1. In 1862, the First Kansas Colored Infantry was organized in Kansas City, Kansas. It was the first African American regiment to be organized in Kansas and one of the first in the country.

2. In 1873, Wild Bill Hickok arrived in Hays City, Kansas, where he was appointed town marshal. He quickly gained a reputation for his sharpshooting and was known to have killed at least two men in gunfights.

3. In 1909, the first airplane flight in Kansas took place in Topeka. Pilot E.V. Martin flew a Wright Model B plane for five minutes, becoming the first person to fly a powered aircraft in Kansas.

4. In 1934, a tornado struck the town of Anadarko, Kansas, killing eight people and injuring dozens more. The tornado was part of a larger outbreak that affected several states in the central United States.

5. In 2017, the total solar eclipse passed over parts of western and central Kansas, drawing thousands of visitors to the state. The eclipse was visible in its totality for about two and a half minutes in certain locations, making it a rare and exciting event for those who witnessed it.