1. On March 31, 1868, the city of Hays was officially founded in Kansas. The town was originally established as Fort Hays in 1865, during the American Civil War, but was later declared a civilian community and named after Brigadier General Alexander Hays.

2. In 1889, a severe tornado swept through the town of Ottawa, Kansas, killing 10 people and injuring dozens more. The tornado caused widespread destruction and damaged many buildings in the area.

3. On March 31, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The program provided work and training for unemployed young men during the Great Depression, and many CCC camps were established throughout Kansas.

4. In 1965, Wichita State University made history by becoming the first school in Kansas to offer a degree in aerospace engineering. The program was established in response to the growing demand for aeronautical engineers in the state.

5. On March 31, 1987, the Kansas City Royals played their first regular season game in the newly-built Kauffman Stadium. The team beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 in front of a crowd of over 41,000 fans. Kauffman Stadium has since become an iconic symbol of baseball in the Midwest.