Timeline of Kansas City, Missouri facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The following is a timeline of the history of Kansas City, Missouri, United States.

19th century

Part of a series on the
History of Missouri
Seal of Missouri
Exploration and colonization
  • 1673–1803
Early statehood period
  • 1804–1860
Civil War and Reconstruction
  • 1861–1874
Industrialization and growth
  • 1875–1919
The Depression and World War II
  • 1920–1945
Moderation and recent events
  • 1946–present
Flag of Missouri.svg Missouri portal
  • 1838 - Settlement named "Town of Kansas".
  • 1846 - Population: 700.
  • 1840 - City Market active.
  • 1850 - "City of Kansas" incorporated.
  • 1854 - Bleeding Kansas
  • 1857 - Chamber of Commerce established.
  • 1860 - Population: 4,418.
  • 1864 - October 23: Battle of Westport.
  • 1869 - Missouri River railroad bridge opens.
  • 1870 - Population: 32,260.
  • 1871 - Kansas City Bar Library Assoc. formed.
  • 1872 - Elmwood Cemetery established.
  • 1875 - Fetterman Circulating Library in business.
  • 1880 - Population: 55,785.
  • 1882
    • Kansas City Club founded.
    • First electric lights used in KC; implemented by KCP&L
  • 1889
  • 1890 - Population: 132,716.
  • 1892 - Court House built.
  • 1893
    • City Hall built.
    • Kansas City Athletic Club active.
  • 1895 - Kansas City School of Law founded.

20th century

1900s-1940s

  • 1900
    • July: 1900 Democratic National Convention held.
    • Federal Building constructed.
    • Population: 163,752.
  • 1903 - Automobile Club of Kansas City active.
  • 1904 - Children's Mercy Hospital active.
  • 1908 - City Hospital built.
  • 1909 Kansas City Zoo opens in Swope Park
  • 1910
  • 1913 - Cook Paint and Varnish Company in business.
  • 1914
    • Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and Paseo YMCA open.
    • Union Station rebuilt.
  • 1915 - Kansas City Polytechnic Institute established.
  • 1917 - Rockhurst College opens.
  • 1919 - Truman and Jacobson's haberdashery in business.
  • 1920 - Population: 324,410.
  • 1922 - WPE radio begins broadcasting.
  • 1923 Fairyland Amusement Park opens at 7501 Prospect
  • 1926
    • Ararat Shrine Temple and Bagdad Theatre open.
    • Liberty Memorial dedicated to World War I veterans, opens
  • 1927 Downtown Airport opens, dedicated by Charles Lindbergh
  • 1928
    • June: 1928 Republican National Convention.
    • F. W. Woolworth Building constructed.
  • 1931 - Kansas City Power and Light Building constructed.
  • 1933 - June 17: Kansas City massacre.
  • 1936 - Holy Land Christian Mission founded.
  • 1945 - K.C. native Harry S Truman sworn in as President of the United States after President Franklin Roosevelt's sudden death
  • 1937 - Kansas City City Hall rebuilt.
  • 1946
    • Linda Hall Library established.
    • William E. Kemp becomes mayor.
  • 1948 - Harry S Truman wins Presidential election
  • 1949
    • Crest Drive-In cinema active (approximate date).
    • Richard Walker Bolling becomes U.S. representative for Missouri's 5th congressional district.
  • 1945 K.C native Harry S Truman sworn in as President of the United States.

1950s-1990s

  • 1951 - July: Great Flood of 1951.
  • 1954 - U.S. Weather Bureau Severe Local Storms Unit relocated to Kansas City.
    • 1954 - Paseo Bridge opens
  • 1955 - H. Roe Bartle becomes mayor.
  • 1956 - First runway opens at Kansas City Industrial Airport, now KCI
  • 1957
    • Kansas City Ballet founded.
    • Ruskin Heights Tornado (F-5)
  • 1959 - 5 KC firefighters killed in gas tank explosion on Southwest Blvd.
  • 1963
    • University of Missouri–Kansas City established.
    • Ilus W. Davis becomes mayor.
  • 1967 - Sister city relationship established with Seville, Spain.
  • 1968 - April: 1968 Kansas City, Missouri riot.
  • 1969
  • 1970 - Population: 507,330.
  • 1971
  • 1972
    • Sister city relationship established with Kurashiki, Japan.
    • Arrowhead Stadium opens
  • 1973
    • Sister city relationship established with Morelia, Mexico.
    • Worlds of Fun opens
    • Kauffman Stadium opens as Royals Stadium
  • 1974
    • Kemper Arena opens.
    • Sister city relationship established with Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  • 1976 - World Science Fiction Convention held.
  • 1977 - Fairyland Amusement Park closes after extensive damage by windstorm
  • 1978 - Sister city relationship established with Tainan, Taiwan.
  • 1979 - Richard L. Berkley becomes mayor.
  • 1980 - Hyatt Regency hotel opens.
  • 1981 - July 17: Hyatt Regency walkway collapse.
  • 1982
    • Kansas City Symphony active.
    • Oceans of Fun opens
  • 1985 - Kansas City Royals and Manager Dick Howser win I-70 World Series
  • 1986 - Town Pavilion hi-rise built.
  • 1988
    • ACT UP chapter founded.
    • One Kansas City Place built.
  • 1989 - Sister city relationship established with Xi'an, China.
  • 1990 - Population: 435,146.
  • 1991
    • Kansas City Stockyards close.
    • Emanuel Cleaver becomes mayor.
    • Firefighters' Memorial Fountain dedicated, at 31st & Broadway
    • Sister city relationship established with Guadalajara, Mexico.
  • 1993
    • Sister city relationships established with Hannover, Germany and Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
    • Great Flood of 1993
  • 1994 - Bartle Hall Convention Center opens.
  • 1995 - Sister city relationship established with Arusha, Tanzania.
  • 1997
  • 1998 - Sister city relationship established with Ramla, Israel.
  • 1999 - Kay Barnes becomes mayor.

21st century

  • 2000 - Population: 441,545.
  • 2001 - Regional Kansas City SmartPort economic development group established.
  • 2004 - Sister city relationship established with Metz, France.
  • 2005
    • Penn Valley skatepark opens.
    • Emanuel Cleaver becomes U.S. representative for Missouri's 5th congressional district.
  • 2007
    • Sprint Center (arena) opens.
    • Irish Museum and Cultural Center active.
    • Mark Funkhouser becomes mayor.
  • 2010
    • Population: 459,787.
    • Paseo Bridge closed, demolished
    • Christopher S. Bond Bridge opens, replacing Paseo Bridge
  • 2011
    • Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opens.
    • Sly James becomes mayor.
    • Population: 463,202; metro 2,052,676.
  • 2012
    • Google Fiber service begins.
    • Kansas City Startup Village established.
    • 2014 - Liberty Memorial designated National World War I Monument

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Timeline of Kansas City, Missouri Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.