1. In 1861, Kansas was admitted as the 34th state in the Union on January 31st, making it the second state to join as a free state and potentially tipping the balance toward the Union side in the Civil War.

2. On January 31st, 1876, William Allen White was born in Emporia, Kansas. He went on to become a well-known Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, as well as an advocate for racial equality and progressive politics.

3. In 1901, famed outlaw Tom Horn was tried and sentenced to death for the murder of a young boy in Cheyenne County, Kansas. Horn was later hanged in November of that year, ending his notorious career as a cattle rustler and killer.

4. On January 31st, 1955, a small plane crashed near Clearwater, Kansas, killing 12 passengers on board, including six members of the United States Congress. The tragedy, which occurred during a blizzard, remains one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Kansas history.

5. In 2001, the Kansas City Chiefs played in their first and only Super Bowl to date on January 31st, facing off against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. Despite keeping the game close, the Chiefs ultimately fell to the Rams by a score of 23-16.