On May 18, the following notable historical events related to Missouri occurred:

• 1806: St. Louis, a Missouri trade hub, saw active spring fur trading with Native American tribes, though no specific event is noted.
• 1856: Missouri’s pro-slavery “Border Ruffians” raided Kansas anti-slavery settlers in “Bleeding Kansas,” driving violence as spring campaigns intensified.
• 1861: Union General Henry W. Halleck in St. Louis fortified federal control, while Confederate guerrillas in rural Missouri launched spring attacks, fueling Civil War strife.
• 1864: Confederate General Sterling Price’s Missouri forces in Arkansas prepared for spring operations, with Missouri itself under Union control and minimal Confederate action.
• 1888: Southeast Missouri’s Missouri Pacific Railroad, linking Cape Girardeau to markets, drove economic growth, with mid-May freight operations surging.
• 1929: Missouri’s urban centers, Kansas City and St. Louis, reeled from Great Depression unemployment, with spring public works projects providing temporary relief.
• 1985: The Kansas City Royals, an MLB team, continued their season, building toward their World Series victory later that year, a defining moment in Missouri sports.