar in the 1950s

Hitching a Ride Through History: The Evolution of Kansas City Public Transportation

Kansas City’s long and complex history of public transportation ends with a back-to-the-future plot twist — the return of the streetcar. We take a ride with the numbers.

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