Previously part ofFrench Louisiana and theLouisiana Purchase, theTerritory of Arkansas wasadmitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15, 1836. Much of the Delta had been developed for cotton plantations, and landowners there largely depended onenslaved African Americans' labor. In 1861, Arkansas seceded from the United States and joined theConfederate States of America during theAmerican Civil War. On returning to the Union in 1868, Arkansas continued to suffer economically, due to its overreliance on the large-scaleplantation economy. Cotton remained the leading commodity crop, and the cotton market declined. Because farmers and businessmen did not diversify and there was little industrial investment, the state fell behind in economic opportunity. In the late 19th century, the state instituted variousJim Crow laws to disenfranchise and segregate the African-American population.White interests dominated Arkansas's politics, with disenfranchisement of African Americans and refusal to reapportion the legislature; only after the federal legislation passed were more African Americans able to vote. During thecivil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Arkansas and particularly Little Rock were major battlegrounds for efforts to integrate schools. FollowingWorld War II in the 1940s, Arkansas began to diversify its economy and see prosperity. During the 1960s, the state became the base of theWalmart corporation, theworld's largest company by revenue, headquartered inBentonville.
Entries here consist ofGood andFeatured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
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Angelou in 1993
Maya Angelou (/ˈændʒəloʊ/ⓘAN-jə-loh; bornMarguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, andcivil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first,I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
On September 6, 1863, nearLittle Rock, Arkansas, aduel was fought betweenJohn S. Marmaduke andLucius M. Walker, two generals in theConfederate States Army. Tension had risen between the two officers during theBattle of Helena on July 4, 1863, when Marmaduke accused Walker of not supporting his force, and then retaliated by not informing Walker of a Confederate retreat. Marmaduke was later assigned to serve under Walker during aUnion advance against Little Rock. Walker did not support Marmaduke during a retreat after theBattle of Brownsville, and Marmaduke questioned Walker's courage after theBattle of Bayou Meto on August 27. A series of notes passed between the two generals by friends resulted in a duel, during which Marmaduke fatally wounded Walker. Marmaduke was arrested and charged with murder but was soon released, and later the charge was dropped. He survived the war and later becameGovernor of Missouri. Union forces captured Little Rock later in the campaign, after theBattle of Bayou Fourche. (Full article...)
Once the American Civil War began in 1861 and Arkansas seceded, Hindman joined the Confederate States Army, first commanding the2nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, then abrigade, and then an ad-hocdivision at theBattle of Shiloh in April 1862; he was wounded during the battle. Following Shiloh, Hindman was promoted tomajor general and sent to theTrans-Mississippi Department to command Arkansas,Missouri, theIndian Territory, and part ofLouisiana. As commander of the region, his policies were sometimes legally questionable and were unpopular, although they were successful in building up the district from a basically indefensible state. Public outcry led to Hindman's removal from his regional command. He was defeated at theBattle of Prairie Grove in December. Transferred to theArmy of Tennessee in 1863, he led a division at theBattle of Chickamauga in September, where he was again wounded. After recovering, he commanded a division during the early stages of theAtlanta campaign although he wished to be transferred elsewhere. (Full article...)
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TheBattle at St. Charles, White River, Arkansas—Explosion of the "Mound City" by Alexander Simplot
The Union ships advanced against the Confederate positions on June 17. The46th Indiana Infantry Regiment was sent ashore to attack the fortifications on land, while twoironclads and twotimberclads attacked the fort from the river. During the fighting, a Confederatesolid shot struck the ironcladUSSMound City, puncturing one of the ship'ssteam drums. In what has been referred to as the deadliest shot of the war,scalding steam filled the ship, killing or wounding all but about 25 of the roughly 175 men on the vessel. The 46th Indiana overran the Confederate defenses on land and the position was taken. The supply mission was unable to make it all the way to Curtis's position, and withdrew back down the river due to low water levels. Thereafter, Curtis's army cut loose from their supply line and marched toHelena, Arkansas. A portion of the battlefield is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places as theSt. Charles Battle Site. (Full article...)
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Fort Southerland Park in 2022
Fort Southerland, also known asRedoubt E and possiblyFort Diamond, is aredoubt built during theAmerican Civil War to protectCamden, Arkansas.Confederate forces built it along with four other redoubts in early 1864 after aUnion victory in theLittle Rock campaign the previous year. Fort Southerland is about the size of acity block and is roughly oval. It could hold three cannons. When Union forces captured Camden in April 1864 during theCamden Expedition, they improved the defenses of the five redoubts, which were not sufficient for proper defense of the city. After the Confederates retook Camden later that month, they continued to improve the city's defenses.
Confederate cavalry commanded byJohn S. Marmaduke andSamuel B. Maxey attacked the foraging party. Marmaduke's men formed a roadblock east along the way back to Camden, while Maxey's men attacked from south of the road. The first two Confederate attacks were unsuccessful, but the third broke the Union line. Williams's command was routed, losing its wagon train and four cannons. African-American soldiers from the1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment were massacred and mutilated during and after the battle. Poison Spring has been referred to as the worst massacre in the history of Arkansas. The defeat at Poison Spring and another defeat at theBattle of Marks' Mills a week later led Steele to retreat to Little Rock. In the April 30Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, men from the2nd Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment murdered Confederate soldiers in revenge of the massacre at Poison Spring.Poison Springs Battleground State Park, which is part of theCamden Expedition Sites National Historic Landmark, preserves a portion of the site of the battle. (Full article...)
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Hurricane Ismael off the coast ofBaja California nearing landfall
Hurricane Ismael was a weak, but deadlyPacific hurricane that killed over one hundred people in northernMexico in September of the1995 Pacific hurricane season. It developed from a persistent area of deepconvection on September 12, and steadily strengthened as it moved to the north-northwest. Ismael attained hurricane status on September 14 while located 210 miles (340 km) off the coast of Mexico. It continued to the north, and after passing a short distance east ofBaja California Sur it made landfall onTopolobampo in the state ofSinaloa with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Ismael rapidly weakened over land, and dissipated on September 16 over northwestern Mexico. The remnants entered theUnited States and extended eastward into theMid-Atlantic States.
Offshore, Ismael produced waves of up to 30 feet (9.1 m) in height. Hundreds of fishermen were unprepared for the hurricane, which was expected to move more slowly, and as a result 52 ships were wrecked, killing 57 fishermen. On land, Ismael caused 59 deaths in mainlandMexico and resulted in $26 million in damage (1995 USD$, 53.7 million 2025 USD). The hurricane destroyed thousands of houses, leaving 30,000 people homeless. Moisture from the storm extended into theUnited States, causing heavy rainfall and localized moderate damage in southeasternNew Mexico. (Full article...)
Gragg played as awide receiver forWarren High School, and converted to a tight end after his freshman season at theUniversity of Arkansas. In his sophomore and junior seasons for the Razorbacks, the team made appearances inBowl Championship Series games and defeated theKansas State Wildcats in the2012 Cotton Bowl Classic. A knee injury caused Gragg to miss eight games his senior season as Arkansas finished with a losing record. Gragg participated in theNFL Scouting Combine, an evaluative competition among prospective NFL players, and topped several statistics among the tight ends in attendance; in the followingdraft, the Bills chose him with the 222nd overall selection. (Full article...)
Differing interpretations of Holmes' order to attack at daylight resulted inBrigadier GeneralJames F. Fagan's troops attacking Battery D unsupported, and Major GeneralSterling Price's attack against the Union center was made after Fagan's had largely fizzled out. To the north, Confederatecavalry commanded by Brigadier GeneralsJohn S. Marmaduke andLucius M. Walker failed to act in concert and accomplished little. The assaults failed, and Vicksburg fell the same day. Later in the year, Union troops used Helena as a staging ground for theirsuccessful campaign to captureLittle Rock, Arkansas. (Full article...)
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TheVan Buren raid occurred inCrawford County, Arkansas, on December 28, 1862, during theAmerican Civil War. After defeatingConfederate forces led by Major GeneralThomas C. Hindman at theBattle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, Union forces under Brigadiers GeneralJames G. Blunt andFrancis J. Herron prepared for a raid against the Confederate positions atVan Buren andFort Smith. Disease, lack of supplies, anddesertion had previously forced Hindman to begin withdrawing most of his force from the area. Setting out on December 27, the Union troops struck an outlying Confederatecavalry unit near Drippings Spring, north of Van Buren, on the morning of December 28. The Confederate cavalry fled to Van Buren, which was then overrun by Union troops.
The Union pursued and captured threesteamboats on theArkansas River, and captured some Confederate troops and many supplies in Van Buren. Across the river in Fort Smith, the Confederates destroyed supplies and also burned two steamboats trapped upriver. An artillery duel took place at Van Buren, and after nightfall a minor skirmish was fought downriver at Strain's Landing. After the raid, Hindman withdrew his men toLittle Rock and the Union force returned from the raid, unable to maintain a supply line to Van Buren across theBoston Mountains. The battle of Prairie Grove and the Van Buren raid broke Confederate strength in the region. (Full article...)
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The 2nd Indiana Battery in action at Cane Hill, during the beginning of the battle.
TheBattle of Cane Hill was fought betweenUnion andConfederate forces during theAmerican Civil War on November 28, 1862, in northwesternArkansas, near the town ofCane Hill. ConfederateMajor GeneralThomas C. Hindman had made an abortive offensive into southwesternMissouri from Arkansas earlier in the year, but had withdrawn to Arkansas. Union troops underBrigadier GeneralJames G. Blunt had followed Hindman into northwestern Arkansas, and the Confederate general saw an opportunity to attack Blunt while his division was separated from the rest of the UnionArmy of the Frontier. Hindman then sent a force under Brigadier GeneralJohn S. Marmaduke to Cane Hill, which was also known as Boonsboro, to collect supplies. In early November, a detachment of Blunt's command led byColonelWilliam F. Cloud defeated a small Confederate force commanded by ColonelEmmett MacDonald in the Cane Hill area.
After MacDonald's defeat, Marmaduke remained in the Cane Hill area with his force. Blunt moved to attack Marmaduke on November 27. The Confederates expected the Union attack to come up theCincinnati Road, but it instead followed the Ridge Road and then theFayetteville Road. Cloud's men led the Union advance and made contact with ColonelJoseph O. Shelby's Confederate troopers on the morning of November 28. Shelby withdrew from the Cane Hill area after an artillery duel, and Marmaduke reformed his line in theNewburg area. (Full article...)
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The nearly completed bridge, viewed from the Arkansas side (October 2009)
TheBenjamin G. Humphreys Bridge, the first bridge to connect the two towns, had become functionally obsolete. Its narrow road had only two lanes with noshoulders. Because of its location near a sharp bend in the Mississippi River, the bridge had become a hazard to river traffic;barges andtowboats frequently collided with it. In 1994, a study concluded that a new bridge was needed and the old one should be torn down. Construction was begun in 2001 and the new bridge opened in 2010. In 2011, the process of removing the old bridge began. (Full article...)
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Robinson in 1959
Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (May 18, 1937 – September 26, 2023) was an Americanbaseball player who played his entire 23-year career inMajor League Baseball as athird baseman for theBaltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "Mr. Hoover" and "the Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally considered to have been the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history.
An 18-timeAll-Star, he won 16 consecutiveGold Glove Awards, the most by a position player, and tied withJim Kaat for the second-most of all time, behindGreg Maddux. His 2,870 career games at third base not only exceeded the closest player by nearly 700 games when he retired, but also remain the most games by any player in major league history at a single position. His 23 seasons spent with a single team set amajor league record since matched only byCarl Yastrzemski. (Full article...)
It is situated on 17 acres (69,000 m2) of land located next to theArkansas River andInterstate 30 and was designed by architectural firmPolshek Partnership, LLP with exhibition design byRalph Appelbaum Associates.Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects also contributed. The main buildingcantilevers over the Arkansas River, echoing Clinton's campaign promise of "building a bridge to the 21st century". With a 68,698-square-foot (6,382.3 m2) floor plan, the library itself is the largest presidential library in terms of physical area, although theRonald Reagan Presidential Library has the greatest space overall, due to its addition of the 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) Air Force One Pavilion in 2005. The archives are the largest as well, containing 2 million photographs, 80 million pages of documents, 21 millione-mail messages, and 79,000 artifacts from the Clinton presidency. The Clinton Library is also the most expensive, with all funding coming from 112,000 private donations. (Full article...)
KLRT-TV began broadcasting on June 26, 1983, as the firstindependent station in the market and the first UHF station in central Arkansas in nearly 30 years. It was owned by a consortium dominated by MMT Sales, a national advertising sales representative for TV stations, and featuring six other partners who had been its competing applicants. After briefly becoming a Fox affiliate in September 1989 in connection with a planned acquisition of KASN assets that fell through, the network moved its affiliation for good to KLRT-TV in 1990. The next year,Clear Channel Television acquired KLRT-TV, followed by the assets of KASN, which Clear Channel then began controlling under a local marketing agreement. A local news program debuted in 2004. Clear Channel spun out its television stations toNewport Television, controlled byProvidence Equity Partners, in 2007. (Full article...)
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Felice near peak intensity on September 15
Tropical Storm Felice was a modesttropical cyclone that lightly affected parts of theGulf Coast of the United States in mid-September 1970. Spawned by anupper-level trough over the Bahamas, the system crossed theFlorida Keys and entered theGulf of Mexico, where it gradually began to strengthen. Felice was a disorganized storm for its entire duration, plagued by dry air, a lack of deepthunderstorm activity, and an ill-defined center of circulation, but nevertheless managed to peak as a high-end tropical storm with winds just belowCategory 1 hurricane strength. Tracking northwestward, the storm brushed southern Louisiana on September 15 before making landfall northeast ofGalveston, Texas, late that same day. Once ashore, Felice quickly deteriorated as it recurved into the central United States. While over southeastern Oklahoma, however, its remnants still closely resembled a formidable tropical cyclone.
In advance of the cyclone, officials prompted residents in vulnerable communities to leave their homes, and temporary storm shelters were established. However, the effects from Felice were generally light. Beneficial rains fell over parts of southern Florida, while sections of coastal Louisiana experienced minimalgale-force winds and above-normal tides. Winds gusting to 55 mph (89 km/h) at Galveston—and estimated near 70 mph (110 km/h) elsewhere—caused scattered power outages and minor tree damage, while heavy rainfall totaling over 6 in (150 mm) triggered some street flooding. Felice delayed the local rice harvest and damaged some hay that had been cut before the storm. Significant precipitation and gusty winds accompanied the system into northern Texas and Oklahoma. Overall, the storm left no fatalities or widespread property damage anywhere along its path. (Full article...)
Adivision of Union troops in theArmy of the Frontier, commanded byJames G. Blunt, was posted in northwestern Arkansas after winning theBattle of Cane Hill on November 28. The First Corps,Trans-Mississippi Army, commanded byThomas C. Hindman moved towards Blunt's division in order to attack while it was isolated. However, Blunt was reinforced by two divisions commanded byFrancis J. Herron, leading Hindman to take a defensive position on some high ground known as Prairie Grove. Herron attempted to assault Hindman's lines twice, but both attacks were beaten off with heavy casualties. Hindman responded to the repulse of each of Herron's attacks with unsuccessfulcounterattacks of his own. Later in the day, Blunt arrived and attacked Hindman'sflank. Eventually, both sides disengaged and the fighting reached an inconclusive result. However, the unavailability of reinforcements forced Hindman's army to retreat from the field, giving the Union army a strategic victory and control of northwestern Arkansas. (Full article...)
TheReal Estate Bank of Arkansas was abank inArkansas during the 1830s through 1850s. Formed in 1836, the bank had a troubled history with accusations of waste and favoritism, as well as violations of the bank's legal charter. The bank suspendedspecie payments in 1839 to allow it to lend out more money.Paper money issued by the bank lost value, and the bank enteredtrusteeship in 1842. An act of the Arkansas legislature approved of the transfer to the trustees in 1843, but the trustees did not forward information to the state and personally benefited from the arrangement. In 1853, the Arkansas legislature passed a bill to have theArkansas Attorney General take the bank tochancery court, but the filing could not be made until 1854 because of lack of cooperation from the trustees. April 1855 saw the bank's assets transferred from the trustees to the state, and in 1856 the first full public accounting of the bank's finances was made. The bonds related to the bank were not fully extinguished until 1894, and a portion of them, known as theHolford Bonds, proved particularly problematic. (Full article...)
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Plot of all tornado touchdowns during the outbreak
The2010 New Year's Eve tornado outbreak was a three-day-longtornado outbreak that impacted the central and lowerMississippi Valley from December 30, 2010, to January 1, 2011. Associated with alow pressure system and a strongcold front, 37 tornadoes tracked across five states over the length of the severe event, killing nine and injuring several others. Activity was centered in the states ofMissouri and laterMississippi on December 31. Seven tornadoes were rated EF3 on theEnhanced Fujita Scale; these were the strongest during the outbreak. Non-tornadic winds were recorded to have reached as high as 80 mph (130 km/h) at eight locations on December 31, while hail as large as 2.75 in (7.0 cm) was documented north-northeast ofMansfield, Missouri. Overall, damage from the outbreak totaled US$123.3 million, most of which was related to tornadoes. This is the most prolific tornado outbreak in Missouri in the month of December.
The United StatesStorm Prediction Center first noted a possible New Year's Eve severe weather event as early asDecember 25, 2010. These forecasts gained confidence as the event approached, with a focus on theOzarks and adjacent areas.Supercells developed in this area during the night of December 30 and tracked across centralMissouri, producing several tornadoes and large hail. However, the bulk of activity during the outbreak was a result of a long line of supercells that tracked fromOklahoma toIllinois, producing five EF3 tornadoes. One of these tracked through northwestern Arkansas, killing four. Another tore through eastern sections ofFort Leonard Wood in Missouri, destroying 159 homes and causing US$90 million in damage, making it the costliest tornado of the outbreak. A separate cluster of storms later developed inLouisiana before tracking into Mississippi, producing several tornadoes across southern and central regions of the state on January 1. (Full article...)
Sue Bailey Thurman (néeSue Elvie Bailey; August 26, 1903 – December 25, 1996) was an American author, lecturer, historian and civil rights activist. She was the first non-white student to earn a bachelor's degree in music fromOberlin College, Ohio. She briefly taught at theHampton Institute in Virginia, before becoming involved ininternational work with theYWCA in 1930. During a six-month trip through Asia in the mid-1930s, Thurman became the firstAfrican-American woman to have an audience withMahatma Gandhi. The meeting with Gandhi inspired Thurman and her husband, theologianHoward Thurman, to promote non-violent resistance as a means of creating social change, bringing it to the attention of a young preacher,Martin Luther King Jr. While she did not actively protest during theCivil Rights Movement, she served as spiritual counselors to many on the front lines, and helped establish the first interracial,non-denominational church in the United States.
Thurman played an active role in establishing international student organizations to help prevent foreign students feeling isolated while studying abroad. She organized one of the first international scholarship programs for African-American women. She studied racism and the effects of prejudice on various people throughout the world, making two round-the-world trips in her lifetime. She wrote books and newspaper articles to preserve black heritage, and initiated the publishing efforts of theNational Council of Negro Women (NCNW) by founding theAframerican Women's Journal. In addition to writing the second ever history of black Californians, in 1958 Thurman published a cookbook laced with historical information about black professional women at a time when African Americans had few civil rights. Recognizing that there was little academic interest in black women's history at the time, Thurman used the marketing ploy of food to report on the lives of black women who were not domestics. She participated in international peace and feminist conferences, and in 1945 attended the San Francisco Conference for the founding of theUnited Nations as part of an unofficial delegation. Thurman also established museums such as theMuseum of Afro-American History inBoston in 1963. (Full article...)
Trout Fishing in America is an American musical duo fromHouston, Texas. The members are Keith Grimwood (vocals, bass guitar,upright bass,fiddle) and Ezra Idlet (vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, banjo,bouzouki, percussion). Both musicians were previously members of the folk rock band St. Elmo's Fire. They took their name from the novelTrout Fishing in America byRichard Brautigan. The duo has released 24 studio albums through their own label, Trout Records. Trout Fishing in America is known for varied musical styles, with albums alternating betweenfolk rock andchildren's music, as well as their dynamic stage presence. In addition to their music, Trout Fishing in America holds songwriting workshops with children. Four of their albums have been nominated forGrammy Awards. (Full article...)
Arkansas served in both World Wars. DuringWorld War I, she was part ofBattleship Division Nine, which was attached to theBritishGrand Fleet, but she saw no action during the war. During the interwar years,Arkansas performed a variety of duties, including training cruises for midshipmen and goodwill visits overseas. (Full article...)
... that in the 1980s, "Sherman Bonner, The Human Thermometer" presented the weather onan Arkansas TV station?
... that American footballlinebackerSegun Olubi grew up in New Jersey, Minnesota, Arizona, England, and California, and attended four different colleges in Idaho, California, and Arkansas?
This list was generated fromthese rules. Questions and feedbackare always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results.Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.
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