In 2011, a one of the deadliest tornadoes in the history of the U.S. hit Joplin, MO. But almost 200 years earlier, another devastating natural disaster rocked the state.
The University of Missouri boasts the oldest journalism program in the world. Its famous former students include Tennessee Williams, Sam Walton, and Brad Pitt, among many others.
In 1847, two Missouri slaves launched a remarkable lawsuit for their freedom. The Dred Scott case would go all the way to the Supreme Court, and its outcome lead the nation closer to Civil War.
Wisconsin's fortune was built on timber and fur, and its plentiful natural resources helped bolster the burgeoning U.S. economy during the 19th century.
Fearing that Louisiana's snowy egret was on the verge of extinction, Edward Ned McIlhenny founded the Bird City wildfowl refuge on Avery Island in 1895.