Meet the Author: Joe Sonderman - THIS DAY IN ST. LOUIS HISTORY

St. Louis has a fascinating history that continues to affect how we live in the metro area today. This book presents that history in a unique fashion that makes it interesting to read, compiling historic events in a day-by-day calendar format. There are the tragedies and triumphs of great figures of history and, of course, sports. There are the epochal events from the settling of the city to Westward Expansion, from the Louisiana Purchase to the 1904 World’s Fair through the wars and the baby boom years right through Ferguson, COVID-19, and the success of our new soccer team. But there are also the lesser-known stories behind the names of our communities and roads, tales of the offbeat and sometimes humorous, and the accomplishments and foibles of the famous.

Local radio personality, traffic reporter, and author Joe Sonderman has been collecting St. Louis history for 45 years and presents it in an easy-to-read style that will engage anyone with even the most casual interest in what makes our region so great. Many of the stories happened within our lifetime, so flipping through the book will often bring back memories of events you may have forgotten about or stories you never knew. You will find it hard to put down.

About the Author:

Joe Sonderman has been a radio personality and traffic reporter for almost 40 years.

He was born and raised in St. Louis. He is recognized as an expert on Route 66 and has written more than 15 books on the legendary highway, including Route 66 in Missouri and Route 66 in St. Louis.

His other books include St. Louis: The 1904 World’s Fair and St. Louis: Bridges, Highways, and Roads. He keeps an online archive of historic Route 66 postcards and images at 66postcards.com.

And when not writing about the roads of yesteryear or keeping an eye on the highways of today, he can often be found behind the wheel of his pride and joy, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.