Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 13, 1864, the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad steamed into Marion, marking the start of a relationship that would redefine the community. Over the next century, Marion became an important railroad hub for the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, later known as the Milwaukee Road. Marion already had an established civic and commercial identity when the tracks arrived. Surveyed in November 1839 as the seat of the newly organized Linn County, the town

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 13, 1890, Samuel Freeman Miller, Iowa’s first appointee to the United States Supreme Court, passed away. One of only two Iowans to ever serve on America’s highest court, the Abraham Lincoln-appointed abolitionist joined the Supreme Court in July 1862. Born in Richmond, Kentucky, in 1816, Miller developed anti-slavery views while earning a medical degree and practicing medicine in Barbourville, Kentucky, for a decade. Studying law in his spare t

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 13, 1890, former Iowa soldier and Secretary of War William Worth Belknap died in Washington, D.C., closing a career that stretched from distinguished Civil War service to a national corruption scandal. His death came fourteen years after he became the first presidential cabinet member impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives. Born in Newburgh, New York, in 1829, he graduated from Princeton in 1848 and moved to Keokuk in 1851 to practice l

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 13, 1910, the far-famed early airplane innovator “Captain Tom” Baldwin made Iowa’s first flight in Iowa City with his “Red Devil.” Brought in to wow audiences with his new biplane, Captain Tom completed Iowa’s first successful ‘airship’ flight while also crashing in front of an amazed audience. Born in Missouri, Tom Baldwin witnessed the murder of his parents by Civil War Renegades in late June of 1854. Placed with a foster family, Baldwin ran

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 12, 1945, General Leslie R. Groves, director of the Manhattan Project, arrived at Iowa State to award the “E” Award for Excellence in Production to the Ames Project. Part of the larger Manhattan Project to create the first atomic bomb, the Ames Project found a method for preparing pure uranium metal vital to atomic bombs and nuclear reactors. Founded by physical chemist Frank Spedding at Iowa State and guided by chemist Harley Wilhelm, the Worl

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 12, 1908, long-time director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, Paul Engle, was born in Cedar Rapids. A notable poet, playwright, novelist, and editor, Engle’s life helped shape Iowa’s reputation for award-winning writing. Born to a livery stable owner, Engle grew up in Cedar Rapids' Wellington Heights area. An alumnus of Cedar Rapids Washington High School and the city’s Coe College, Engle later studied at the University

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 12, 1904, the Cedar Rapids Gazette ran a story highlighting the paving of a street in Le Mars, believed to be the first concrete-paved street in Iowa. What looked like an ordinary street project marked an early step toward a different relationship between Iowans and their roads. The experiment emerged from a transportation system still largely dependent on dirt. Roads could serve travelers well when dry and properly maintained, then become diff

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 12, 2002, legendary Iowa State Quarterback Seneca Wallace scrambled for “The Run” against Texas Tech. One of the greatest moments in Iowa State football history, Wallace shone under center for the Cyclones before finding success in the NFL. A standout letterman in football and basketball at Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California, Wallace took his talents to Sacramento City College to stay close to family. After receiving only three o

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 11, 1934, a pursuit near McIntire, Iowa, ended in gunfire and an escape that newspapers attributed to Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, one of the country’s most wanted fugitives. The next day, The New York Times announced, “Floyd Shoots Way Out of Iowa Trap.” Floyd’s notoriety belonged to the troubled world of the Great Depression, when an armed bank robber could inspire fear and still acquire a reputation as a friend of the poor. His crimes across

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 11, 1977, Iowa's far-famed writer MacKinlay Kantor died. A notable journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and short-story author, Kantor received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956 for his historical novel “Andersonville.” Born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor in Webster City to a mother who edited a newspaper, Kantor grew up with a love of words. After dropping out of school at 17 to work for his mother’s newspaper, he won an essay contest for short

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 11, 1845, formal dispossession of the Sauk and Meskwaki in Iowa reached a climax as eager Americans prepared to dash across the Des Moines River to stake claims on the river’s western bank. American removal of the Sauk and Meskwaki attempted to push the tribes out of Iowa and onto a new Kansas reservation. Although many of Iowa’s Indigenous peoples remained despite formal dispossession, the removal marked a momentary change before the Meskwaki

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 11, 1903, a large crowd gathered to celebrate the opening of Waldorf College in Forest City. Forerunner of today’s Waldorf University, the college grew out of a local hotel war to offer educational opportunities for Iowans. It was born of Forest City’s ‘Great Hotel War’, which began when two investment groups sought to build luxury hotels in the seat of Winnebago County in 1900. Once completed, the Waldorf Hotel and the Summit Hotel competed f

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 10, 2025, Hazel Sig-Hester passed away at the age of 103. For Sig-Hester, flight began with the pleasure of making something fly, whether it was a balsa-wood model or an airplane she piloted herself. Born in Grinnell on March 3, 1922, Hazel grew up with an enthusiasm for machinery, motorcycles, and model airplanes. She was working as a dental assistant when she met Glen “Poncho” Sigafoose in 1942, and they married the following year. He operat

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 10, 1853, Althea Rosina Sherman was born in National, Iowa (Clayton County). An artist and teacher who became an ornithologist around age 50, she turned her northeastern Iowa home's grounds into a place of scientific discovery. Sherman’s first career prepared her for the second in ways she could scarcely have anticipated. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College in 1875 and a master’s degree there in 1882, developing the observation an

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 10, 1997, Ankeny High School Kicker Todd Sievers hit a 63-yard field goal, setting the state record. A state champion at Ankeny, Sievers went on to win a national championship at Miami before embarking on a professional career in the NFL and Arena Football League. Sievers started playing football as a freshman at Ankeny High after favoring soccer in his youth. Over his high school career, Sievers developed into a weapon: during his sophomore se

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 10, 1910, the first National Cattle Congress (then Iowa Dairy Cattle Congress) came together in Waterloo. The iconic annual agricultural fair and year-round event space hasdrawn visitors from far and wide for over 110 years. After five previous dairy cattle congresses, other Midwestern cities vied to host the event when it debuted along the Cedar River in Waterloo. After organizing the first five events, Iowa State University Professor Hugh Van

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 9, 1970, Sioux City picked up 5.1 inches of snow in a historic early-season blizzard. The National Weather Service identifies the event as Sioux City’s earliest significant snowfall, while Iowa State University Extension describes it as the city’s earliest recorded accumulation of at least one inch. Early snow isn’t always an anomaly in Iowa. Sioux City had experienced snow before October: the National Weather Service records 0.4 inches on Sept

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 9, 1979, actor Brandon Routh was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Raised in Norwalk, Routh went on to a successful acting career, including an iconic appearance as Superman in the 2006 film “Superman Returns.” Not the first Iowan to play Superman for a national audience (that distinction goes to Woolstock’s George Reeves, the first actor to play Superman on television), Routh attended Norwalk High School. A schoolmate of another famous Iowa actor, Ja

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 9, 1893, Valley Junction was incorporated. Today, downtown West Des Moines' heart, Valley Junction, grew around the switching facilities and repair shops at the meeting point of three lines on the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad. Held by the Sauk and Meskwaki during the era immediately preceding American settlement, the land was opened to eager easterners by James Cunningham Jordan, a cattle farmer, in October of 1845. Jordan’s resid

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 9, 1858, Abraham Lincoln brought his Senate campaign’s central questions across the river, speaking at Grimes Hall in Burlington between his celebrated debates with Stephen A. Douglas. For one evening, Burlington became a listening post in a political confrontation that would help carry Lincoln toward the presidency. Lincoln, the Republican challenger, was trying to unseat Douglas, the Democratic incumbent, in a campaign dominated by slavery an

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 8, 1936, Bob Feller and Stachel Paige squared off during an exhibition at Western League Park in Des Moines. The encounter between the two legends eventually grew into a profitable barnstorming relationship, then into a shared place on Cleveland’s 1948 World Series championship team. Feller came from nearby Van Meter and reached Cleveland in 1936 before finishing high school. His powerful fastball made him a national sensation as a teenager. Pa

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 8, 1984, Hawkeye quarterback Drew Tate was born. He's best known for his 56-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to Warren Holloway, which lifted the Hawkeyes to a win over LSU in the 2005 Capital One Bowl. Born and raised in Texas, Tate turned heads during a record-setting high school career, racking up 12,183 passing yards and 113 touchdowns. Although he originally committed to Texas A&M, Tate ended up heading to Iowa City to play for Kirk Feren

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 8, 1904, Drake Stadium was dedicated in Des Moines. Originally named Haskins Field, the facility served as the forerunner to the later Drake Stadium, built in 1925 and familiar to Iowans today for the ‘Big Blue Oval’ and as home of the annual Drake Relays and Drake University football. The original stadium featured a seating capacity of 2,500 and a grass playing surface. Built as a new home for Drake University football, the first game at the

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 8, 1923, Iowa State University’s first African-American athlete, John G. (Jack) Trice, died of injuries sustained while playing football for the Cyclones against the University of Minnesota two days prior. Immortalized through Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, the barrier-breaking Cyclone’s story embodies triumph and tragedy. Born to a former ‘Buffalo Soldier,’ Trice grew up in Ohio before his gridiron talent brought him to Ames in 1922. Studying an

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 7, 1989, Cyclone cornerback Marcus Robertson forced a fumble for a touchback to secure ISU's win over Kansas. Robertson’s head-up defensive play helped carry the Cyclones to a 24-20 victory over the Jayhawks. Coach Jim Walden’s Cyclones arrived in Lawrence with a 2-2 record. Iowa State stumbled out of the gate, falling 14-0 before bursting out for three touchdowns in the second quarter. The game featured 72 passes, and Iowa State’s Bret Oberg s

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 7, 1939, Nile Kinnick threw three touchdown passes to Erv Prasse as the Hawkeye Ironmen came from behind to beat Indiana. One of the most memorable early-season victories in program history, Iowa stunned observers with an offensive outburst that cemented Kinnick’s place in the national conversation and set a school record that would echo through decades of football lore. The matchup, played in Bloomington, featured two future Hawkeye legends: N

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 7, 1837, Ioway (Báxoje) leaders Na’je Nine (Non-chi-ning-ga) and Ñiyu Mañi (Neo-Man-Ni) presented American officials with a map asserting claims to traditional lands in Iowa. The map showcases the Ioway's incredible knowledge of Iowa’s lands and rivers. Initially invited to Washington, D.C., by Lewis & Clark through a letter written on the eve of the Corps of Discovery in 1804, the Ioway did not venture eastward until more than 20 years later.

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 7, 1844, 72 delegates met at the Old Capitol in Iowa City, Iowa Territory, for the purpose of framing a state constitution. Responsible for establishing the laws, offices, and borders, the representatives' efforts led to the creation of the State of Iowa by the 28th United States Congress. The question of statehood first appeared on a ballot in Iowa Territory in 1840. However, the body politic voted down the measure 2,907 to 937. The measure a

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 6, 1913, the White Pole Auto Club (formerly Southwestern Iowa Auto Club) applied to make the “White Pole Road” the first Iowa State Highway Commission-certified autoroute in the state. Encouraging motorists to take the “Great White Way” along the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad from Des Moines to Council Bluffs, the route eventually extended east to Davenport. The initial application cost $5 to file with the State Highway Commission

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 6, 1780, John Chambers was born in New Jersey, decades before Iowa Territory existed on any map. In his later years as Iowa’s second territorial governor, he stood at the center of questions that shaped the state: Who would control the land? Where would Iowa’s boundaries lie? When would a rapidly growing territory become a state? Chambers arrived in Iowa Territory in May 1841 after a long political career in Kentucky. He had practiced law, serv

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 6, 1995, a brick honoring Mildred Mott Wedel was dedicated on Iowa State University’s Plaza of Heroines, outside Carrie Chapman Catt Hall. The small marker commemorated a scholar whose work helped Iowans read a much larger landscape: the archaeological traces, Native nations, colonial records, and living histories that connect the state’s deep past to the present. Wedel’s path to that recognition began in Marengo, Iowa, where she was born on S

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 6, 1962, Sioux City’s Judy Kimball finished off a Saturday round with a 71 at the LPGA Championship at the Stardust Country Club in Las Vegas. The Iowan finished out the tournament at -2 to capture the LPGA Championship by four strokes. Kimball started golfing at 16 but quickly rose among Iowa’s amateur golfers. In 1957, she placed third before capturing the state’s amateur title the following year at the Cedar Rapids Country Club. After gradu

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 5, 2002, Dallas Clark caught a 95-yard pass to help lift the Hawkeyes over Purdue 31-28. A standout performer for Twin River Valley High School and the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark went on to an All-Pro NFL career. Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Clark moved with his family to Iowa and starred in multiple sports at small Twin River Valley High School in Bode. A letter-winner in football, basketball, track, and baseball, Clark racked up 160 tackles a

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 5, 1887, a massive fire ripped through the North Star Mills plant in Cedar Rapids. The forerunner to the modern-day Quaker Oats plant, located along I-380, the fire happened a year before the seven largest national oat millers united to form the American Cereal Company. In 1873, three Cedar Rapids families joined forces to establish North Star Mill, an oat milling operation in Linn County. As the business grew, the plant pushed capacity until

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 5, 1925, Earl Robert Buske was born. Buske went on to turn an auto-body shop in Pocahontas, Iowa, into a manufacturer of tow trucks and recovery equipment. Buske served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and later studied at Chicago Tech. He worked at East Side Top and Body in Pocahontas from 1949 to 1956, learning a trade in vehicle repair. That experience became the foundation for E. R. Buske Manufacturing in 1957. The firm began as an aut

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 5, two iconic University of Iowa firsts occurred: in 1929, the Hawkeyes played their first football game at Kinnick Stadium (then Iowa Stadium), and in 1956, the first live iteration of the popular mascot Herky debuted at a university pep rally. Starting in 1928, crews relied on horses and mules to move earth as they began a seven-month-long construction process on a new home for Hawkeye football. Legend holds that workers buried exhausted hors

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 4, 1903, John Vincent Atanasoff, the inventor of the digital computer, was born. The leader of Iowa State University (then College) developed a project that resulted in the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC); Atanasoff stands as a critical pioneer of the digital age. Born in New York and raised primarily in Florida, Atanasoff attended the University of Florida before arriving in Ames to pursue a Master’s in mathematics. After earning a PhD in theor

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 4, 1862, David Bremner Henderson was injured at the Battle of Corinth, ultimately losing his foot. The injury ended his service with the 12th Iowa Infantry, but not his public career. Years later, the former lieutenant would become the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from a state west of the Mississippi River. Born in Scotland in 1840, Henderson came to the United States as a child and grew up in northeastern Iowa. He attende

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 4, 1918, Ruth Buxton married Raymond Sayre and moved toward a life she had never lived: work on an Iowa farm. Sayre came to be called the “First Lady of the Farm,” a name earned through her efforts to improve life for rural women in Iowa and, eventually, around the world. Born in Indianola in 1896, Sayre grew up in a family of bankers and graduated from Simpson College during World War I. She had studied German, but wartime hostility toward the

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 4, 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Living History Farms in Des Moines. The 350,000 people from around the country who came together for Mass represent the largest crowd ever recorded in Iowa’s known history. How John Paul II ended up in Iowa for a speech centered on conservation and land ethics all started with Truro-area Madison County farmer Joe Hayes deciding to pen a letter to the Pope. The farmer’s words helped inspire John Paul II to sto

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 3, 1838, the Sauk leader Black Hawk (Mahkatêwe-meshi-kêhkêhkwa) passed away. A vital leader, Black Hawk fought for Sauk sovereignty as the United States pushed west across the continent. A sacred bundle holder, Black Hawk gained notoriety for bravery in intertribal conflicts and while allying with the British during the War of 1812. Critical of the American Treaty of 1804, Black Hawk continued to advocate Sauk sovereignty after the war. When A

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 3, 1872, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Fred Clarke was born in Winterset. Clarke played left field and managed both the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates over a long, accomplished career. Born on a farm in rural Madison County, Clarke’s family ventured west to Kansas in a covered wagon convoy before eventually resettling in Des Moines. By coincidence, Clarke sold newspapers for the Iowa State Register, where he worked with f

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 3, 1954, Marshal J. (Alexander “Jay” Kotkis Jr.) first raced toward the camera on his trusty golden Palomino to invite Iowa’s children into his tack room for an hour of cartoons and cowboy antics. The popular afternoon television program ran on Iowa’s airwaves for seven years before the 6’6” tall cowboy took his Marshall J. Show west to California. Cued up by the theme “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” Marshal J. brought his bona fide cowboy credentials

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 3, 1887, the world’s first corn palace opened in Sioux City. Over time, five corn palaces celebrating the harvest of Iowa’s most common crop blossomed in downtown Sioux City on the banks of the Missouri River in Woodbury County. Local citizens began considering a corn palace in the early 1880s. However, flooding and the financial panics of the early decade put plans on hold. As prosperity returned during the mid-1880s, King Corn again beckoned

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 2, 1926, Thomas Donald Odenbaugh was born. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Odenbaugh went down in a helicopter crash on September 29, 1950, while serving in Korea. After growing up along the Des Moines River in Wapello County’s seat, Odenbaugh graduated from Ottumwa High School at 17. After spending the fall of 1943 studying Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State in Ames, Odenbaugh sought his parents’ permission to enlist in the Ma

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: Journalist Lauren Kephart Soth was born on October 2, 1910,in Sibley. Decades later, his editorial in the Des Moines Register helped spark an agricultural exchange and earned him the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. Soth grew up in several small Iowa towns, where his father worked as a school superintendent and took part in local journalism. Soth learned newspaper work young and developed an interest in farming through jobs with local farmers. A

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 2, 2021, Cyclone running back Breece Hall broke the school record for career rushing touchdowns. Passing the previous mark of 36 set by Troy Davis and Dexter Green, Hall went on to close his career in Ames with 50 total rushing touchdowns. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Hall grew up primarily in Wichita, Kansas, where he attended Wichita Northwest High School. Breaking out in his junior season to earn first-team All-Metro and first-team All-State hon

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 2, 1947, the last Navy airplane left the Ottumwa Naval Air Station following World War II. A vital training location for pilots, the station saw many airmen earn their wings soaring over southern Iowa skies. As Americans geared up for global war in 1940, Ottumwa sent a delegation to Washington, D.C., hoping to lobby for a munitions factory. Despite the efforts, the plant ultimately ended up being relocated to Burlington. However, when the coun

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 1, 1922, University of Iowa football legend Duke Slater made his NFL debut for the Rock Island Independents, becoming the first African-American lineman in league history. A member of the 1921 Hawkeye team, which captured a national championship, Slater shined on the gridiron for Iowa. Born in Illinois, Slater and his family moved to Clinton, Iowa, when his father became pastor of the AME Church of Clinton. Duke’s father tried to stop the aspi

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 1, 1875, a professor in Iowa City began watching the weather with an ambition that reached far beyond his own backyard. Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs made his first observations for what became the Iowa Weather Report Service, an effort to gather reports from across the state instead of relying on one person’s view of the sky. Born in Holstein and educated in Copenhagen, he came to the United States in 1861 and joined the State University of Iowa fa