Born on July 21, 1899, Ernest Hemingway grew up to become one of the greatest novelist of the 20th century. He wrote such works as The Sun Also Rise, 1926;  A Farewell to Arms, 1929; and For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1940 just to name a few. He also received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

Jackie Robinson the first African American professional baseball player. St. Louis was a bastion of segregation, and Robinson's experiences here were a revealing microcosm of what he endured around the nation: He was unwelcome at the Chase Hotel, where his white Brooklyn Dodgers teammates stayed, and his presence reportedly provoked talk of a strike by the Cardinals. Yet Robinson was determined to continue, and his impact was profound. More than 6,000 blacks sat all around previously segregated Sportsman's Park when Robinson played there for the first time on May 21, 1947.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the face and soul of the civil rights movement, often said that Jackie Robinson's breakthrough in 1947 launched the mission and made his own work possible.

Robinson was only 53 and nearly blind from diabetes when he died in 1972 after a heart attack. He died frustrated with the pace of progress. But his pioneering effort led to crucial change in America - and in St. Louis.

(1912-1996) born on Oct 25 . Her trademark was a straw hat with price tag hanging on it; appeared on TV's "Hee Haw." Inducted into the Country Hall of Fame, 1975.

" God has a plan for all of us, but He expects us to do our share of the work."

"Show business is made up of disappointments, and it's through life's disappointments that you grow."

Edison had created one small component of the electric age; the commercial incandescent bulb. Because of the creation of the bulb, Edison believed that he could convert the United States, if not the world from gas to electric power. Although he had the vision to open the door to this modern form of power, his pride and inflexibility hindered him opening his eyes to new possibility. Edison would go on to play a part in many other major inventions such as the movie camera and the record player. At the time of Edison's Death (October 18, 1931) TAE (Thomas Alva Edison) Inc.,for the initial investment in the Edison Electric Light Company of $3,000.00 in 1878 the yearly return was $7,000,000.00.

He was one of the best jazz trumpet players ever to hit the scene. He defined the style of bebop with his radical chromaticism, his screeching high notes, and his manipulation of rapidly changing chords. Along with being a first-class trumpet player, he was also a great composer (though it's worth noting that many songs that are now attributed to him were actually only collaborations of his). Songs like "Salt Peanuts" and "Groovin' High" were anthems of the bebop generation. Others celebrated Cuban or African rhythms, i.e. "Manteca" and "Kush".   He was at the forefront of bebop composing as well as the synthesis of Afro-Cuban music and jazz.

Fitzgerald, Ella (1918-1986), American jazz singer, admired for her superlative musicianship and her skill in scat singing (singing improvised syllables while using the voice as an instrument). Born in Newport News, Virginia, and reared in a New York City orphanage, Fitzgerald was discovered at the age of 16, singing in a Harlem talent show. From 1934 until 1939 she sang with the Chick Webb Band, directing it for a time after the leader's death in 1939. In the mid-1940s, working with the American impresario Norman Granz, she toured Europe and Asia and performed in his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. In 1958 Fitzgerald appeared with the American jazz composer Duke Ellington at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has also toured Europe frequently with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Among her later concert appearances was a performance at the 1985 Kool Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. Her own compositions include "Oh, But I Do" and "You Showed Me the Way." Since her early days, she was consistently rated top female vocalist in a variety of polls, winning 10 Grammy awards for her performances.