Phil the gorilla weighed 30 lbs. when he arrived at the St. Louis Zoo on Sept. 10, 1941, and for almost two decades, patrons flocked to his cage hoping to catch some of his antics. Sometimes he’d rip the shirt from his main keeper, Frank Florsek. Other times he’d suddenly bomb his human admirers with a mighty splash from his swimming tank. He died on Dec. 1, 1958, and his stuffed remains now reside at the old Elephant House.
11/25/2010
Album ID: 1123757
Photos by St. Louis Post-Dispatch staff photographers
Look Back: JFK assassination, Nov. 22, 1963
11 photos
for sale
Two days after President John F. Kennedy was murdered, about 30,000 people marched in downtown St. Louis in his memory. The local Conference on Religion and Race had already scheduled a march for that Sunday to promote racial harmony. The group renewed its call for the march, saying the assassination gave the event "new meaning and depth."
11/19/2010
Album ID: 1120517
Photos by St. Louis Post-Dispatch staff photographers
Look Back: Jane Hadley marries the vice-president
22 photos
for sale
st. louis, 1949 • Jane Hadley was a quick-witted, charming widow whose husband had been a prominent railroad lawyer. Alben W. Barkley was a widower 34 years her senior who happened to be Harry Truman’s vice-president. They met at a party in Washington in May 1949. Soon, the VP was making regular commercial airline stops in St. Louis. They were married Nov. 18 at St. John’s Methodist Church, Kingshighway and Washington Boulevard. She wore light blue.
10/30/2010
Album ID: 1107300
Photos by St Louis Post-Dispatch Staff photographers and archives
Look Back: Frankie and Johnny, 1899
13 photos
for sale
On Oct. 15, 1899, Allen Britt stumbled up the back staircase of a rooming house at 212 Targee Street, burst into girl friend Frankie Baker's apartment, threw an oil lamp and pulled a knife. She grabbed a .32-caliber pistol from beneath her pillow and fired a fatal shot. Songwriters turned Britt’s name to the catchier Johnny -- as in the ballad of "Frankie and Johnnie." The world knew he had done his woman wrong. ---by Tim O'Neil
10/15/2010
Album ID: 1097258
Photos by Post-Dispatch staff photographers and archives
Look Back: Jefferson National expansion
25 photos
for sale
On Oct. 9, 1939, St.Louis Mayor Bernard Dickmann took a crowbar to the corner of a crumbling two-story warehouse at 7 Market Street to begin clearing 486 buildings from the riverfront. The massive demolition to follow would make way for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the Gateway Arch.
10/8/2010
Album ID: 1092643
Photos by P:ost-Dispatch staff photographers and files
Look Back: Statue of King Louis IX on Art Hill
13 photos
for sale
The bronze statue of King Louis IX (St. Louis), 13th century French king, saint and namesake of this region, has held its place of honor atop Art Hill since an unveiling ceremony on Oct. 4, 1906. The statue has served as a St. Louis landmark, popular meeting point and a target for creative vandals who liked to steal the King's sword. The statue was inspired by the popularity of a similar statue made of reinforced plaster that was outside the 1904 World's Fair at the main gate, at Lindell and Union boulevards.
10/1/2010
Album ID: 1087589
Photos by Post-Dispatch archives
Look Back: Bloody Island's infamous legacy, Benton kills Lucas in duel in 1817
4 photos
for sale
In October 1816, Charles Lucas opposed fellow lawyer Thomas Hart Benton in a civil suit in St. Louis. They clashed in the courtroom, essentially calling each other liars. The contentious relationship lead them to Bloody Island for a duel. On Sept. 27, 1817 they met once again at Bloody Island for a second duel. Benton fired first, fatally wounding Lucas.
9/24/2010
Album ID: 1082758
Photos by Missouri History Museum
Look Back: The 1954 riot at the Missouri State Penitentiary
15 photos
for sale
On Sept. 22, 1954, two inmates lured a guard into their cell, jumped him and took his keys. This was the beginning of what would be the worst riot ever at the penitentiary. Four inmates were killed, thirty-four inmates were wounded and four guards were injured. The prison closed in 2004. It had been there since 1836.
9/15/2010
Album ID: 1076938
Photos by Post-Dispatch archive
Look Back: St. Louis Fire Department
15 photos
for sale
On Sept. 14, 1857, Henry Clay Sexton became St. Louis’ first fire chief (formally, "chief engineer") at a salary of $1,000. He had 30 employees and three steam fire engines. As the city grew in bounds, so did its fire department. In 1910, with the city population at 687,000, the department had 50 engines and 17 hook-and-ladder trucks.
9/10/2010
Album ID: 1073618
Photos by Post-Dispatch archives
Look Back: Mark Twain Expressway
21 photos
for sale
By Tim O'Neil --- Workers opened the four lanes of their new Missouri River bridge in phases during the first week of September 1958. The bridge replaced a 1904-vintage span downriver that was overwhelmed by 16,000 vehicles daily. It opened the way for migration into St. Charles County and a clear drive across the state. At $8.5 million, the bridge was a key part of the Mark Twain Expressway, later called Interstate 70. The 24-mile, $97 million Mark Twain from downtown into St. Charles was the first spoke in the pinwheel of today’s regional system of superhighways.
