Humans have lived in Kansas for thousands of years; the first people to call Kansas home relocated there during the last Ice Age, when glaciers forced them south.¹⁾

In 1541, Spanish explorers arrived in Kansas, bringing horses with them, which helped Kansas become an agricultural zone.²⁾

Kansas was named after the Kansa tribe of Native Americans, who lived on the territory for about 12,000 years.³⁾

Kansas was admitted to the Union as the 34th state on January 29, 1861.⁴⁾

Kansas has a population of 2,937,9150 people as of 2022.⁵⁾

Kansas has the 15th greatest surface area but only the 35th largest population.⁶⁾

Kansas is the 40th most densely populated state in the United States, with 34.9 persons per square mile.⁷⁾

Kansas is primarily white, with Caucasians accounting for 82.96% of the population.⁸⁾

Seventy-six percent of Kansas residents identify as Christian.⁹⁾

Kansas' official animal is the American bison.¹⁰⁾

Kansas produces more wheat than any other state in the United States.¹¹⁾

Kansas is known as the “World's Bread Basket” because to its tremendous output of wheat and bread.¹²⁾

Kansas is home to the North American Geodetic Center, from which all property lines and borders for the continent are established.¹³⁾

Kansas has the fourth most tornadoes among the 50 states.¹⁴⁾

The state motto of Kansas is “Ad astra per aspera,” which translates as “to the stars through difficulties”.¹⁵⁾

Several Native American tribes live in Kansas, including the Wichita, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, Arikara, and Comanche.¹⁶⁾

President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, which transferred native tribes to colonies in the United States Midwest, many of which were in Kansas.¹⁷⁾

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was approved by Congress in 1854, permitting settlers to come to the area. Northern and southern states competed to send the most settlers into the new region in order to determine whether slavery would be permitted.¹⁸⁾

Fighting erupted between Kansas settlers who supported the legalization of slavery in the new territory and those who did not, earning the state the moniker “Bleeding Kansas”.¹⁹⁾

Due to infighting among settlers over the legitimacy of slavery, historians frequently blame the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 as the origin of the Civil War.²⁰⁾

After four separate state constitutions were prepared, Kansas was finally designated a slave-free state.²¹⁾

Kansas lost more men during the Civil War than any other state in the Union.²²⁾

The Topeka, Kansas, school system was essential to the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which eliminated “separate but equal” discrimination legislation.²³⁾

Despite Chicago's reputation as Windy City, Dodge City in southwest Kansas is the true champion, with average wind speeds of 14 miles per hour.²⁴⁾

The iconic children's novel The Wizard of Oz is set in Kansas before Dorothy is whisked away by a tornado to the mythical realm of Oz.²⁵⁾

During the Civil War, Kansas fought with the North.²⁶⁾

After the Civil War, Kansas received the moniker “Great Soldier State” because many soldiers relocated there when the conflict ended.²⁷⁾

Kansas was a forerunner in women's rights, with its constitution granting women property and voting rights before the federal government imposed such measures.²⁸⁾

In 1958, the first Civil Rights Movement lunch counter sit-in took place at the Dockum Drug store in Wichita, Kansas.²⁹⁾

Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones), Dianne Wiest (Footloose, Hannah and Her Sisters), and Ellie Kemper (The Office, The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt) were all born in Kansas.³⁰⁾