1. In 1844, explorer and missionary Father Pierre-Jean De Smet arrived in present-day Kansas on September 23. He was traveling from his home in Missouri to visit the Potawatomi tribe.

2. On September 23, 1962, the iconic film "In Cold Blood" premiered in Garden City, Kansas. The movie was based on the true story of the Clutter family murders, which took place in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959.

3. On September 23, 1965, the Gemini V space mission concluded successfully with splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper and Charles "Pete" Conrad had set a new record for the longest spaceflight at the time, spending eight days in orbit.

4. The University of Kansas was founded on September 23, 1866, as the first public university in the state of Kansas. Its original name was the State University of Kansas, and it was located in Lawrence.

5. In 2003, the Kansas City Royals played their final game at Kauffman Stadium before undergoing major renovations. The team beat the Detroit Tigers 5-4 in 10 innings on September 23, with Angel Berroa hitting a walk-off single to end the game.