1. In 1864, the First Battle of Coon Creek took place in Kansas during the American Civil War. Confederate forces led by General Sterling Price clashed against Union troops led by Colonel Joab Wood. The battle resulted in a Union victory, with Confederate forces retreating to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).

2. On July 21, 1925, the famous Scopes Monkey Trial concluded in Tennessee. However, the trial had a significant impact on Kansas just a few years later when the state passed the Kansas Evolution Act in 1927, prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in public schools. The law was later challenged and overturned in the Supreme Court case of Edwards v. Aguillard in 1987.

3. In 1930, Amelia Earhart visited Wichita, Kansas, to speak at a luncheon held in her honor. Earhart was a Kansas native and celebrated aviator, famously becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. During her visit, she was welcomed by a large crowd of supporters and gave a speech on the importance of aviation.

4. The USS Kansas City, a Freedom-class littoral combat ship, was commissioned into the United States Navy on July 21, 2018. The ship is named after the city of Kansas City, Missouri, but its sponsor is Tracy Davidson, wife of former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green. The USS Kansas City is designed for a variety of operations, including anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures.

5. In 2020, the Kansas City Royals played their first game of the shortened Major League Baseball season against the Cleveland Indians on July 21. The game took place in Cleveland and was part of a newly revised schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Royals went on to win the game 3-2 in 10 innings.