1. Missouri became a state in 1821 on August 10. However, on January 9, 1861, the state held a convention to vote on secession from the Union. The vote failed, and Missouri remained in the Union during the Civil War.
2. In 1948, the University of Missouri basketball team played the University of Kansas in the first ever televised basketball game in the United States. The game was broadcast on KOMU-TV, a station owned by the university.
3. On January 9, 1901, the first public library in St. Louis opened its doors. The library was the first in the country to have open stacks, allowing patrons to browse and take books off the shelves themselves.
4. Missouri native Langston Hughes, one of the most prominent writers of the Harlem Renaissance, was born on January 9, 1902, in Joplin. His works include poems, plays, and novels that explored the experiences of the African American community.
5. The first interstate highway in the United States was dedicated on January 9, 1956. Interstate 70, which runs through Missouri, was part of a nationwide effort to connect major cities and improve transportation infrastructure.