1. In 1931, the Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City was destroyed by fire. The fire started in the House of Representatives chamber and spread quickly, causing extensive damage to the building. The building was rebuilt and reopened in 1935.

2. On January 7, 1781, the Battle of Cowpens took place in South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. Many soldiers from Missouri fought in the battle, including William Campbell, who was born in Augusta County, Virginia but later settled in what is now Lewis County, Missouri.

3. On January 7, 1820, the Missouri Compromise was introduced in the United States Congress. The compromise was an attempt to resolve the political tensions between northern and southern states over the issue of slavery. The compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter as a free state, and established a line at 36°30′ north latitude, north of which slavery would be prohibited and south of which it would be allowed.

4. In 1973, the Supreme Court of Missouri ruled that the state's anti-sodomy laws were unconstitutional. The ruling was one of the first in the United States to strike down a state law prohibiting consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex.

5. On January 7, 1862, the Western Department of the Union Army was established, with General Henry W. Halleck as its commander. The department was responsible for operations in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and the Indian Territory. The establishment of the department helped to bring more organization and coordination to the Union's military efforts in the Western theater of the Civil War.