Boeing B-29 Superfortress Production in Wichita
Date: 1942-1945
Final assembly line point in Wichita for the completed Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers ready for delivery to the United States Air Force during World War II.

Eisenhower political button
Date: 1952
this large red, white, and blue button promoted the presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Originally from Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and later the 34th President of the United States. The phrase "I like Ike" was a clever play on Eisenhower's name and proved popular during his 1952 campaign. Eisenhower grew up in Abilene, Kansas.

Flood sandbagging, Topeka, Kansas
Date: 1951
This is a photograph of several men passing sandbags at the Topeka Waterworks during the 1951 flood.

General Dwight David Eisenhower
Date: June 21, 1945
This photograph shows General Dwight D. Eisenhower making the double V for Victory sign as he rides in a homecoming procession in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up in Abilene, Kansas.

Georgia Neese Clark Gray
Date: Between 1935 and 1940
A formal portrait of Georgia Neese Clark Gray, 1900-1995, of Richland, Kansas. Gray was National Committeewoman for the Democratic Party, 1936-1964, and was appointed by President Harry S. Truman on June 9, 1949 as the first woman to serve as the U. S. Treasurer, 1949-1953.

Landing gear assembly point for the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber
Date: 1951
Landing gear assembly point at Boeing aircraft factory for the B-47 Stratojet bomber. Landing gear consisted of a bicycle configuration to enhance the streamline design of the aircraft in flight performance.

Pizza Hut Pete bank
Creator: Pizza Hut
Date: between 1960 and 1969
Brothers Frank and Dan Carney took advantage of the "pizza craze" sweeping the country by opening the first Pizza Hut in Wichita on June 15, 1958. A year later the first franchise opened in Topeka, and the move to become a national chain was on. One of the first symbols of the company was "Pizza Hut Pete," shown here in the form of a bank that was a promotional giveaway to customers. "Pete" was used by the company into the mid-1970s, when the familiar red roof logo began to appear. "Pete" might have outlived his usefulness, or perhaps he was seen as too much of an Italian stereotype to be an effective image for the company.

School segregation banned
Creator: Topeka State Journal Company
Date: May 17, 1954
The front page of this issue of the Topeka State Journal includes several articles related to the desegregation of schools as mandated by the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education court case. This court case was composed of five cases from the states of South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Kansas. These cases were grouped together under the name of the lead plaintiff in the Kansas case, Oliver Brown. The article titled "Supreme Court Refutes Doctrine of Separate but Equal Education" includes excerpts from the text of the Supreme Court's ruling. The article titled "Court Ruling Hailed: Segregation Already Ending Here, Say School Officials," addresses how the Topeka Board of Education had already begun integrating its elementary schools (at this time both junior high and high schools in Topeka were already integrated). The article "Summary of Court's Segregation Ruling" provides a brief synopsis of Chief Justice Earl Warren's ruling.

Topeka flood of 1951
Date: 1951
View of building washed off foundation and lying on top of railroad tracks during the 1951 flood that devastated many areas of Topeka.

William Inge
Date: 1953
A portrait of playwright William Motter Inge, 1913-1973. Born in Independence, Kansas, Inge graduated from the University of Kansas, worked for a Wichita radio station, and taught in both high school and college. His play "Come Back, Little Sheba" brought him fame in 1949. In 1953, the play "Picnic" won a Pulitzer Prize and in 1955, "Bus Stop" received rave reviews. Inge drew upon his Kansas background for the characters and storylines in his plays.