1. On December 14, 1863, William Quantrill and his Confederate raiders attacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing nearly 200 men and boys and burning much of the town to the ground. This raid became known as the Lawrence Massacre and is considered one of the deadliest incidents of the Civil War.

2. Amelia Earhart, the famed aviatrix and Kansas native, was born on December 14, 1897, in Atchison. Earhart became the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and attempted to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. She disappeared during this attempt and her fate remains a mystery.

3. The state of Kansas was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1861, becoming the 34th state. Kansas was originally inhabited by various Native American tribes and was first explored by Spanish explorers in the early 16th century.

4. On December 14, 1978, the Great Plains Blizzard, also known as the Whiteout of '78, hit Kansas and much of the Midwest. The blizzard, which lasted for three days, resulted in 51 deaths and caused $45 million in damages.

5. On December 14, 1996, John Brown's cabin was moved from Osawatomie to the John Brown Museum in the town of Baldwin City. Brown was an abolitionist who fought against slavery during the mid-19th century and was instrumental in the events leading up to the Civil War. His cabin is now a National Historic Landmark.