Little Rock Central High School caused controversy throughout the country when the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students first involved in the desegregation of the school, attempted to enter its doors. On Sept. 4, 1957, the students were turned away by the Arkansas National Guard.

The students returned 21 days later via escort from members of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division at the order of President Eisenhower.

Eight of the nine students remained for the entire school year, and the eldest of them, Ernest Green, became the first black student to graduate from Central High School.

– Ann Claire Johnson, Ghidotti Communications

Through the spring of 1946, an unidentified criminal known as the “Texarkana Phantom Killer” committed numerous assaults and murders in the city. Five people were killed and three were wounded.

With each murder, panic ran through Texarkana. While the murders became known as “Moonlight Murders” by the media due to the full moon during the times of attack, the assailant earned the name “Phantom Killer” as the person would vanish after each of his many attacks.

Several individuals claimed to be the mysterious Phantom Killer and other citizens came forward with accusations. Despite the claims, no arrest was ever made.

— Ann Claire Johnson, Ghidotti Communications

In June, NWA hosted the annual Walmart NW Arkansas Championship for the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Did you know the LPGA has been coming to the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers every summer for annual championships since 2007?

Arkansas is no stranger to the golf scene. In 1915, country clubs from around the state formed the Arkansas State Golf Association. Currently, the ASGA has over 140 member clubs and 14,000 individual members.

In 2010, Golf Magazine listed the top five golf courses from around the state. The list names Stonebridge Meadows in Fayetteville as the best course in Arkansas.

– Ann Claire Johnson, Ghidotti Communications

“Old Mike,” the name given to the mysterious traveller, was a salesman found dead in 1911 in Prescott.

Mike traveled to the town throughout the year to make deliveries near the railroad tracks. On April 11, 1911, it’s assumed Mike attended an outdoor revival. The next day, he was discovered under a tree in the park, dead of either a heart attack or stroke. His body was taken to the Cornish Funeral home where he was embalmed and placed on display for over 60 years.

In 1975, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office asked Cornish Funeral Home to bury the body.

– Ann Claire Johnson, Ghidotti Communications

The Royal Theatre in Benton is one of the oldest theaters in the state.

Wallace Kauffman’s story with the theater began when it was Independent Motion Pictures in 1920, where he worked the projectors. The theater was sold to United Artist Communications in 1936. Kauffman continued to run the business solo until United took over bookings and record keeping in 1949. A marquee and large “Royal” sign were added shortly after, giving the theater its current name.

The Royal Theatre stayed in the Kauffman family for generations. Today, it serves as a live theater and home to The Royal Players.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

George Fisher defined what politics meant to Arkansans in the post-WWII era through cartoons.

Fisher was born and raised in Beebe. While serving in England during WWII, he studied drawing and kept daily cartoons of his experiences. His political cartoonist career took off through his “Farkleberry” jokes and call to environmentalist action in the Arkansas Gazette.

After the death of his wife, Fisher incorporated her nickname into each cartoon. The couple had established a successful political satire puppet show that both children and adults loved. Fisher passed while at his drawing board, doing what he loved, in 2003.

– Natalie Ghidotti, Ghidotti Communications

In 1971, Bobby Ford reported that he was attacked by a hairy, man-like, red-eyed creature. After the Texarkana Gazette published an article about the story, the legend of the Fouke Monster was born.

Ford said the monster grabbed him, but he was able to break free and seek treatment at the local hospital.

In 1973, the incident was made into a movie, “The Legend of Boggy Creek.” Many sightings of the creature have been reported over the years, however none have gained as much attention as the original incident that drew the eyes of people across the nation.

– Alfred Warren, Ghidotti Communications

The Quapaw Quarter is one of Little Rock’s oldest and most historic areas. The name, given in 1961, was bestowed upon the area to honor the Quapaw Indians who lived in the area centuries prior.

As many as fifteen separate districts compose the Quapaw Quarter, including more than 200 individual homes and buildings. Trapnall Hall was among the first of the houses built in 1843 as the home of state legislator Frederic Trapnall and his wife, Martha Trapnall.

Today, many homes from the antebellum and Victorian eras can still be found in addition to several examples of Craftsman-style architecture.

– Alfred Warren, Ghidotti Communications

True cheese dip aficionados know that not only is the dish a staple of Arkansas cuisine and culture, but it’s also rumored to have Arkansan origins.

Nick Rogers, an avid cheese dip researcher, claims Blackie Donnely, the owner of Mexico Chiquito, as the creator. There are several Mexico Chiquito restaurants throughout Arkansas, with the first dating back to 1935 in North Little Rock.

After the Wall Street Journal ran a piece on Arkansas’ creation claim, Texans spoke out defending queso’s Texas origins. Shortly after, Texas and Arkansas senators blindly sampled Texas queso and Arkansas cheese dip, naming Arkansas the winner.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

Before Las Vegas and Florida evolved into tourist destinations, Arkansans had Hot Springs and the Arlington Hotel.

Since its opening, the Arlington has hosted a number of people such as Joe T. Robinson, Babe Ruth, Kate Smith and even infamous gangster Al Capone. The hotel, completed in 1875, was destroyed on April 5, 1923, by a fire that sparked a discussion to rebuild the entire hotel across Fountain Street.

On Nov. 28, 1924, the third and current version of the Arlington Hotel was completed, and today, the hotel continues to be one of the most identifiable landmarks in Hot Springs.

– Alfred Warren, Ghidotti Communications

The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, located in the Quapaw District, was established by an act of the state legislature. Prior to the mansion’s opening in 1950, Arkansas did not have an official residence for the governor of the state.

In 1945, the Arkansas Federation of Women’s Clubs began a campaign for housing the governor, and in 1947, Act 257 created the Governor’s Mansion Commission.

Construction lasted two years, and the mansion was opened on Jan. 10, 1950. The public was invited to tour the mansion before Governor Sidney S. McMath and his wife, Anne, moved into the mansion on Feb. 3.

– Alfred Warren, Ghidotti Communications

On Feb. 24, 1908, Joel Troutt Rice and John Riggs formed the Hot Springs Airship Company. Rice, who had been working on aircrafts for over ten years, had two flying-machine patents in his name by 1901.

“The Arkansas Traveler,” Rice’s first aircraft, was tested in Hot Springs, where the machine rose about 10 feet off the ground before landing.

Riggs, the company’s treasurer, convinced Rice to move to New York. Here Rice created an improved model, the “American Eagle;” however the aircraft never flew. Legal battles between Rice and Riggs put all of the company’s work at a standstill.

– Alfred Warren, Ghidotti Communications

In November of 1922, Harvey Couch, founder of Arkansas Power and Light (APL), now Entergy Arkansas, organized a radio demonstration for the Pine Bluff Rotary Club.

Following this demonstration, Couch began building his own antenna and working to air Arkansas’ first radio station.

His station, “Workers of Kilowatts” (WOK), went on air for the first time on Feb. 18, 1922. Because the station was funded fully by APL, it was commercial free and featured broadcast bulletins, sermons, sports and concerts.

Due to financial strain, in June of 1924 WOK was permanently shut down. The Arkansas radio legacy created lives on.

– Alfred Warren, Ghidotti Communications

On Feb. 2, 1949, 49 boxcars filled with gifts from France arrived in America. The “Merci Train” was a thank-you to the American people from the French in response to food shipped to Europe during World War II. The “American Friendship Train” consisted of 700 boxcars of relief supplies to France.

Each state was given a boxcar containing hundreds of gifts donated by French citizens. Gifts included art, food, wine, letters and more. Arkansas received its boxcar on Feb. 13, 1949. Gifts were distributed throughout the state to schools, museums and other institutions.

Today, the boxcar sits in Helena.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

Did you know beer brewing in Arkansas dates back as far as 1848? The oldest brewery known of in our state was Joseph Knoble Brewery in Fort Smith.

Joseph Knoble, a German immigrant, built Knoble Brewery. The three-story building was constructed with German brewery artisanship, which dictated each floor would serve a specific purpose — brewing on the third floor, kegging on the second and storing on the first.

The brewery operated until 1881. Since then, the building’s function has rotated along with the ownership. It has served as brewery and winery museum and, today, stands as Doe’s Eat Place.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

When it’s Christmas time in Little Rock, The Capital Hotel is one of the first places that comes to mind for holiday activities and displays. It’s considered the most luxurious in town with a four-star rating from Forbes Travel and is included in Southern Living’s Hotel Collection.

It was built in 1872 by New Yorker tycoon William Denckla as a business opportunity in the, at that time, booming and growing capital city.

There is a rich political history with past guests including Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Bill Clinton. It even served as Clinton’s local headquarters during his presidency.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

Did you know one of the greatest names in music and black history grew up right here in Arkansas?

Born in 1895, William Grant Still lived in Little Rock until he moved to Ohio to attend university in 1915. Still didn’t stay in school long before he dropped out to pursue music by playing with orchestras in the area. Throughout his life, Still moved from Memphis to New York to Hollywood to work with the best in the industry including W.C. Handy and Paul Whiteman.

Still composed hundreds of pieces for symphonies, ballets, operas, chamber music and solo musicians.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

The upcoming election is all anyone is talking about. But with so many hot button issues, let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the less controversial political moments. Here are some of the most iconic presidential visits to Arkansas through the years:

• 1910: Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the Arkansas State Fair in Hot Springs.
• 1936: Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at Centennial Stadium in Little Rock.
• 1963: John F. Kennedy attended the Greers Ferry Dam dedication.
• 1975: Gerald R. Ford attended the dedication of St. Edward’s Mercy Medical Center.
• 1984: Ronald Reagan hosted a political rally in north Little Rock.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

“America’s Most Haunted Hotel” is right here in Arkansas. The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs has a storied past and many ghosts.

Although it opened in 1886, 130 years ago, the hauntings started after 1938 when Norman Baker turned the hotel into a hospital and health resort for cancer patients. It closed in 1940 when Baker was convicted of mail fraud.

Sightings of ghosts include those of Baker, cancer patients and an Irish stone mason named Michael. During ghost tours, his room 218 features a “ghost,” who greets guests.

The hotel has been featured on Discovery and SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters.”

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

If you live in Little Rock, you know about the massive renovation hitting downtown: the Broadway Bridge. As the six-month process to renew the bridge getss underway, read up on some interesting facts on bridges in Arkansas.

• The first recorded bridge was in 1823 over White Oak Bayou by Samuel McHenry, who was granted a franchise.

• Companies didn’t bid to build bridges until 1875 after Act 126 passed.

• Bridge design and construction became the State Highway Department’s responsibility after its creation in 1924.

• Built in 1874, the Springfield-Des Arc Bridge over Cadron Creek is the oldest in Arkansas.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

The Razorbacks come to War Memorial Stadium for their yearly Little Rock-based game Oct. 1. The stadium is expecting packed seats and an even more packed parking lot. Show off some knowledge about the stadium while you’re tailgating:

• War Memorial’s first-ever game after its construction and opening in 1947 was between UA and Abilene Christian.

• It was the focus of “The Great Stadium Debate” in 2000 when Frank Broyles announced plans to decrease the number of games played in Little Rock.

• The Salt Bowl, the rivalry high school game between Benton and Bryant, draws more than 20,000.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

Frank Broyles is a Razorback legend. He had an incredible 49 years with the University of Arkansas and led an amazing 22 consecutive wins, the longest college football winning streak of the decade, as head coach in the mid-60s. But your average die-hard fan knows that. Here are some facts on Broyles to surprise your friends with:

• His coaching career began at Baylor University.

• He was named “Arkansas’ Most Influential Sports Figure of the Twentieth Century” by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

• He was the star quarterback at Georgia Tech.

• He has a reputation for creating high-caliber coaches.

– Kathryn Heller, Ghidotti Communications

The National Chuckwagon Championship enters its 30th year this Labor Day weekend. (Photo courtesy of encyclopediaofarkansas.com)

Clinton, Arkansas, has been home to the National Championship Chuckwagon Races since 1986, which has remained a staple in the community to this day.

What started out as a Labor Day celebration and fun with friends, hosted by Dan and Peggy Eoff, turned into an annual event running for 30 years and counting. Along with five divisions of chuckwagon races, there are also mule races, bronc fanning and a river race.

Now an event-packed weekend, the races are expecting 20,000 viewers and 150 competing teams. Musical guests and vendors from around the country will also be in attendance.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

Arkansas is commonly known for its rice, but what is often forgotten is its booming poultry industry. While Tyson is the name that comes to mind for chicken in Arkansas, J. K. Southerland was one of the founding fathers of the industry.

Born in 1903, Southerland grew up in Banner, Arkansas. What began as a dozen chicks in the 1930s had grown into J.K. Southerland Inc. by 1940. After merging with F. M. Stamper/Banquet Foods in 1969, there were 800 employees.

Southerland went on to become a founder of Citizens Bank and respected philanthropist. He died in 1981.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

Arkansas summers have never been gentle. The surprise storms and fiery heat can be absolutely brutal. According to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, the average high temperature in June was almost 92 degrees in Little Rock. While this heat and humidity may feel like the worst of all time, the actual hottest day on record in Arkansas was much higher.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, the highest temperature ever recorded happened on Aug. 10, 1936, with a whopping 120 degrees in Ozark.

Beating the heat is never easy, but it helps when it’s under 100!

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications

George Fisher defined what politics meant to Arkansans in the post-WWII era through cartoons.

Fisher was born and raised in Beebe. While serving in England during WWII, he studied drawing and kept daily cartoons of his experiences. His political cartoonist career took off through his “Farkleberry” jokes and call to environmentalist action in the Arkansas Gazette.

After the death of his wife, Fisher incorporated her nickname into each cartoon. The couple had established a successful political satire puppet show that both children and adults loved. Fisher died while at his drawing board, doing what he loved, in 2003.

– Maeghen Carter, Ghidotti Communications