Saturday, September 30, 1933

Straightened up the house. Martha and Mary Jane from Topeka came down. I went to town with them. Later, Myrtle came down. We took them over to their brother-in-law's.

Inventor: Harry R. Drackett
Launch Year: 1933

When Windex was invented as a car windshield cleaner in 1933 by Harry R. Drackett, it was
essentially 100% solvent, and as a flammable product, it had to be sold in metal cans. When
 modern surfactants were  introduced after World War II, the product was reformulated.

The Sam Wise patent #3,463,735 lists several example formulae, one of which is 4.0%
isopropyl alcohol (a highly volatile solvent) 1% ethylene glycol monobutyl ether
(a less volatile solvent), 0.1% sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant), 0.01% tetrasodium
pyrophosphate (a water softener), 0.05% of 28% ammonia, 1% of a dye solution, and 0.01%
perfume. This formula was not only significantly less expensive to manufacture, but allowed 
the product to be packaged in glass bottles and dispensed with a plastic sprayer.

The product was recently reformulated by its current manufacturer, S. C. Johnson Company,
with more environmentally desirable solvents.







Friday, September 29, 1933

Went swimming today. Daddy and Mother came after me and we went out to look at a house. Bernice and I went walking.

Jean Harlow - September 29, 1933

Imprint Ceremony #24 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Since 1927, The Chinese Theatre has been the home of the star powered red carpet
 movie premieres and special events, where Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars
 have come to watch their movies! The most famous movie theatre in the world is known
 for its unique Forecourt of the Stars, featuring cement hand and footprints of major
movie stars from past to present.

Thursday, September 28, 1933

Walked to school with Pauline and Ruth K and Nadine. Wore my oxfords. I got a blister on my heel. Walked home with Ruth R.

Kansas City's Plaza Art Fair - 1932

During the Depression when many other companies failed, the Country Club Plaza
 looked for new ways to attract customers.  The Plaza Art Fair was started in 1932
 as a promotion to draw shoppers to the area and to lift their spirits.   Held on an empty
 lot on the southwest corner of Nichols Road and Central, where Tiffany & Co. is now
 (see the photo above), 90 artists displayed their paintings by leaning them against trees
 and benches. Paintings were priced from $1 to ten dollars. Artists enjoyed interacting with
each other and having conversations with those in the crowd about their work. All agreed
 it was a successful first-time event and should continue. And continue it has. This year
(2011), more than 250,000 people attended Kansas City's Plaza Art Fair.

Wednesday, September 27, 1933

Went swimming today. Had a test in Latin. I made 100%. Got my new shoes (oxfords).

1930s women's/girl's black-and-white oxfords

Every 30’s woman had to have a two tone white and whatever color was your favorite, shoe.
The two toned color combination was seen on casual and evening wear styles. Men too
embraced the striking patterns of two toned shoes and together women and
 men walked through the 1930s in style.

Price for a pair of women's/girls oxfords in 1933: From $1.98 to $3.52

Tuesday, September 26, 1933

I helped Gweyn clean the kids up this evening. Went down to the book shop and traded for a couple of mystery books.

Published 1933

Dorothy Leigh Sayers (13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was a renowned
English crime writer, poet, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist.
She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her
mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between World War I and World
 War II that feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.
However, Sayers herself considered her translation of Dante's Divina Commedia
to be her best work. She is also known for her plays and essays.

Monday, September 25, 1933

Went back to school today. Had a substitute in history as Mrs. Elston was sick. Have test tomorrow.

Ring Lardner

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner (March 6, 1885 – September 25, 1933) was an American
sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the
sports world, marriage and the threatre. Married with four sons, Lardner wrote for a
number of newspapers, but his real newspaper "home" was the Chicago Tribune.

Sarah Bembrey has written about a singular event in Lardner's sportswriting experience:
 "In 1919 something happened that changed his way of reporting about sports and
changed his love for baseball. This was the Black Sox scandal, when the Chicago White Sox
sold out the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Ring was exceptionally close to the
White Sox and felt he was betrayed by the team. After the scandal, Ring always wrote
about sports as if there were some kink to the outcome."

Lardner died on September 25, 1933, in East Hampton, New York, of TB.

Sunday, September 24, 1933

Mother and I went to Sunday School and church. We had a watermelon. Went over to Raiferts'.

"Duck Soup"

Plot Summary: Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia

and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

The Marx Brothers' greatest and funniest masterpiece, the classic comedy Duck Soup (1933)

 is a short, but brilliant satire and lampooning of blundering dictatorial leaders, Fascism and

authoritarian government. The film, produced by Herman Mankiewicz, was prepared

during the crisis period of the Depression. Some of its clever gags and routines were taken from

 Groucho's and Chico's early 1930s radio show Flywheel, Shyster & Flywheel. Working titles

for the film included Oo La La, Firecrackers, Grasshoppers, and Cracked Ice. 

NOTE: Happy Birthday, Shane!

Saturday, September 23, 1933

I got an abscess on my tooth. Mother didn't feel very good. Aunt Kate and Helen were up and we rode out to 48th.

Anthony "Tony" Gizzo
American mobster
Another of the Five Iron Men of Kansas City

Born in 1902, Gizzo's first known serious arrest was in 1921 when he was
picked up on narcotics possession. It was reported that he tried to bribe
the narcotics agent with $10,000 to toss the arrest. It didn't work, and he
was sentenced to two years in 1924.

He was arrested yet again in 1930 in Denver for weapons possession.
Gizzo was close to James Balestrere and Charles "Big Charlie" Binaggio.
He was heavily involved in Balestrere's gambling interests and, in time,
Gizzo was basically in charge of all the rackets in Kansas City.

Gizzo fit the profile of a big-time mafia boss, wearing expensive suits, shiny
leather shoes, and carrying wads of $100 bills. In 1953, he and his wife
traveled to Dallas to visit their son, who was serving time for narcotics
trafficking. Anthony Gizzo died of a massive heart attack in the hotel. He
was 52 years old.

Friday, September 22, 1933

Went swimming. Daddy came after me but I missed him. I walked home with Nadine and Pauline and Ruth Ray.

"Wild Boys of the Road"

Plot Summary:

In the depths of the Depression, two teenage boys strike out on their own in

 order to help their struggling parents and find life on the road tougher than expected.

Wild Boys of the Road (1933) is a black-and-white, Depression-era American
film telling the story of several teens forced into becoming hobos. The film was
 directed by William Wellman from a screenplay by Earl Baldwin based on the story
"Desperate Youth" by Daniel Ahern. The film stars Frankie Darro, Edwin Phillips
and Rochelle Hudson. 

Thursday, September 21, 1933

I lost my white pocketbook today. I sure hated it. I had my assignment notebook in it.

Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968)
An American author, political activist and lecturer, she was the
first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Her teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy became known as
"The Miracle Worker." Below is M.C. Migel's September
21, 1933 letter to Helen Keller regarding the Talking Book:

Dear Helen: I duly received your cable, "Shall I be needed this winter? Can't 
make plans until I know,"—and have replied as per copy enclosed, herewith.

We have a meeting of our Executive Committee on the 28th, and will discuss the
matter more fully then with them—and communicate with you as to their reaction.
We feel that a continuation of the Endowment Campaign, if you care to undertake
this, might be our primary object—but we also feel strongly that the Talking Book,
which has gone forward very rapidly and in which we have great faith, would require
 special attention from someone well qualified to place this development -- its importance
and advantages to the blind, -- before Committee in various States.

It is difficult to explain to you in writing exactly what we have in mind on this,
 but I am certain that when we see you, you will agree that this is a very important
 matter and apparently will be a tremendous boon to the blind of the entire country.
As to the Endowment Campaign—even if the financial results are not large, the
 tremendous influence for good that your presence alone brings about in the minds
of the people toward our blind friends, is in itself a most gratifying accomplishment.

I gather from your cable that you would prefer remaining abroad longer. If so, my dear
 Helen, do not hesitate a moment to remain as long as you and Teacher and Polly see
 fit. In everything that we do and everything we wish done through you "Three Musketeers"
 our dominant thought is and always will be what would bring you the greatest happiness
 in the doing. This is said in all sincerity and will always guide us all, and myself particularly
—so just tell me exactly what you would prefer doing, and I will fully understand.

The summer has passed so rapidly and autumn is already with us; before we know it,
we will have arrived at another new year. I think as the years creep upon us and we become
 older (not "old") we find time most evanescent and fleeting—the days, weeks and months
 move so rapidly that we are sometimes aghast to find that another season or year has rolled by.
Do you have the same experience—or am I alone in this?

I might tell you—confidentially—that I miss you three a great deal and although
my visits to you have been sparse, my thoughts have been with you very, very frequently.
Drop me just a line occasionally, if you cannot write a letter—your communications are always
treasured. With affectionate greetings to the "Three Musketeers," believe me as ever.

Sincerely yours,
/s/ M.C. Migel

Wednesday, September 20, 1933

Went swimming today. Practiced on our backstroke. It was kind of cool again today. Uncle Laten and Aunt Katie and Helen took us out to eat.

Green Parrot Inn
Mrs. J.B. Dowd, Owner
1929 - 1955

From the back of the postcard:

The Green Parrot Inn, internationally famous for its delicious fried chicken dinners,
 catering only to the connoisseurs of selected foods well prepared. We invite you
to dine with us; no liquors; you will find a quiet, homelike atmosphere and typical
western hospitality. Open Sundays 1 PM till 8 PM; other days 6 AM to PM;
closed-mondays; reservations requested; located on 50 Highway
 and State Line Road one mile west of Kansas City's Country Club Plaza.

Tuesday, September 19, 1933

Walked home with Rose Kurs. Stopped at the dime store. Daddy and Mother and I drove down and got some chicken feed.

Kresge's Dime Store

More than one hundred years ago, Sebastian Spering Kresge opened a modest
five-and-dime store in downtown Detroit...and changed the entire landscape of retailing.
He sold everything for 5 and 10 cents. The low prices appealed to shoppers and
allowed him to expand to 85 stores in 1912, with annual sales of more than $10 million.

The Kresge's Dime Store where Ruth and her friends shopped was located at 31st and
Troost. (I'm still looking for a picture of that store.) There were other Kansas City
Kresge's stores as well, including one downtown on 12th Street. Kresge's had lunch
counters that served tuna salad or egg salad or ham and cheese sandwiches, as
well as apple dumplings covered with a delicious vanilla sauce.

In 1937, Kresge opened a store in the country's first suburban shopping center
--  the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.

Monday, September 18, 1933

Went to school again today. Here it is already starting on the third week of school. Time sure flies.

Joseph "Joe" Filardo
One of Kansas City's "Five Iron Men"

Born in Sicily in 1898, Filardo immigrated to America in 1921.
He hooked up with the DiGiovanni brothers and some of their
cohorts in crime. His arrest record included entries for bootlegging,
blackmail, extortion and murder, though he doesn't appear to have
 served any jail time. Filardo attended the doomed mob meeting at 
Apalchin, New York in 1957. At the time he was considered one of the
most respected members of the syndicate and speculation was that he
acted as counseler or consigliere to the infamous Civella brothers.

Filardo is best known to Kansas Citians as the founder of Roma Bakery
along with his cousin Joe Cusuamo and brother-in-law Jack Binaggia.
They went into business in 1923, and the bakery, which still boasts a
thriving bread business, often served as a meeting spot for gangsters for the
next six decades. Filardo eventually retired from Roma and sold his
interest to his children. He died in August 1985.

Note: Roma Bakery made the most delicious turnovers I ever ate.

Sunday, September 17, 1933

Went to Sunday School and church, then went to the show with Pauline. Saw "Gold Diggers of 1933" and "Gambling Lady." We wore our good dresses.

Plot summary: Millionaire turned composer Dick Powell
rescues unemployed Broadway people with a new play.

Gold Diggers of 1933 is a pre-code Warner Bros. musical film directed by
 Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics),
staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell,
Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and features Guy Kibbee,
Ned Sparks and Ginger Rogers.

Saturday, September 16, 1933

Mother and I went to town with Daddy. I got me a new pair of shoes. I straightened up the house this a.m.

Brooklands Race Programme from September 16, 1933

Brooklands was a 2.75-mile (4.43 km) motor racing circuit and aerodome
 built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the
world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first
airfields. The circuit hosted its last race in 1939, and is today home for the
 Brooklands Museum, a major aviation and motoring museum, as well as a
venue for vintage car, motorcycle and other transport-related events.

Friday, September 15, 1933

Went swimming today. Had World History. I walked home with Pauline. Didn't have much night work, so went out and played.

Two new laws were passed by Germany on September 15, 1933.

The Law for the Protection of German Blood and
German Honor states that no Jew may marry a German.

The Reich Citizenship Law says that Jews cannot
be German citizens unless they are loyal to the
Germans and have Aryan blood.

Thursday, September 14, 1933

Walked home with Pauline. Ruth Ray and Nadine tonight. Mother made some hot cocoa.

Hot Cocoa

Take 6 Tablespoons scraped chocolate, or 3 of chocolate and
3 of cocoa, dissolve in 1 quart of boiling water, boil hard for 15
minutes, add 1 quart rich milk, let scald and serve hot.

Some boil either cocoa or chocolate only one minute and then serve,
while others make it the day before using, boiling it for one hour
and when cool skimming off the oil, and when wanted for use, heat it
to the boiling point and add the milk. In this way it is equally good and
wholesome.

September 13, 1933

Went swimming. Juanita Prine (my locker partner) and I got our locker. Daddy and Mother came after us. Ruth Ray and Pauline rode with us.

September 1933 Good  Housekeeping magazine
Cover artist: (c) E.S.C.E.
Price: 25 cents US/30 cents Canada

Article of note:
A Talk With Job-Hunters by Esther E. Brooke
(Unemployment reached an all-time high in 1933)

Tuesday, September 12, 1933

Tomorrow our Gym class goes swimming. The other class went today. Tonight Fred and I fixed my puppet show.

September 12, 1933
Barney Ross vs Tony Canzoneri
Lightweight Title Rematch
Polo Grounds, New York, City

Scheduled for 15 rounds, the fight was a brutal, bloody, bout. It wasn't until the last few rounds,
when Ross had Canzoneri out on his feet, that Barney was able to develop a clear cut edge. After
winning the fight, Ross indicated that he was glad he had not knocked out the gallant Canzoneri.

Monday, September 11, 1933

Pauline didn't go with me to school today. Had Latin test. Walked up to dime store. Got cream. I walked home with Ruth Ray.

The Czech film “Ecstasy” with Hedy Lamarr swimming nude was directed by
Gustav Machaty. Her nude run through the woods created a scandal. It featured
 the first on camera orgasm.

Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1913 – January 19, 2000)
was an Austrian-American actress who was a major contract star at MGM. Lamarr also
co-invented – with composer George Antheil - an early technique for spread spectrum
communications and frequency hopping necessary to wireless communication from the
pre-computer age to the present day. She was considered one of the most beautiful stars
of the "Golden Age" of movies.

Sunday, September 10, 1933

Mother and I went to Sunday School and c hurch. Saw Mrs. Mitchell (former Sunday School teacher). Mother and Daddy and I went over to Raiferts. Ollie came over and we listened to the radio.

James Francis "Jimmy" Durante ((February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980)

American singer, pianist, comedian and actor whose distinctive clipped
gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and
large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular
personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s.

On September 10, 1933, Durante appeared on Eddie Cantor's Chase and
Sanborn Hour,continuing until November 12 of that year. When Cantor departed,
Durante took over the NBC show as its star from April 22 to September 30, 1934,
moving on to The Jumbo Fire Chief Program (1935–36).

Durante's radio show was bracketed with two trademarks: "Inka Dinka Doo" as
his opening theme, and the invariable signoff that became another familiar
national catchphrase: "Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."

Saturday, September 9, 1933

I read my book. Fed the chickens. Gweyn and Joyce and Baby Doll and I went up to the dime store. Got me 2 pair of shoe laces.

Buddy's Day Out - Looney Tunes - Aired September 9, 1933

This cartoon marks the first appearance of Buddy, Warner Bros.' replacement for

 their departed star Bosko. After we're introduced to Buddy, his girlfriend Cookie,

his dog Happy and a baby named Elmer, everybody goes on a picnic. Amorous Buddy

 would like to "wugee, wugee, wugee" with Cookie, but Elmer keeps getting in the way.

Friday, September 8, 1933

Some kids I know found my mirror. I done my night work. I washed the dishes and then I read my mystery book.

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie is released in the U.K.

Jane Wilkinson was once America's darling of the stage. Today she is better known
as the unfaithful wife of eccentric Lord Edgware. Unfortunately, her confidential
 admission to Hercule Poirot that she'd do anything to escape her miserable marriage couldn't
 have come at a worse time: the very day before her husband is found stabbed to death. Lucky
 for Lady Jane she has an alibi as impeccable as her taste in lovers. But is she truly innocent
--or is she giving the performance of a lifetime? The outcome of Act III is up to her newest
 fan, the brilliant Belgian sleuth, sitting front row center...

The U.S. title is Thirteen at Dinner.

Thursday, September 7, 1933

I lost my mirror. This evening I done all my lessons. Helen came down and we went and got us eacher book.

Lady for a Day premieres on September 7, 1933

Starring Jean Parker, Warren William, Glenda Farrell,
May Robson and Guy Kibbee

Produced and Directed by Frank Capra

"Apple Annie" is a near destitute street peddler who has invented the false 

identity of a wealthy matron of high society in letters to her daughter who has

been raised in Spain. The ruse is threatened when the daughter becomes engaged

to a Spanish nobleman's son, and his family insists upon meeting the daughter's

family prior to the nuptials. When Annie learns they are all coming from Spain to

 visit her, she becomes near-suicidal until "Dave the Dude," her dubious crime-boss

 benefactor, finds her.

Dave is a local racketeer with a superstitious sense of responsibility for

Annie's welfare, convinced that buying her apples has been what maintains

 what maintains his good luck in the various underworld schemes he manages.

He enlists his criminal associates in a plot to fool the soon-to-arrive nobleman, 

son and daughter, by dressing up his cronies and rehearsing them on proper etiquette.

He puts Annie into a luxury apartment, equips her with a respectable husband

 (actually a local pool shark) named Judge E. Worthington Mansville. But

 the scheme goes an unexpected path when Annie becomes more than convincing

 as a dignified and maternal woman.

NOTE: This is a wonderful movie. If you haven't seen it, rent it. And enjoy!

Wednesday, September 6, 1933

I went to school today with Pauline. Went over to Aunt Katie's this evening. I got my lessons all done for tomorrow.

Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 - September 30, 1989)
American composer and critic
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Died in New York, New York

Virgil Thomson was an award-winning composer and critic who was
instrumental in the development of the American Sound movement in
classical music in the 1930s and 1940s. He was born in Kansas City, attended
 Central High School and then left to attend Harvard.

His most famous works are two opera collaborations. Four Saints in Three Acts
featured a libretto by Gertrude Stein and used an all-black cast in the 1930s.
Thomson also composed incidental music for an Orson Welles production of
Macbeth. Later in his career, he was a mentor for tonal composers such as
 Paul Bowles and Leonard Berstein.

Thomson won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1949 as well as the National
Medal for the Arts in 1988. He is buried in Saline County, Missouri, about
125 miles northeast of Kansas City.

Tuesday, September 5, 1933

School started today and Pauline came by for me. I am a sophomore now (at Central High School). Daddy got my books. Had chicken for supper.

William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984)
American actor
Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died: Palm Springs, California

1912 graduate of Central High School, Kansas City, Missouri

An only child, Powell showed an early aptitude for performing. In 1907, he moved
 with his family to Kansas City, Missouri, where he graduated from Central High School
 in 1912. His motion picture career began in 1922 in silent pictures. Powell's voice served
him well when the "talkies" arrived in the late 1920s and he went on to make 95 pictures.
 Among them were "The Thin Man" series with Myrna Loy, “Life With Father” in 1947,
“How to Marry a Millionaire” in 1953 and “Mr. Roberts,” his last film, in 1955. After
 that he retired to Palm Springs, California.

In Kansas City, the Powells lived a few blocks away from the Carpenters, whose daughter
Harlean evolved into Jean Harlow, although Powell would not meet her until both were
 established stars. Powell fell in love with Harlow but, after two divorces (from Eileen
Wilson and Carole Lombard), he wasn't ready to marry again. Harlow's sudden death
in 1937 plunged Powell into remorse. Powell's third marriage to Diana Palmer lasted
44 years, until his own death at the age of 91.

Monday, September 4, 1933

We brought 8 chickens home. Aunt Katie got 2. I went up to Pauline's. She had moved and she is going to walk to school with me.

Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949)
American actor
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Died in Beverly Hills, California

Wallace Beery ran away from home and joined the Ringling Brothers Circus at age
sixteen as an assistant elephant trainer. He left two years later, after being clawed by
a leopard, and worked his way to California in various comedic stage roles.

Altogether, Wallace Beery appeard in some 250 films. Like his brothers, William
and Noah, he started in silent films and transitioned to "talkies." His powerful
basso voice and gruff drawl proved to be great career assets as he used them
to full advantage in his roles in 1931's The Champ, for which he won a Best Actor
Oscar, and as Long John Silver in 1934's Treasure Island.

Beery married and divorced twice - once to Gloria Swanson his co-star in Sweedie Goes
to College and once to Rita Gilman. Neither marriage survived his drinking and abuse.
Wallace Beery has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7001 Hollywood Blvd.

Sunday, September 3, 1933

Went home today. Left at eight o'clock. Got home at six. Stopped three hours on the way. Had a blowout on front tire.

Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946)
American actor
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Died in Beverly Hills, California

Noah Berry appeared in nearly 200 films, acting through the silent
picture era before transitioning to "talkies." His popularity reached its
peak in the 1930s; he played the flamboyant supporting role as Mae
West's bar-owning lover until she leaves him for Cary Grant in the 1933
hit, She Done Him Wrong. In 1945 he went to New York City to star in the
Mike Todd Broadway production Up in Central Park.

Beery's brothers, William and Wallace, were also Hollywood actors. His
son, Noah Beery, Jr., became an extremely successful character actor, with
his most famous role being that of "Rocky", the father of James Garner's
character in the television series The Rockford Files.

Saturday, September 2, 1933

I stayed all night at Mart's. Went up to Henry's for dinner. Then Emmett, Melvin, Nellie, Dorothy and Marvin Knox all came down.



Dates of Operation: 1851 - 1997
Predecessor: Pacific Railroad
Successor: Union Pacific
Reporting Mark: MP
Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri

The Missouri Pacific Railroad, also known as the MoPac,
was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the
Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from
dozens of predecessors and mergers.

Missouri Pacific declared bankruptcy twice - once in 1915, when it
was reorganized and returned to operation as The Missouri Pacific
Railroad; and again in 1933, when it entered into a trusteeship. The
company was again reorganized and the trusteeship ended in 1956.



Friday, September 1, 1933

Daddy, Henry and Newt went fishing and we had fish for supper. Mart and Nellie's came down and we had watermelon and ice cream.

Charles Parker, Jr.
AKA: "Yardbird" or "Bird" Parker
Born August 29, 1920 in Kansas City, Kansas
Died March 12, 1955 in New York, New York

From 1935 to 1939, Parker worked in Kansas City with several local jazz
and blues bands from which he developed his art. In 1939, Parker visited New
York for the first time, and he stayed for nearly a year working as a professional
musician and often participating in jam sessions. The New York atmosphere greatly
influenced Parker's musical style. Later he joined pianist Jay McShann's band.

Parker returned to Kansas City to attend his father’s funeral. Once there, he joined
Harlan Leonard’s Rockets and stayed for five months. In 1939, Yardbird rejoined McShann
 and was placed in charge of the reed section. Then, in 1940, Parker made his first recording
 with the McShann orchestra. Parker went on to play with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and
Thelonious Monk. Birdland, a New York nighclub, was named in his honor.