May 19 may not be a widely recognized date in Missouri history, but it has played a role in shaping the state's past. Here are five interesting facts about what happened on this day in Missouri:

1. The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached Kansas City on May 19, 1804. It was their first stop in what is now Missouri after departing from St. Louis a few days earlier. The expedition spent several days in Kansas City gathering supplies and preparing for the journey ahead.

2. In 1863, Union General Samuel Curtis defeated Confederate General John Marmaduke in the Battle of Big Black River Bridge. This battle marked a significant victory for the Union in the Civil War and helped secure their control over Mississippi.

3. On May 19, 1910, the University of Missouri's School of Journalism was established. It was the first journalism school in the world and has since become a renowned institution for the study of journalism and mass communications.

4. The Missouri Pacific Railroad's Kansas City to St. Louis express train, the "Missouri River Eagle," derailed on May 19, 1942, killing 38 people and injuring over 200 others. The cause of the accident was never fully determined, but it is believed to have been caused by a track problem.

5. In 2003, Missouri's first legal casino, the Isle of Capri, opened in Boonville on May 19. The casino's opening marked a significant shift in Missouri's gambling industry, which had previously only allowed riverboat gambling. Today, the state has 13 licensed casinos operating on land and water.