On April 13, 2018, the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri unveiled a record-breaking 20-foot-tall chess piece. It is an exact scale replica of the black Staunton King piece used in the inaugural Sinquefield Cup held at the Saint Louis Chess Club annually since 2013.

Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, on May 8, 1884. He grew up in Independence, Missouri, and served as the U.S. Senator from Missouri for ten years before he became president.

Missouri is bordered by eight states: Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee (via the Mississippi River) to the east, Arkansas to the south and Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska to the west.

Columbia has been called the "Athens of Missouri" for its classic beauty and educational emphasis, but is more commonly called "CoMo". Originally an agricultural town, the cultivation of the mind is Columbia's chief economic concern today, with the triple combo of Stephens College (1833), the University of Missouri (1839), and Columbia College (1851).

The first Capitol in Jefferson City burned in 1837 and a second structure completed in 1840 burned when the dome was struck by lightning on February 5, 1911.

After its introduction to the state in the 1820s, the mule quickly became popular with farmers and settlers because of its hardy nature. Missouri mules pulled pioneer wagons to the Wild West during the 19th century and played a crucial role in moving troops and supplies in World Wars I and II.

Today, visitors will find more than 200 fountains scattered throughout Kansas City, large and small, artistically intricate and deceivingly simple. These showpieces grace courtyards, parkland and tree-lined boulevards. Of the 200-plus registered fountains, 48 are publicly owned.

While Joplin was first put on the map by lead mining, it was zinc, often referred to as "jack," that built the town and became the city's most important mineral resource.

Founded in 1735 by French Canadian colonists and settlers from east of the river, Ste. Genevieve was the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi River in present-day Missouri. It was named for Saint Genevieve (who lived in the 5th century AD), the patron saint of Paris, France.

Springfield's nickname is "Queen City of the Ozarks" as well as "The 417" after the area code for the city. It is also known as the "Birthplace of Route 66".