Official Manual State of Missouri facts for kids
The Official Manual - State of Missouri is a special book often called The Missouri Blue Book. It's published every two years by the Missouri Secretary of State. This book first came out in 1889. It's full of interesting facts about Missouri's history, how its government works, and important numbers about the state.
What is the Missouri Blue Book?
The Missouri Blue Book is like an official guide to the state of Missouri. It shares lots of information about the state's past, its leaders, and different facts and figures. It helps people understand how Missouri is run and what makes it special.
Why is it called the Blue Book?
For a long time, the cover of this book was always blue. That's why people started calling it the "Blue Book"! However, there were a few times when the color changed.
- In 1976, the United States celebrated its 200th birthday (called the United States Bicentennial). For that year, the book's cover was red, white, and blue.
- From 1969 to 1985, when James C. Kirkpatrick was the Secretary of State, the book was green. This was because he had Irish family roots, and green is a color often linked with Ireland.
- In 1993, another Secretary of State, Judith Moriarty, chose a light purple color called mauve for one year.
From Paper to Online: A Big Change
For many years, the Missouri Blue Book was printed as a large paper book. In March 2011, the Missouri General Assembly (which is like Missouri's state parliament) made a big decision. They voted to stop printing the book on paper. Instead, they decided to publish it only online.
Before this change, about 40,000 copies of the book were printed. Many of these went to the state's lawmakers, and others were sent to people who asked for them. The book was very long, usually around 1,500 pages! Publishing it online helps save paper and makes it easier for everyone to find the information.
