This Week in Kansas City History
Ringing in the New
December 31, 1900: Fifteen thousand of Kansas City's elite brave the cold to usher in the new century at Convention Hall.
Let There Be Lights
December 25, 1925: A single strand of Christmas lights hangs on the Country Club Plaza’s first building, beginning a Kansas City tradition that continues today.
Striking a Chord
December 16, 1936: One thousand members of the United Auto Workers conduct a sit-down strike at the Fisher Body plant in Kansas City, giving early momentum to what will become known as the General Motors Strike of 1936-1937.
Strange Bedfellows
December 16, 1931: Nell Donnelly, a Kansas City dress manufacturer, and her chauffeur, George Blair, are kidnapped and held hostage in a cottage near Bonner Springs, Kansas, only to be released two days later without paying ransom.
Flying High
December 7, 1940: The Army Air Corps announces that a bomber plant, which will employ 26,000 and produce most of the B-25 medium bombers used in World War II, will be built in the Fairfax district of Kansas City, Kansas.
