Arkansas Icon

A look back at the "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker, part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue. read more >

For a few magic years, for music fans throughout a figure-eight centered in Little Rock and stretching from Canada to Cuba, one radio station was king of the nighttime airwaves: KAAY-AM, The Mighty 1090. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >

Delta blues music is acknowledged as the root from which sprang jazz, R&B;, rock ’n’ roll and hip-hop — in short, every type of American music. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >

A group of entrepreneurial visionaries — Sam Walton, J.B. Hunt, Don Tyson, John Cooper and others — laid the groundwork for an economic explosion that would eventually reverberate through the entire financial world. Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue. read more >

State pride and cultural identity have become entangled in the image of the Arkansas Razorbacks. If sonic energy were a viable means of propulsion, pigs indeed could fly. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >

Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue and a look at 20 icons of business. read more >

The Arkansas River is one of four waterway systems in the state. The other navigable waterways are the Mississippi, White and Ouachita rivers, and the future of commerce on the Arkansas River is closely tied to the other waterways. read more >

Bill Clinton, born at Hope and reared at Hot Springs, is simultaneously the most famous and most infamous Arkansan in history. The impact of his eight-year presidency on Arkansas’ economy, image and collective psyche is impossible to quantify. read more >

The cinematic figure most closely identified with Arkansas is Billy Bob Thornton, a Malvern native who has made his home state and its unique people a frequent backdrop for his films. read more >

Little Rock Central High School once was the most famous public school in the world. That was during the period of its disgrace, 1957-59, when it symbolized Southern defiance of court orders to integrate schools. read more >

Charles Portis, sometimes called America’s least-known great writer, represents a particularly brilliant Arkansas incarnation of Old Southwest Humor. read more >

The elevation of Magnetic Mountain can’t compete with the Brazilian peak of Corcovado at Rio de Janiero, and its 67-foot statue is not as tall as the Cristo Redentor that clearly inspired it. read more >

Crater of Diamonds is unique among the world’s parks. The site is the eroded surface of an ancient, diamond-bearing volcano with a martini glass-shaped pipe. read more >

Duck hunting permits in Arkansas neared the 100,000 mark in 2003, but the sport is still dwarfed in popularity by deer hunting — an annual pastime for some 300,000 Arkansans. read more >

Heifer International: World Sees Our Charitable Culture Heifer International is not the largest nonprofit organization in Arkansas. read more >

Hot Springs is an icon of Arkansas, but there’s more to Hot Springs than tales of training camp baseball players loose in the streets, Al Capone’s bathing escapades and Tony Bennett’s first whack at singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” at the Black Orchid Club. read more >

Arkansas is the No. 1 rice-producing state in the nation. Nearly 50 percent of all rice consumed in the United States comes from the 1.5 million Arkansas acres of rice planted each year. Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue. read more >

Deceit, incompetence, back-room dealings. More than 100 years have passed since the cornerstone was laid for Arkansas’ State Capitol building. But gazing at the magnificent dome that tops the state’s most recognizable landmark, many people would never suspect the more-than 16-year struggle it took to complete the granite structure. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >

Whether the Wal-Mart phenomenon could have developed anywhere else is an unanswerable question. But the reason why it happened is simple: Back in 1950, Sam Walton thought Bentonville would be a good place to raise a family and operate a business. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >

The family-owned merchant banking firm of Stephens Inc. has become synonymous with wealth, success, power and philanthropy in Arkansas. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >