1. In 1877, the St. John's River floods extensively in Kansas. The Kansas City Times reported that parts of Topeka were under six feet of water, and the cottonwood trees on the Kansas River banks were completely submerged.

2. In 1901, the city of Wichita established Wichita's first public park - Riverside Park. The park was designed in the style of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted's parks.

3. In 1929, Wichita State University was established as a Municipal University. The University has since grown into the third-largest university in the state and a leader in academic and athletic programs.

4. In 1974, the Black Mesa helicopter crash occurred in northwest Oklahoma, killing ten people, including Kansas Senator George Howard.

5. In 2005, Governor of Kansas Kathleen Sebelius signed legislation banning smoking in all enclosed public places, including bars and restaurants, making Kansas the nineteenth U.S. state to enact such a law.