National Missouri Day Date in the current year: January 4, 2025

In 2017, National Day Calendar created National State Days to celebrate the distinct history and culture of each U.S. state in the order in which they were admitted to the Union. It was decided not to commemorate the actual dates of admission because some states joined the Union on the same day; instead, each state was assigned a unique National Day.

The cycle of celebrations begins with National Delaware Day (July 13) and consists of one National State Day each week, with National Missouri Day falling on January 4. However, it should be noted that some states also celebrate their actual statehood anniversaries; these celebrations have nothing to do with National Day Calendar’s project.

Missouri is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Nicknamed the “Show Me State”, the “Cave State”, and the “Mother of the West”, Missouri is best known as the birthplace of ragtime, St. Louis blues, and Kansas City jazz. Missouri is also home to Kansas City-style barbecue and a major brewing center.

The state was named for the Missouri River, which, in turn, was named for a local Native American tribe. The first European settlers in the region were mainly ethnic French Canadians who founded Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis. The French claimed it as part of Louisiana until 1762, when French Louisiana was ceded to Spain by the Treaty of Fontainebleau. After the arrival of the Spanish, St. Louis became a major center of the regional fur trade.

Control of Louisiana returned to France de jure in 1800 and de facto in 1803 under the terms of the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. Shortly after regaining control, the French First Republic sold the territory of Louisiana to the United States.

In 1804, Louisiana was divided into the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana, later renamed the Louisiana Territory. In 1812, the Territory of Orleans was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory to avoid confusion with the new state.

In 1818, the Missouri territorial legislature petitioned the United States Congress for statehood. This statehood application led to a national controversy rooted in opposition to slavery in the North and support for slavery in the South. The so-called “Missouri Crisis” was resolved by the Missouri Compromise of 1820: Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state, while Maine was admitted as a free state.

Missouri was formally admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821, becoming the first state entirely west of the Mississippi River to do so. Saint Charles served as the provisional capital of Missouri until 1826, when it was moved to the newly incorporated Jefferson City.