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Smart Talks. Cold Drinks.
Presenting THINK & DRINK – where the curious gather. This ongoing lecture series delivers a wide array of topics that generate fresh perspectives, ideas, and discussion. These community-driven events are powered by a collaboration between UMKC, Linda Hall Library, The Third Place Historian, and Casual Animal Brewing Company.
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This week we delve into the history and impact of vehicles in Kansas City at the Linda Hall Library. Casual Animal will be onsite serving, with LHL members getting their drinks for free.Â
After the First World War, air travel changed from a daredevil’s pursuit to a viable means of transportation. Kansas City, due to its central location, became an important aviation hub in the decades that followed. A new downtown airport opened in 1927. Local airplane manufacturers flourished in the 1930s. During WWII, more B-25 bombers rolled off the assembly line in Kansas City than anywhere else. The city also became the headquarters of TWA for several decades.
Kansas City has been a major center of automotive history and influence since the beginning of the 20th century. From hosting one of Ford's first assembly lines to auto shows at Bartle Hall and today's Speedway track, there is no denying Kansas City's crucial role in the nation's automotive industry.
It is commonly known that the completion of the Hannibal Bridge, the first bridge across the Missouri River (completed in 1869) was a key event leading to Kansas City’s development into a major city. This presentation will discuss why this bridge was so important, and how it led to Kansas City also becoming one of the top three railroad centers in the country. It will conclude with a look at how broad economic changes, and changes in the railroad industry since the Staggers Act of 1980, have reconfigured the nature of the railroad system in Kansas City today.
Eric Ward is Vice President of Programs and Education at the Linda Hall Library, where he has curated exhibitions on topics ranging from the science of CSI and natural disasters to a history of early aviation, the Panama Canal, and the science of Project Apollo. He has a BA in English from Hawaii Pacific University and an MLIS from the University of Hawaii.
The Kansas City Automotive Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014, celebrates the region’s rich automotive heritage through exhibits, events, and education. Located in Olathe, KS, it features over 30 vehicles and highlights Kansas City legends like Le Mans winner Masten Gregory and the Greenlease Cadillac. The Museum is actively raising funds for a new 40,000-square-foot facility in downtown Kansas City, set to break ground in 2026–2027. At KCAM, Marisa McKay is the Collections & Exhibits Specialist. She manages exhibit displays and reference materials, guided by the museum curator, and oversees the museum archive and volunteer program. Marisa graduated from UMKC with a BA in History.
Patrick Lenahan comes from three generations of railroaders and has been fascinated by trains for as long as he can remember. His late father, Michael, worked in railroad safety and fueled Patrick’s lifelong passion, building him his first model railroad at age five and taking him to explore locomotives and roundhouses in Armourdale. That early interest led Patrick to a career in architecture; he earned his Bachelor of Architecture, from Kansas State University, and now serves as vice president and senior project manager at Yaeger Architecture in Lenexa. A dedicated member of the National Model Railroad Association, he remains active in Kansas City’s model railroading community. Patrick and his wife of 28 years, Carrie, live in Prairie Village with their rescue Shelties, Jasper and Wyatt.
