Iowa History Daily: February 4 - Elk Horn Windmill Arrives
Iowa History Daily: On February 4, 1976, the only working Danish Windmill in the United States arrived in Elk Horn. The 60’ Windmill...
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Iowa History Daily: February 3 - George Nissen & his Trampoline
Iowa History Daily: On February 3, 1914, American gymnast and inventor of the trampoline George Nissen was born in Blairstown, Iowa. An...
Iowa History Daily: February 2 - Buddy Holly Rocks the Surf
Iowa History Daily: On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly took the stage at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake for the final performance of his...
Iowa History Daily: February 1 - Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Iowa History Daily: On February 1, 1955, Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Des Moines first opened to the public. Home to numerous...
Iowa History Daily: January 31 - Gardner 'Mike' Cowles Jr.
Iowa History Daily: On January 31, 1903, Gardner “Mike” Cowles Jr. was born in Algona. A far-famed newspaper and magazine publisher whose...
Iowa History Daily: January 30 - Boepple the Buttoner
Iowa History Daily: On January 30, 1912, founder of Muscatine Iowa’s world-famous button business John F. Boepple died. Credited with...
Iowa History Daily: January 29 - Terrace Hill
Iowa History Daily: On January 29, 1869, Benjamin Franklin and Arathusa Allen hosted a housewarming party at their new home known as...
Iowa History Daily: January 28 - Elijah Wood
Iowa History Daily: On January 28, 1981, actor Elijah Wood was born in Cedar Rapids. Best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the...
Iowa History Daily: January 27 - Donna Reed
Iowa History Daily: On January 27, 1921, Academy Award winning actress Donna Reed (Donna Belle Mullenger) was born on a farm near...
Iowa History Daily: January 26 - The Blizzard of 1996
Iowa History Daily: On January 26, 1996, one of the largest blizzards to ever rip across the state dropped over a foot of snow throughout...
Iowa History Daily: January 24 - Edy's 'Eskimo' Pie
Iowa History Daily: On January 24, 1922, Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, patented the popular ice cream treat then known as the...
Iowa History Daily: January 23 - Bonnie & Clyde Rob Rembrandt
Iowa History Daily: On January 23, 1934, infamous American outlaws Bonnie and Clyde robbed the First State Bank of Rembrandt. After the...
Iowa History Daily: January 22 - Orange City Raiders
Iowa History Daily: On January 22, 1872, 55 bobsleds embarked from Orange City full of determined Dutchmen planning to steal the seat of...
Iowa History Daily: January 21 - Founding of Iowa City
Iowa History Daily: On January 21, 1839, the Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory created Iowa City in order to relocate the...
Iowa History Daily: January 20 - Ozzy & the Bat
Iowa History Daily: On January 20, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live bat while performing at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in...
Iowa History Daily: January 19 - Chris Street
Iowa History Daily: On January 19, 1993, University of Iowa basketball player Chris Street died in a crash with a snow plow following a...
Iowa History Daily: January 18 - First 5-on-5 Basetball
Iowa History Daily: On January 16, 1896, the University of Iowa hosted the University of Chicago to play the first ever game of...
Iowa History Daily: January 17 - Mary Jane Whitely Coggeshall
Iowa History Daily: On January 17, 1836, the “Mother of Woman Suffrage in Iowa,” Mary Jane Whitely Coggeshall was born. A charter member...
Iowa History Daily: January 16 - Robert D. Ray
Iowa History Daily: On January 16, 1975, Robert D. Ray was sworn in as the Governor of Iowa for the fourth time. Best known for his...
Iowa History Daily: January 15 - A Carnegie Library for Iowa
Iowa History Daily: On January 15, 1892, Andrew Carnegie granted the funds for the construction of the Jefferson County Library in...
Iowa History Daily: January 14 - Terry's Time in Office
Iowa History Daily: On January 14, 1983, Terry Branstad took office as Governor of Iowa. By the time Branstad retired from the office for...
Iowa History Daily: January 13 - An Iowa Band Master
Iowa History Daily: On January 13, 1860, founder of the Iowa National Guard Band (originally 51st Iowa Volunteers) George W. Landers was...
Iowa History Daily: January 12 - All-Time Low
Iowa History Daily: On January 12, two important pieces of Iowa weather history occurred. In 1888, the “Children’s Blizzard” claimed the...
Iowa History Daily: January 11 - Rand Aldo Leopold
Iowa History Daily: On January 11, 1887, famed American naturalist, writer, ecologist, and conservation (Rand) Aldo Leopold was born in...
Iowa History Daily: January 10 - Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company
Iowa History Daily: On January 10, 1893, the first company to ever manufacture and sell gasoline powered farm tractors, the Waterloo...
Iowa History Daily: January 7 - The Super Bowl Blizzard
Iowa History Daily: On January 9, 1975, Iowans braced for the storm of the century as the infamous “Super Bowl Blizzard” prepared to...
Iowa History Daily: January 8 - Farmer Burns
Iowa History Daily: On January 8, 1937, early iconic Iowa catch wrestler, and coach of the state’s first ever high school wrestling...
Iowa History Daily: January 7 - St. Elizabeth's Fire
Iowa History Daily: On January 7, 1950 at 2:06 a.m. the first calls came in reporting one of the worst fires in Iowa’s history at the St....
Iowa History Daily: January 6 - Eleanor Elizabeth Gordon
Iowa History Daily: On January 6, 1942, important Iowa advocate of women’s education, suffrage, and general equality Eleanor Elizabeth...
Iowa History Daily: January 5 - Superman Soars from Woolstock
Iowa History Daily: On January 5, 1914, future Superman George Reeves was born in Woolstock. Best known for his work as the Man of Steel...
Iowa History Daily: January 4 - Des Moines Capitol Fire of 1904
Iowa History Daily: On January 4, 1904, the Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines caught fire. Resulting from work to convert...
Iowa History Daily: January 3 - All Aboard in Iowa City
Iowa History Daily: On January 3, 1856, the crowds cheered in -20 degree temperatures to celebrate the arrival of the railroad in Iowa’s...
Iowa History Daily: January 2 - Augustus Caesar Dodge
Iowa History Daily: On January 2, 1812, Augustus Caesar (AC) Dodge was born. One of Iowa’s first Senators, a key participant in one of...
Iowa History Daily: January 1 - Hy-Vee
Iowa History Daily: On January 1, 1938, Hyde & Vredenburg, Inc., better known to Iowans as Hy-Vee, officially incorporated and...
Iowa History Daily: December Recap
Thanks for coming along to learn about Iowa History Daily during December! We covered a lot of ground, so catch up quickly with a fun...
Iowa History Daily: December 31 - USS Iowa Steams Home
Iowa History Daily: On December 31, 1944, the USS Iowa steamed back toward San Francisco after sustaining severe damage to a propeller...
Iowa History Daily: December 30 - Amelia Jenks Bloomer
Iowa History Daily: On December 30, 1894, American newspaper editor, women’s rights advocate, and namesake of popular forerunner to pants...
Iowa History Daily: December 29 - Claire Dodd
Iowa History Daily: On December 29, 1908, member of the Ziegfeld Follies and and famous film actress of the 1930s and 1940s Claire Dodd...
Iowa History Daily: December 28 - Iowa Statehood
Iowa History Daily: On December 28, 1846, Iowa officially became the 29th state in the United States. Officially opened to American...
Iowa History Daily: December 27 - Iowa Farm Bureau's Origins
Iowa History Daily: On December 27, 1918, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation first met in Marshalltown. The important insurance company and...
Iowa History Daily: December 26 - Samuel Ryan Curtis
Iowa History Daily: On December 26, 1866: Union Army General, Iowan elected to the US House of Representatives, and former mayor of...
Iowa History Daily: December 25 - The Soviet Spy from Sioux City
Iowa History Daily: On December 25, 1913, Soviet spy and infiltrator of the Manhattan project George Koval was born in Sioux City. Vital...
Iowa History Daily: December 24 - Edith Sunderlin & "The Children's Hour"
Iowa History Daily: On December 24, 1901, Edith Marybell Sunderlin was born in Delmar, Iowa. The longtimeIowa State College (now ISU)...
Iowa History Daily: December 23 - Blank Park Zoo
Iowa History Daily: On December 23, 1963, the City of Des Moines signed an agreement to create the Des Moines Children’s Zoo (now Blank...
Iowa History Daily: December 22 - Keokuk House Fire Tragedy
Iowa History Daily: On December 22, 1999, firefighters responded to a fire at a multifamily dwelling in Keokuk which came in at 8:24 a.m....
Iowa History Daily: December 21 - Iowa Falls Bank Failures
Iowa History Daily: On December 21, 1932, all three banks in Iowa Falls failed as Iowa entered the extreme depths of the Great...
Iowa History Daily: December 20 - Samuel Kirkwood
Iowa History Daily: On December 20, 1813, Iowa Governor and US Senator from Iowa Samuel Jordan Kirkwood was born. Known for his clear...
Iowa History Daily: December 19 - The Music Man Opens
Iowa History Daily: On December 19, 1957, Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theater kicking off a run...
Iowa History Daily: December 18 - The Wizard of Spirit Lake
Iowa History Daily: On December 18, 1865, one of the greatest sport shooters in world history was born. Fred “Dood” Gilbert, also known...
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