Could the world live without Missouri? Certainly not! At the very least, the world would be a much darker place without our contributions and influence. Here are 11 ways that Missouri changed the world.

1. The world wouldn’t know Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer.
Anthony Auston/flickr
The highly talented, often sarcastic Missourian Mark Twain introduced the world to his two fictional cohorts in crime: Huck and Tom.
2. Rich folks wouldn’t have Lear jets to travel the globe.
Amy Felce/flickr
Missourian Bill Lear created the Lear jet - a means of travel for those who have the funds for luxury and the lack of patience for regular airline flights.
3. Regular folks wouldn’t have been able to play their music on 8-track tapes in the '60s and '70s.
RJ White/flickr
You couldn’t just throw your record player in your car - you needed an 8-track player. Thanks to Bill Lear, millions of people enjoyed portable music.
4. Our cell phones would be a LOT bigger.
wicker)_man/flickr
Thanks to Missourian Jack Kilby, we have the microchip, which makes our technology a LOT smaller. Remember when one computer filled an entire room?
5. Tourists would have to go elsewhere for some of the best shows in the world.
Mark Goebel/flickr
Without Branson, the world of musical entertainment just wouldn’t be the same. It’s the most popular tour bus and RV destination in the country!

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6. People might not be so willing to pay lots of money to jump out of perfectly good airplanes.
reynermedia/flickr
When Captain Berry jumped from an airplane over St. Louis, everyone collectively held their breaths. After all, someone had to go first…
7. Imagine learning to read without Little House On The Prairie!
Susy Morris/flickr
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her "Little House" books while living at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri, and without her, we wouldn’t have those wonderful stories of Ma, Pa, Mary and Laura.
8. Breakfast would be a much less appetizing meal.
Sean MacEntee/flickr
Since the Missouri invention of Aunt Jemima pancake mix, moms across the world have been able to serve up fluffy, delicious pancakes in a jiffy!
9. America’s number one beer wouldn’t be Budweiser.
Nan Palermo/flickr
Without Anheuser Busch, we wouldn’t have Budweiser. And without Budweiser, our country’s most popular beer would be something else...like Coors? Oh, the horror!
10. Without Missouri, we might not have Mickey Mouse.
Jeff Christiansen/flickr
Walt Disney practiced drawing during his childhood in Marceline.
11. Hollywood wouldn’t have several of its brightest stars.
Georges Biard/CC
John Goodman, Dick Van Dyke, Jon Hamm and Don Cheadle are just a few of the actors we love who were born in Missouri.

There are surely many other ways in which Missouri makes the world a better place! What’s your favorite?

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