Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 26, 1887, William Frawley was born in Burlington. An actor best known for his role as Fred on “I Love Lucy,” Frawley also played Bub O’Casey on the popular program “My Three Sons.” Growing up in eastern Iowa, Frawley got his start on local stages. While attending Catholic school in Burlington, Frawley sang in the choir at St. Paul’s Catholic Church and appeared in small roles in amateur productions at the Burlington Opera House. Frawley moved

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 26, 2003, Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen captured the boy’s Iowa high school career scoring record. An all-time Iowa basketball great, McKowen stood out on the hardwood as a player at Wapsie Valley and the University of Northern Iowa. By late February of his senior season, McKown stood poised to break the all-time Iowa boys’ basketball career scoring record of 2,650 set by Tri-Center’s (Neola) Cary Cochran in 1997. McKowen needed ten points ag

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 26, 2014, Iowa State freshman point guard Monte Morris orchestrated a symphony of ball movement at Hilton Coliseum, dishing out 12 assists in a victory that showcased his uncanny court vision. The performance hinted at greatness to come for a player who would rewrite the NCAA record books and elevate Iowa State basketball to unprecedented heights. When Morris arrived in Ames, he fit perfectly into Fred Hoiberg's vision for the Cyclones as a sk

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 26, 1846, William Frederick (Buffalo Bill) Cody was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory. An American soldier and showman, Pony Express Rider, and Medal of Honor recipient, Buffalo Bill looms large in American lore. Born on a farm just outside Le Claire in Scott County, Buffalo Bill’s whirlwind life soon took him to Ontario, Canada, before his family returned to Iowa briefly in 1853 to sell their Scott County lands, then headed for Fort Leavenwor

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 25, 2018, Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon stood at the free-throw line facing a choice that transcended basketball: tie a beloved Hawkeye record held by Chris Street or break it. When Bohannon missed the free throw, he proved that some records aren’t meant to be broken and thatsome things are bigger than the game. Chris Street arrived at the University of Iowa in 1990 as a lanky forward from Indianola with dreams of Big Ten stardom. He developed in

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 25, 1847, the Iowa General Assembly voted to create the State University of Iowa to serve as the state’s institution of higher learning. The University of Iowa, as it stands, still offers opportunities for Iowans to learn. Iowa’s first official university, the state passed the legislation only 59 days after formal admission to the United States. In passing the legislation, the General Assembly noted: “Its object shall be to provide the best an

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 25, 1935, Hardee’s CEO Jack Laughery was born in Guthrie Center. Laughery's story demonstrates how the franchise model and interstate highway system combined to reshape the American landscape, replacing local diners with standardized chains that promised consistency from coast to coast. The mid-1930s offered few obvious paths to prosperity for young Iowans. Rural America was reeling from the dual catastrophes of the Dust Bowl and the Great Dep

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 25, 1987, innovative Iowan Arthur Collins passed away. Arthur Collins, founder of Collins Radio Company, the forerunner of Rockwell Collins, stands as a pioneering radio engineer and entrepreneur. Born in Oklahoma, Arthur A. Collins moved to Cedar Rapids at the age of 7. His father founded the Collins Farm Company in 1925, an organization that combined small farms into a larger cooperative. Even as a child, Arthur showed an incredible interest

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On the afternoon of February 25, 1847, an aerolite (meteorite) fell near Marion in Linn County, about nine miles south of town and roughly 30 miles from Iowa City. The Marion meteorite, as it would become known, reminds us that even the most ordinary landscapes can become stages for cosmic drama, and that the sky might, at any moment, deliver messages from the ancient universe. Iowa, in 1847, was frontier territory, admitted to statehood just a year earl

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 24, 1981, legendary Hawkeye Bob Sanders was born. The 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Sanders gained the respect of fans and opposing players as a hard-hitting force for the Hawkeyes. Sanders earned all-state honors as a running back at Erie Cathedral Prep in Pennsylvania. During his senior season, Sanders racked up 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns. Kirk Ferentz’s high school coach, Joe Moore, told his former player he should take a look a

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 24, 1969, the Supreme Court of the United ruled to protect the First Amendment rights of students in schools in deciding “Tinker v. Des Moines.” The court found in a 7-2 decision: "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." In late 1965, Senator Robert F. Kennedy called for a Christmas Truce in the Vietnam War. To show support, students

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 24, 1970, John Johnson set the Iowa Hawkeye men’s basketball single-game record with 49 in a 116-97 win over Northwestern. Part of a 14-0 Big Ten Championship season, Johnson racked up 31.8 points per game in the conference during the 1969-1970 season. A prep standout from Messmer High School in Milwaukee, Johnson first played college ball at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. The 6’7” forward arrived at Iowa for the 1968-69 season and almo

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 24, 1962, Britt High School’s Bob Steenlage became Iowa’s first four-timer high school wrestling state champion. Overcoming a back injury during his senior year, Steenlage became the first of thirty-two ‘four timers,’ and no one matched the feat for 17 years after Steenlage’s historic run. Known as ‘The Pencil,’ Steenlage first captured a state title at 95 pounds as a freshman in 1959 with a 2-0 result. Moving up to 103 pounds as a sophomore,

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 24, 1925, Medal of Honor winner George “Bud” Day was born in Sioux City. One of the most decorated military officers in American history, Day served from World War 2 through the Vietnam War and endured captivity that lasted longer than America's involvement in World War I. Day's childhood in Sioux City coincided with economic hardship that defined rural Iowa during the agricultural depression of the late 1920s and the catastrophic Dust Bowl ye

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 23, 1973, a massive fire swept through Boone's original Fareway store and warehouse. Cold temperatures challenged firefighters as the blaze caused more than $1 million in damage to the flagship store of the popular Iowa grocery chain. The first Fareway Store opened for business at 624 Story Street in Boone, Iowa, on May 12, 1938. Paul Beckwith, along with co-founder Fred Vitt, worked for the large national chain Safeway. Beckwith decided to st

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 23, 1945, Brooklyn, Iowa’s Corporal Harold Keller and five other Marines raised the American flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. An iconic World War II moment, the flag-raising over Iwo Jima stands as one of the most memorable actions of the war. Born and raised in Poweshiek County’s Brooklyn, Keller enlisted in the Marine Corps in January of 1942. He soon found himself in the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion serving under Lie

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 23, 1973, an enterprising farmer named Eugene Sukup filed a patent for a modification on a grain stirring machine. Co-founder, along with his wife Mary, of Sukup Manufacturing, Eugene Sukup grew an iconic Iowa business from a Sheffield welding shop into an agricultural leader. Born in Nebraska, Sukup moved to Iowa with his family in 1938 due to the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. As he grew into his own farming operation, Sukup purchased h

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 23, 1854, a small group gathered in a schoolhouse in Crawfordsville, Iowa, to discuss forming a new political party opposed to the expansion of slavery. History would largely forget this meeting, crediting Ripon, Wisconsin, with hosting the Republican Party's birth a month later. While Ripon became enshrined in textbooks and tourist brochures as the Republican Party's birthplace, the farmers and townspeople who met in southeastern Iowa that Fe

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 23, 1986, the second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones broke the first-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 36-dual wrestling win streak. In a regular season in which Iowa and Iowa State lost only to each other, the epic match-up stands as one of the greatest in Cy-Hawk wrestling history. Although Iowa State prepared for the regular season ending dual with an 18-1 record, many throughout the state penciled in Dan Gable’s Hawks as the likely winners in Ames. The Hawk

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 22, 2005, legendary Waterloo East, Iowa Hawkeye, and NFL punter Reggie Roby passed away at the age of 43 following a heart attack. A consensus All-American at Iowa, Roby spent sixteen seasons booming punts in NFL stadiums over the 1980s and 1990s. Growing up in Waterloo, Reggie Roby demonstrated remarkable athletic ability from a young age. Starring in football and baseball at Waterloo East, Roby boomed big punts during high school. Also sport

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 22, 1916, the patriarch of the far-famed founders of the publication “Wallaces’ Farmer” and the family who started Pioneer Hi-Bred, “Uncle” Henry Wallace, died. A minister, moralist, farm editor, and incredibly influential Iowan, Uncle Henry’s legacy shaped how many Iowans think about agriculture. After a childhood spent on the family farm in western Pennsylvania, Henry moved west at 18 and attended Monmouth Seminary in Illinois. Ordained in t

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 22, 1997, legendary Iowa State Cyclones wrestling coach Harold Nichols passed away. Nichols led the Cyclone mat-men to six NCAA team championships and 38 individual titles while leading the program to a 483-94-14 record over 32 seasons. Born and raised in Cresco, Nichols stood out on the wrestling mat from a young age. After high school, he headed to Michigan, where he captured the 145-lb national championship in 1939 while wrestling for the l

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 22, 1943, the USS Iowa slid into active service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, christening a new class of warship that would become the most powerful battleships ever built by the United States. The ship would go on to serve in conflicts ranging from World War 2 to the Persian Gulf War of the 1990s. The Iowa-class design originated in 1938, when the Navy sought vessels capable of matching the speed of fast carrier task forces while delivering deva

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 22, 1959, Harlan’s Johnny Beauchamp stood in victory lane at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway, accepting congratulations as the winner of the inaugural Daytona 500. The crowd celebrated what appeared to be a fairytale triumph for the undercover driver from southwestern Iowa. Still, three days later, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. announced that Lee Petty had actually won the race. The late 1950s marked a pivotal moment for Ameri

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 21, 1891, important Mississippi River steamboat tycoon Joseph “Diamond Jo” Reynolds died. A true American entrepreneur, Diamond Jo helped develop Iowa’s transportation network during the Gilded Age. By the time Diamond Jo arrived in McGregor, Iowa, to open a grain business in 1860, he already had a history of business success in milling and tannery operations. With stiff competition for getting his grain shipped on the Mississippi, Diamond Jo

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 21, 2000, Tionee “T-Boz” Watkins won a Grammy as a part of the R&B group TLC. The Grammy Award-winning artist shone as a major part of one of the 1990s' most significant musical groups. T-Boz spent much of her childhood in Des Moines before her family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, when she was 9. In 1990, T-Boz responded to a call by Crystal Jones and Ian Burke to request auditions for an all-girl hip-hop group. Following the audition, T-Boz

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 21, 2204, celebrated composer of “Fly Me to the Moon,” Bart Howard, passed away. Born in Burlington, Howard crafted a musical career that journeyed from the Mississippi River to Manhattan's cabaret scene. Born Howard Joseph Gustafson in Burlington on June 25, 1915, young Bart grew up in a working-class family. He taught himself piano by ear, playing in local churches and developing an intuitive understanding of melody and harmony that formal t

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 21, 1979, a 6-on-6 basketball game between the Melvin Comets and Sibley Generals ended regulation in a 0-0 tie. Melvin stalled from the game’s opening, causing the teams to combine for four total shots in regulation before the Comets eventually pulled out a 4-2 four-overtime win. In the high-stakes district tournament game at the Spencer Regional, the undefeated Comets came in at 24-0, averaging a scorching 78.3 points per game. Boasting an 18

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 20, 1997, Iowa State University renamed Cyclone Stadium to Jack Trice Stadium. The culmination of years of volunteer work to honor Iowa State’s first African-American athlete, the renaming makes the stadium the only major college football stadium to honor an African-American player. The double-decked grandstand stadium was built in less than two years following a groundbreaking ceremony on October 26, 1973. During initial construction, earth m

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 20, 1987, the Meskwaki Nation opened the first high-stakes bingo hall in Iowa at their settlement near Tama, launching what would become a multibillion-dollar gaming industry. The single building, with its rows of tables and eager players clutching daubers, represented the cutting edge of Native American economic sovereignty and changed the relationship between tribal nations and state governments across America. The Meskwaki people, also know