15 Famous People From Kansas

Kansas is located in the Midwestern United States. Kansas was named after the native tribe Kansa which inhabited this area. Kansas was first settled by European American’s in the 1830’s, although native tribes inhabited the area for many years before this. Kansas was admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, becoming the 34^th State in the Union. Topeka is the capital of Kansas, while Wichita is the largest city. These are 15 of the most famous people who were born in Kansas.

  

Kirstie Alley-Kirstie Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1951. She is best known as an actress who starred in Cheers and Veronica's Closet

Annette Bening-Annette Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1958. She Is an American actress. Her break-through role was The Grifters, this was followed with critically acclaimed roles in Bugsy and American Beauty. In 1992, she married American actor and director Warren Beatty, with whom she has four children with.

Robert Ballard- Robert Ballard was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1942. He is a former united States Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the university of Rhode Island. Robert Ballard is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. Maritime archaeology and archaeology of shipwrecks. He is best known for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the Battleship Bismark in 1989, and the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998.

Gwendolyn Brooks-Gwendolyn Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1917 and she died in 2000. She  was an American poet. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950 and was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968 and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985

Bob Dole-Bob Dole was born in Russel, Kansas in 1923. Bob Dole is an American politician who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996 and the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969. In the 1976 presidential election, he was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President and incumbent President Gerald Ford's running mate. In the presidential election of 1996, he was the Republican nominee for President against incumbent Bill Clinton.

Amelia Earhart- Aviator Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. She was declared dead in absentee in 1939, due to a plane crash. Amelia Earhart likely died in 1937 from a plane crash.  In 1923, Earhart became the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license. She had several notable flights, becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, as well as the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. In 1937, she mysteriously disappeared while trying to circumnavigate the globe from the equator.

Melissa Etheridge-Melissa Etheridge was born in Leavenworth, Kansas in 1961. She is an American rock singer-songwriter and activist.Melissa Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals. She has also been a gay and lesbian activist since her public coming out in January 1993

Dennis Hopper-Dennis Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas in 1936. He died in 2010. Dennis Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuringJames Dean, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956)

William Motter Inge- William Motter Inge was born in Independence, Kansas in 1913 and he died in 1973. William Inge was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, he had a string of memorable Broadway productions, and one of these, Picnic, earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

Martina McBride-Martina McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas in 1966. Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Celine Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range

Hattie McDaniel- Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1895 and she died in 1952. She was an American actress. She was the first African American to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind 

Cassandra Peterson-Cassandra Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas in 1951. She is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, revealing, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation. Her wickedly vampish appearance is offset by her comical character, quirky and quick-witted personality, and Valley girl-type speech.

Barry Sanders-Barry Sanders was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1968. He  is a former American football running back who spent his entire professional career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. A member of both the college and professional football halls of fame, he was ranked by NFL Top 10 as the most elusive runner in NFL history, and also topped their list of greatest players never to reach the Super Bowl. Averaging over 1,500 rushing yards per season, Sanders left the game just 1,457 yards short of being first place on the list for the NFL all-time rushing record at that time. Barry Sanders is the best running back I have ever seen play NFL football.

Gale Sayers-Gale Sayers was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1943. also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1960s and early 1970s. He played college football for the University of Kansas, and was twice recognized as an All-American. He was a first-round pick in the 1965 NFL Draft, and played his entire pro career for the NFL's Chicago Bears

Vivian Vance-Vivian Vance was born in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1909 and she died in 1979. She was an American television and theater actress and singer. Vance is best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, and as Vivian Bagley on The Lucy Show.

Kansas is a great state to visit. Kansas has a great history, purchased by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The rock group Kansas was formed in the state capital of Topeka. In The Wizard of Oz, the teenage girl lived in Kansas. There are many cool television shows and movies either made or based in Kansas. Kansas is one of our great fifty states and is worth a visit, you won’t be sorry about all the things you see and learn in the state of Kansas.