The 8 Weirdest And Strangest Things That Have Ever Happened In Missouri
So we already talked about some of the weird habits Missourians tend to have, but now we’re going to dive a little into our state’s history.
Chicago had initially earned the 1904 Olympics bid, but it was switched to St. Louis due to deals being made between the World's Fair organizers and the Amateur Athletic Union. European nations did not want to fund the costly trip to St. Louis and only 12 countries ended up competing with the U.S. making up 535 of the 630 total athletes.
Other strange things that occurred at this Olympics included: the marathon being held on a dust road in 90 degrees, women only being able to compete in one sport and a side-competition for third world tribesmen.
Other strange things that occurred at this Olympics included: the marathon being held on a dust road in 90 degrees, women only being able to compete in one sport and a side-competition for third world tribesmen.
The Great Flood of 1993 washed out 200 miles of bridges causing locals on the Missouri side to have to fly or take a ferry to get across the river. The cause of this flood was traced back to James Robert Scott, who was later convicted.
When authorities questioned Scott's friends, they found out that he had tampered with the levees to cause a flood, forcing his wife to be stranded on the Missouri side while he was free to fish, party and have an affair.
When authorities questioned Scott's friends, they found out that he had tampered with the levees to cause a flood, forcing his wife to be stranded on the Missouri side while he was free to fish, party and have an affair.
After Harry S. Truman's presidency, he moved back to his wife's childhood home in Independence with his wife and her mother. Truman refused to be on any corporate payroll and lived off his $112.56 per month old Army pension.
In 2007, Brian and Susan Trost bought a beautiful ranch overlooking the Whitmoor Country Club. Little did they know, they would be walking into a spider infestation. After years of pesticide treatment, they were forced to leave the home. It was estimated that 4,500-6,000 brown recluse spiders had invaded their home.
Waffle cones are a timeless favorite among Americans. However, it wasn't always that way. Ernest A. Hamwi, a Syrian concessionaire, was selling his zalabis (a waffle-like pastry) at the St. Louis World's Fair when he noticed the vendor next to him running into a problem. The ice cream vendor had run out of bowls and had nothing to serve the ice cream in. That's when Hamwi came up with the idea to wrapped his pastry into a cone and serve the ice cream in it.
The New Madrid earthquakes were the most powerful earthquakes east of the Rockies. It was said to have been felt strongly for over 50,000 square miles.
The GuberBurger. A funny name for a funny burger. People used to travel all over the region to try this burger slathered with peanut butter. It was served at the Wheel Inn restaurant before they closed down.
If there was ever a tried-and-true Democrat, it would be Valentine Tapley. The Pike County farmer vowed to never shave his beard if Abraham Lincoln was elected as president. As it turns out, Lincoln was elected and Tapley grew out his beard til the day he died (12 and a half feet!).
I hope you learned something new today! Did we miss a strange moment in Missouri history? Let us know in the comments!
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