Previous Special Events

Longtime local sports writer and current KCChiefs.com columnist Jonathan Rand discusses his new book The Year That Changed the Game on Wednesday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Many sports historians believe that the emergence of professional football as America’s premier sport was the result of a slow and steady evolution that began with the 1920 formation of a 14-team circuit that became the National Football League.

The Kansas City Public Library hosts author William Graebner for a presentation based on his latest book, Patty’s Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America, on Wednesday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

The Kansas City Public Library welcomes bestselling author Howard Blum for a discussion of his book American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century on Tuesday, January 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, history will be made when Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

Beginning at 10 a.m. the inauguration will be screened in Helzberg Auditorium of the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. as well as the Truman Forum of the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, history will be made when Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

Beginning at 10 a.m. the inauguration will be screened in Helzberg Auditorium of the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. as well as the Truman Forum of the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

The legend of organized crime in Kansas City tells of racketeering and money-laundering presided over by often colorful mob bosses.

Bill Ouseley presents the real story of combating and prosecuting organized crime in Kansas City on Sunday, January 18, at 2 p.m.at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. This presentation draws from his 21-year career with the FBI Organized Crime Squad. Ouseley is author of Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family, 1900-1950.

In the latest installment of the Kansas City Public Library’s General Knowledge series, Brigadier General Edward Cardon, deputy commandant of the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, speaks on Leadership in Challenging Times on Thursday, January 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Author and historian Michael Elliott discusses his new book Custerology: The Enduring Legacy of the Indian Wars and George Armstrong Custer on Wednesday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Andrew Smith discusses Hamburger: A Global History on Tuesday, January 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Kansas City Star columnist Steve Penn gives the January talk in the Library’s Second Sundays with KC Columnists series on Sunday, January 11, at 2 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.