MoHistory

Written by TMH Apprentices Ezra Birman, Alexia Nastasia, and James Harris III Walking into a drugstore in the 1930s, you may have sat down at the soda fountain counter and ordered a Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. In 1929, St. Louis soda maker Charles Leiper Grigg introduced this lemon-lime flavored drink that contained a mood-enhancing drug …

Continue reading "Cracking Open a 7 Up with Charles Leiper Grigg"

Listen to an episode about the money in early St. Louis on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. When was the last time you paid for something with paper money? I still do now and then, but it’s getting rarer by the day. Credit cards and electronic payments have almost completely replaced the slips of green paper …

Continue reading "What the Bank of St. Louis Left Behind"

When public education first reached St. Louis, it only catered to those who were white. Missouri followed the same philosophy as other slave states, with lawmakers fearing that if enslaved people had any kind of education, they might revolt. In 1847 the General Assembly of Missouri passed a law stating that “No person shall keep …

Continue reading "Segregated Education: Mapping St. Louis’s Colored Schools"

St. Louis has certainly been blessed with architectural beauty, but not every building to rise in our city has been greeted with open arms. When completed in 1888, Olive Street’s 10-story Fagin Building was so shocking one national critic branded it “the most discreditable piece of architecture in the United States.” St. Louis architect Charles …

Continue reading "St. Louis’s Architectural “Atrocity”"

On summer break, what’s a museum educator to do? Like many traditional teachers, professional development is a fantastic way to expand my knowledge as an instructor. In July 2022, I attended the National Humanities Center’s Summer Institute along with 25 other educators. Titled “Contested Territory: America’s Involvement in Vietnam,” this program explored Vietnam’s culture and …

Continue reading "Five Takeaways on America’s Involvement in the Vietnam War"

Many people have had the familiar nightmare of appearing on stage and forgetting their lines. For most, it’s nothing but a stress-induced dream. Unfortunately for Spanish tenor Florencio Constantino, appearing at the Odeon on February 16, 1917, the nightmare became his reality. Constantino, born in Bilbao, Spain, on April 9, 1869, was one of the …

Continue reading "Disaster at the Odeon"

EDITOR’S NOTE: In order to bring a plurality of voices to our storytelling, the Missouri Historical Society frequently asks guest writers to contribute to History Happens Here. The views and opinions expressed by guest contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missouri Historical Society, its affiliates, or …

Continue reading "The Big Red Go Out with a Bang"

As work to revamp this incredible historic structure begins in Downtown St. Louis, here's a look back at Union Station through the years.

Listen to an episode about the dog wars on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. If you’ve lived in St. Louis for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that pretty much everyone owns some sort of animal . . . dogs, cats, chickens, you name it. And that when one of those animals escapes or is …

Continue reading "The Dog Wars"

Listen to an episode about Bevo Mill on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. While its architecture might seem like whimsical fun today, south St. Louis’s Bevo Mill was once a carefully crafted piece of propaganda in a life-and-death struggle. When early 20th century calls for the prohibition of alcohol threatened to leave the nation permanently “dry,” …

Continue reading "Bevo Mill: From Anti-Prohibition Propaganda to a Neighborhood Landmark"

William B. Ittner, who was born in St. Louis in 1864, hated going to school as a child. That, in and of itself, might not seem so unusual. However, the thing Ittner hated about school is something you wouldn’t hear many children complain about today. He hated the building. When Ittner was young, many of …

Continue reading "The St. Louis Architect Who Revolutionized School Design"

On any given day at the Missouri History Museum, buses full of excited children pull up by the fountain on the Museum’s north side. As the students pour off the bus in giddy groups to gape at the Thomas Jefferson statue and gawk at the replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, they’re greeted by …

Continue reading "A Field Trip to the Missouri History Museum, Then and Now"

Listen to an episode about the bicycle craze on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. In the summer of 1896, the US was stricken with “wheel fever.” Bicycling became a verified mania, and St. Louisans were some of the most enthusiastic riders. That year, St. Louis reported $2 million in bicycle sales—at $75 a bike, that’s over …

Continue reading "A St. Louis Case of Bicycle Mania"

Skinker Boulevard has always been a beloved piece of St. Louis history, but did you know that it was also the inspiration for a nationwide poem contest? The early years of the 20th century marked a transformative time in our region’s history. Preparations for the upcoming 1904 World’s Fair were underway and excitement was at …

Continue reading "“Singin’ Up Skinker Road”: The Poem Contest That Captivated the Nation"

Listen to an episode about the early history of Forest Park on our Here’s History podcast with KDHX. Today Forest Park is seen as one of the jewels of St. Louis. This 1,300-acre park is home to many of the city’s cultural institutions, like the Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, and Saint Louis Zoo. It’s …

Continue reading "How Forest Park Got Its Start"

By 1923, St. Louis-born poet Sara Teasdale had achieved national acclaim for her poetry, especially her award-winning 1917 collection, Love Songs. The time seemed ripe to expand her audience to England. Sara had long been fascinated with England, and when her husband embarked on an extended European business trip in the summer of 1923, she …

Continue reading "An American Poet in London"

Among the leading newspapers in St. Louis’s history, one of the oldest and most recognizable Black-owned newspapers in the city area is the St. Louis Argus. The Argus began not as an official newspaper, but as a trade paper. The Western Union Relief Association; its general manager, Joseph Everett “J. E.” Mitchell; and his brother, William …

Continue reading "The Many Eyes of the St. Louis Argus"

On July 26, 2022, the St. Louis region saw a rainfall that smashed all previous records—a “once in a thousand year” downpour of more than 9 inches of rain hit the region, blowing past the previous record of 6.85 inches set over a century ago on August 20, 1915. Thousands were left reeling from damage …

Continue reading "A Helping Hand: St. Louisans in Times of Natural Disasters"

The Lindbergh 100 project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-30-19-0454-19. On December 14, 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed in Mexico City after a 27-hour flight from Washington, DC—the first-ever nonstop flight between the capitals. The latest record-breaking flight for the young pilot marked the beginning of his Pan …

Continue reading "“When Lindy Comes Staggering Home”"

The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) needs your help to tell the stories of the St. Louis region’s diverse LGBTQIA+ communities. Time is running out for community members to contribute materials to an upcoming exhibit. There is a special need for pieces that tell the stories of LGBTQIA+ families, LGBTQIA+ people of color, and identities beyond …

Continue reading "A Call to the Community: Help Us Tell Diverse LGBTQIA+ Stories"