ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of Missouri

Missouri is a big state in the middle of America, and it's been around for a really long time. A long, long time ago, before there were any people in Missouri, big animals like mammoths and giant sloths roamed the land. But then, thousands of years ago, people called Native Americans started living in Missouri. They built homes and hunted animals for food.

A lot of things happened after that, but one of the most important was when people from France came to Missouri in the early 1700s. They brought with them a lot of new things, like fancy clothes and delicious food. They also built a lot of important forts and towns, like St. Louis and Fort Osage.

Many years later, Missouri became part of the United States. It was one of the states that fought in the Civil War, which was a really big and important war about whether or not people could own slaves. Many people in Missouri were very upset about the war and didn't want to fight, but some of them did. After the war was over, Missouri started to become more modern. Many new cities were built, and people started using things like cars and airplanes to travel.

Today, Missouri is an important state for all kinds of things. It has big cities and lots of shops and restaurants, but it also has beautiful forests and rivers. People in Missouri like to do things like go fishing, go hiking, and watch sports games. There's a lot to learn about Missouri, but it's a really interesting and special state with a lot of history.