History

In the 1940s a spare room on the fifth floor of the United States Supreme Court building was converted to a workout area.

Joe and Molassis Watson sold sandwiches out of their home in 1905, but business boomed when they started making catfish.

Soul singer Al Green’s sharecropper father kicked him out of their Forrest City, Arkansas, house as a teen for listening to secular music, but that didn’t stop him from winning 11.

Stanley Miller Williams’ college entrance exams “revealed he had no verbal aptitude,” he said; Williams decided that “if I didn’t want to embarrass my parents, I should go into the hard sciences.

A legendary magazine editor and book author, Helen Gurley Brown was born in the Ozarks and grew up in Little Rock.

While some of these laws have been repealed, a few are still on the books: • In Little Rock, it’s illegal to honk a car horn after 9 p.

The Capital Hotel “has been the stage for the struggles, schemes, and dreams” of guests, from authors and actors to prostitutes and politicians.

Johnny Cash’s family was part of Arkansas history long before his music became famous.

The Plum Bayou Culture, a Pre-Columbian Native American culture, once called what is now the Toltec Mounds Archaeological State Park home.

When Sam Sanders discovered there were no services available for disabled people like his daughter, Sammie Gail, he set out to change that.

Since 1995 Arkansas has had the nickname: “The Natural State” identifying a shift in the late 1980s when Arkansas began building its tourism industry.

In 1957, nine African American students entered Central High School escorted by the National Guard amid violent turmoil as many, including the governor, opposed the new integration laws.

Unless you live under a rock, you know of the award-winning author, John Grisham.

When European explorers in the 16th-18th century encountered the Caddo peoples in southwest Arkansas, they stumbled upon a stable, sophisticated community.

Arkansas is rife with ghost stories, haunted places and paranormal activity. One infamous abnormality is that of the Gurdon Light.

In 1962, Sam Walton created the first Walmart in the humble town of Rogers, Arkansas — a business move that would change the retail market forever.

One of the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes, French explorer Henri de Tonti established the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi valley in 1686 called Poste de Arkansas, or Arkansas Post.

The “Bowie knife” became an iconic American weapon in the mid-19th century, but few realize Arkansas’ connection to its story.

A diamond is forever, especially in Arkansas.Few things are as romanticized as much as diamonds.

Happy Women’s History Month! March is a great month for lots of reasons — the sun starts shining more, we can enjoy patio dining again, but most importantly, we get to celebrate women and their contributions.

You’ve likely found yourself engaged in discussions about why it’s “ArkanSAW” instead of “ArKANSAS.

Despite its popularity today, Valentine’s Day has dark and negative origins.

In the rural town of Oark you’ll find the state’s oldest general store with original rustic charm and neighborly reputation.

December in Arkansas means holiday lights at the State Capitol.

Arkansas celebrated its first Thanksgiving in 1847, thanks to the tireless efforts of writer Sarah Josepha Hale.

Debates abound on whether or not cheese dip was actually “invented” in Arkansas, but regardless of its origin it plays an inarguable role in the state’s food culture.

You’ve likely found yourself engaged in discussions about why it’s “ArkanSAW” instead of “ArKANSAS.”

The status of sports remains iffy, and while we won’t be filling Razorback Stadium to full capacity this fall, we can always celebrate Tusk and his costumed counterpart, Big Red.

After the untimely passing of Sen. Thaddeus Caraway in 1931, Arkansas Gov. Harvey Parnell appointed Caraway’s widow, Hattie Wyatt Caraway, as his successor.

The first blues song I heard growing up on Atlanta college radio was “Cross Road Blues,” 1936, by genre progenitor Robert…