This Week in Kansas City History
Bird Lives
March 12, 1955: Charlie "Bird" Parker, whose innovative performances paved the way for modern jazz styles, dies at the age of 34 after a 15-year addiction to heroin and alcohol.
Katz in the Cradle
March 8, 1879: Isaac Katz, who, along with his brother Mike, will found the Katz Drug Co. in Kansas City, is born in western Ukraine.
End of the Marriage Penalty
March 2, 1944: Due to a wartime shortage of teachers, the Kansas City school board allows married women to teach.
Whittaker's Chambers
February 22, 1901: Charles Evans Whittaker, who will go on to become the first person from Kansas or Missouri to serve on the Supreme Court, is born on a farm near Troy, Kansas.
Death of a Visionary
February 16, 1950: Jesse Clyde Nichols, who developed the Country Club Plaza and many housing developments throughout Kansas City, dies just six months before his 70th birthday at his Kansas City home.
