If you attended school in Kansas, there is a good chance you’ve learned a great deal about the history of the state. The Kansas-Nebraska Act. Dalton Gang. Brown v. Board of Education. You know it all. However, I am willing to bet you’ve never heard the story of White Castle, Hazel Ying Lee, or what’s really hidden within the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Am I right? Read on to learn more about these forgotten moments in Kansas history:
1. Chinese-American Hazel Ying Lee was a "calm and fearless" pilot who flew for the U.S. Air Force in WWII. During one forced landing in Kansas, she was chased by a farmer with a pitchfork who warned his neighbors of the invading Japanese. Lee stood her ground and eventually the farmer backed off.
2. After a massive tornado hit Kansas State University in June 2008, there were several damaged buildings and one that was completely destroyed... that building, of course, was the Wind Erosion Lab.
As you have probably noticed, there hasn't been a White Castle in Kansas in the past few decades.
5. The character of Dorothy Gale was inspired by an Irving, Kansas resident (named Dorothy Gale) who was found buried in a mud puddle after a deadly tornado.
10. After killing John Wilkes Booth and retiring from the army, Thomas "Boston" Corbett is thought to have grown out his hair (to emulate Jesus), castrated himself with scissors, and lived in a hole near Concordia.
11. In 2010, Kansas State University professor Mark Haub went on a “convenience store” diet to demonstrate that pure calorie counting is what matters most in weight loss.
