1. In 1861, the first territorial legislature of Kansas convened in Lecompton on March 18. This assembly created the state's first political and legal infrastructure, paving the way for Kansas to become a state in 1865.

2. On March 18, 1921, the Kansas City Monarchs played their first game at the National Negro League of Professional Baseball. The Monarchs would go on to become one of the most successful and influential teams in the league's history, helping break down racial barriers in professional sports.

3. In 1937, the iconic landmark Keeper of the Plains statue was born. It was created by Wichita-based artist Blackbear Bosin and unveiled on March 18, 1974. The statue stands at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers and marks the spot where early Wichita settlers met with Native Americans in the mid-19th century.

4. Kansas native Clyde Cessna completed the state's first aviation flight on March 18, 1911, in an aircraft he built himself. This momentous event took place in a wheat field near Rago, Kansas. Cessna went on to found his own airplane company in Wichita, which would become one of the most successful aviation manufacturers in the world.

5. On March 18, 1862, the Battle of Neosho occurred in northeastern Kansas during the Civil War. Confederate forces under General Sterling Price attacked and captured a Union supply train, which would lead to a larger engagement in nearby Newtonia a few months later. The battle highlighted just how deeply divided the young state was during this tumultuous period in American history.