Kansas City 1940: A Watershed Year

by John Simonson

1940: It's the year Nazis rain bombs on London and goose-step into Paris, when President Roosevelt wins an unprecedented third term and Kansas Citians finally run the corrupt Pendergast political machine out of power. The new reform-minded city government is bent on cleaning up the sinful "Paris of the Plains" and streamlining its future with wide, new miles of trafficways. Notorious nightclubs have closed. The City Market opens. Glenn Miller swings, Bojangles taps and "Gone with the Wind" premieres. Old buildings make way for parking lots. A dying meteor lights up the night sky above a racially segregated city, home to Charlie Parker, Thomas Hart Benton, Walter Cronkite, Satchel Paige and Thomas J. Pendergast, ex-con. It's all on display here in photographs snapped by WPA workers and stories curated by John Simonson.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2013

Reviews

[Stephanie Leiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy, entertaining read. I suggest to the next reader, keep in mind this is only about the year 1940. In some cases there would be a small story leading up to the action that took place in that year but for the most part you get 1940 facts. There are suggested readings in the back of the book which I will be checking out. I want more! Very good

[Athena Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good mini-history of the KC area, concentrating on 1940 but including other tidbits from the ages. love it that he used the pics for property tax info taken by WPA workers and built the story around that address. very interesting and fun!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did other cities do this ! I'll have go look and now I want to drive around KC even more!