John Francis McDermott. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, N38530]

One of the foremost authorities on the history of culture, art, and society in the…

Patricia and Fredrick McKissack

Patricia C. McKissack dedicated her career as a writer to showcasing black voices through children’s books and…

<em>Missouri Indian, Oto Indian, Chief of the Puncas</em>, portraits made by Karl Bodmer during an exploration of the Missouri River and its environs led by Prince Maximilian of Wied in 1833–1834. The Missouria man portrayed is Mahinkacha (Maker of Knives). [State Historical Society of Missouri Art Collection, <a href=https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/art/id/477/> 1958.0007c1</a>]

When French explorer Robert La Salle passed by the mouth of the Missouri River in 1682, he wrote that on its banks…

Howard Nemerov. [Washington University Libraries, Special Collections, Howard Nemerov Papers]

Howard Nemerov was born on February 29, 1920, in New York City, and died on July 5, 1991,…

Frank O’Hare as a young man. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis]

Francis Peter “Frank” O’Hare was born in New Hampton, Iowa, on April 23, 1877, to Peter…

Jack Oakie. [University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, JWS25751]

Jack Oakie was long considered one of the screen’s most notorious scene-stealers. He had a…

Mo-Hon-Go (Sacred Sun), an Osage woman, and her child. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Image Collection, 021180]

The most powerful tribal group in the early history of Missouri was referred to as the Wah-…

Jim Owen promoting the Branson Silver Cornet Band, one of his many enterprises. [Courtesy of Trenton Thompson/Findagrave.com]

James M. Owen, a young advertising and insurance professional in Jefferson City, left mid-…

Geraldine Page and Rip Torn on stage in Strange Interlude. [New York Public Library Digital Collections, Billy Rose Theatre Division, Friedman-Abeles Photograph Collection, #5026079]

Geraldine Page was born in Kirksville, Missouri, on November 22, 1924, to Leon Elwin Page,…

Marlin Perkins holding a bison calf. [Marlin Perkins Papers (S0516), State Historical Society of Missouri]

Marlin Perkins served as director at three zoos during his career: the Zoological Gardens in Buffalo, New York; the…