Expertise Kansas Day with enjoyable info and sources

What do pizza, ICEEs and a catfishing wizard have in widespread? Kansas.

Each Jan. 29, the Sunflower State celebrates its birthday with Kansas Day. It’s an opportunity to uncover the historical past and tradition that make this place dwelling. Johnson County Library presents books, archives and digital sources that deliver the state’s previous and current to life.

Did You Know
Kansas joined the Union in 1861 because the thirty fourth state, after a pre-Civil War battle often known as Bleeding Kansas. Its title honors the Kansa individuals, additionally referred to as Kaw or Kanza, whose official title as we speak is Kaw Nation. Kansas Day commemorates the state’s admission as a free state, a pivotal second in American historical past.

Trivia evening info

• Capital vs. Largest City: Topeka is the capital, however Wichita is the most important metropolis.

• State Symbols: The flower is the sunflower, the chook is the Western meadowlark and the motto, Ad Astra per Aspera, means “To the stars through difficulties.”

• Geography: Kansas claims the geographic heart of the contiguous United States close to Lebanon.

• Wheat State: Kansas grows about one-fifth of America’s wheat, sufficient to feed the world for 2 weeks.

• Made in Kansas: Pizza Hut started in Wichita, The Wizard of Oz cemented Kansas in popular culture and the ICEE was invented in Coffeyville.

• Underground Wonder: Hutchinson is dwelling to Strataca, a large salt mine that additionally shops movie reels, historic paperwork and artifacts.

Famous Kansans

Leaders, innovators and artists with ties to Kansas have made a nationwide influence, together with:

• Dwight D. Eisenhower: thirty fourth U.S. president and WWII Supreme Allied Commander who led D-Day.

• Amelia Earhart: Aviation pioneer and first lady to fly solo throughout the Atlantic.

• John Brown: Abolitionist whose actions made Kansas central to the Bleeding Kansas battle.

• Linda Brown: Her case, Brown v. Board of Education, ended faculty segregation nationwide.

• Eliza Conley: First Native American lady to argue earlier than the Supreme Court, defending tribal burial grounds.

• Minnie Evans: Potawatomi chief who fought federal termination insurance policies to protect tribal sovereignty.

• William S. Burroughs: Beat Generation icon and creator of “Naked Lunch.”

• Gordon Parks: Photographer and filmmaker who broke obstacles in artwork and civil rights.

• Jack Kilby: Co-invented the built-in circuit, paving the best way for contemporary electronics.

• James Naismith: Created basketball and wrote its unique 13 guidelines.

• Wilt Chamberlain: NBA legend whose dominance led to rule adjustments like widening the lane.

• Lynette Woodard: Basketball Hall of Famer and first lady to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.
• Actors, singers and performers like Janelle Monáe, Paul Rudd, Charlie Parker, Annette Bening, Jason Sudeikis, MrBeast, Martina McBride, Melissa Etheridge and Hattie McDaniel, who was the primary Black actor to win an Academy Award for “Gone With the Wind.”

Explore extra at Johnson County Library

Discover Kansas via curated collections and databases:

• Kansas 250 Bookshelf: Booklists, digital creator talks and month-to-month sources from the State Library of Kansas.

• CultureGrams: Quick info, maps and timelines in a kid-friendly database.

• Gale Primary Sources: Explore subjects like anti-slavery literature, the Civil War and Native American historical past.

Happy Birthday Kansas! The state that gave us stuffed crust pizza, the KU vs Ok-State rivalry and the world’s largest ball of twine. Explore extra at jocolibrary.org.