top of page


Barry Beats the Buzzer: Iowa Time Machine February 8, 1983
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 8, 1983, Barry Stevens hit an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer to beat tenth-ranked Missouri in overtime....

Civil Rights Icon Edna Mae Griffin: Iowa Time Machine February 8, 2000
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 8, 2000, the Civil Rights activist, commonly known as “The Rosa Parks of Iowa,” Edna Mae Griffin, passed...

Slipknot Wins Grammy: Iowa Time Machine February 8, 2006
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 8, 2006, Iowa band Slipknot won their first Grammy award for ‘Best Metal Performance’ with the single...

Iowa Actor Ashton Kutcher: Iowa Time Machine February 7, 1978
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 7, 1978, actor Ashton Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids. Most famous for his role as Kelso on the iconic...

NFL Lineman Dan Grimm: Iowa Time Machine February 7, 1941
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 7, 1941, NFL lineman Dan Grimm was born in Perry. An all-time great at Des Moines Roosevelt High School,...

Panther Wrestling Opens UNI-Dome: Iowa Time Machine February 7, 1976
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 7, 1976, the University of Northern Iowa wrestling team welcomed the defending national champion Iowa...

Berkenpas Breaks Scoring Record: Iowa Time Machine February 6, 1981
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 6, 1981, Todd Berkenpas broke the career scoring record for Iowa high school boys basketball. An...

John P. Dolliver: Iowa Time Machine February 6, 1858
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 6, 1858, John P. Dolliver was born. A man who utilized legendary oratorical skills to wow audiences,...

General Marcellus Crocker: Iowa Time Machine February 6, 1830
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 6, 1830, Marcellus Crocker was born. Far-famed as “Grant’s Hammer in the West” and for his highly...

Football Legend Bob Sanger: Iowa Time Machine February 5, 2020
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 5, 2020, legendary Britt West Hancock football coach Bob Sanger passed away. Over 52 years, Sanger led...

Birth of the Cy-Hawk Hoops Series: Iowa Time Machine February 5, 1909
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 5, 1909, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes traveled west to Ames to meet the Iowa State Cyclones on the...

Caitlin Clark Scores 60: Iowa Time Machine February 4, 2019
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 4, 2019, Dowling High School Junior Caitlin Clark came within a point of the Iowa Girls Basketball...

Pulitzer Winner MacKinlay Kantor: Iowa Time Machine February 4, 1904
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 4, 1904, far-famed Iowa writer MacKinlay Kantor was born. A notable journalist, novelist, screenwriter,...

Elk Horn's Windmill: Iowa Time Machine February 4, 1976
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 4, 1976, the only working Danish Windmill in the United States arrived in Elk Horn. The 60’ Windmill...

Stringer's Hawks Set NCAA Attendance Mark: Iowa Time Machine February 3, 1985
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 3, 1985, C. Vivian Stringer’s Iowa Hawkeyes sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. A record-setting achievement...

America's Drummer Wil Leacox: Iowa Time Machine February 3, 2022
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 3, 2022, Wil Leacox of Shenandoah passed away. The drummer of the legendary rock group “America,” Leacox...

The Fighting Sullivans: Iowa Time Machine February 3, 1944
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 3, 1944, “The Fighting Sullivans” debuted in theaters. The biographical war film retells the lives of...

Trampoline Inventor George Nissen: Iowa Time Machine February 3, 1914
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 3, 1914, American gymnast and inventor of the trampoline George Nissen was born in Blairstown, Iowa. An...

The Day (Before) the Music Died: Iowa Time Machine February 2, 1959
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly took the stage at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake for the final performance of his...

Iowa Innovator Gary Vermeer: Iowa Time Machine February 2, 2009
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 2, 2009, Iowa inventor and agricultural innovator Gary Vermeer passed away. A major contributor to...

Gravity Can't Stop Roy Buchanan: Iowa Time Machine February 2, 1927
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 2, 1927, Roy Buchanan of Conway dropped an astounding 84 points on Gravity to set the Iowa High School...

Vets Auditorium Grand Opening: Iowa Time Machine February 1, 1955
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 1, 1955, Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Des Moines first opened to the public. Home to...

Iowa Innovator Raymond Hagie: Iowa Time Machine February 1, 1910
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 1, 1910, Raymond W. Hagie was born on a farm in Wright County. Founder of Hagie Manufacturing, Hagie...

Cyclone Gymnastics Coach Ed Gagnier: Iowa Time Machine February 1, 1936
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 1, 1936, legendary Iowa State gymnastics coach Ed Gagnier was born. The man who led Iowa State to three...

Dwight Delivers Super Bowl TD: Iowa Time Machine January 31, 1999
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 31, 1999, Iowa Hawkeye legend Tim Dwight took a kickoff return to the house for the Atlanta Falcons. An...

Newspaper Magnate Gardner Cowles: Iowa Time Machine January 31, 1903
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 31, 1903, Gardner “Mike” Cowles Jr. was born in Algona. A far-famed newspaper and magazine publisher...

Buttoner John F. Boepple: Iowa Time Machine January 30, 1912
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 30, 1912, the founder of Muscatine, Iowa’s world-famous button business John F. Boepple died. Credited...

Cold Turkey: Iowa Time Machine January 30, 1971
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 30, 1971, the film “Cold Turkey” starring Dick Van Dyke and filmed in Iowa debuted in theaters. Directed...

Cyclone Great George Amundson: Iowa Time Machine January 30, 1973
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 30, 1973, the Houston Oilers made Iowa State Quarterback George Amundson the first Cyclone ever selected...

Terrace Hill's Housewarming: Iowa Time Machine January 29, 1869
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 29, 1869, Terrace Hill in Des Moines officially welcomed guests for a housewarming party. Built by...

Historian Benjamin Shambaugh: Iowa Time Machine January 29, 1871
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 29, 1871, Benjamin Shambaugh was born. The first Superintendent of the State Historical Society of Iowa...

Iowa Actor Elijah Wood: Iowa Time Machine January 28, 1981
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 28, 1981, actor Elijah Wood was born in Cedar Rapids. Best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in...

Monona Marvel Scores 111: Iowa Time Machine January 28, 1952
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 28, 1952, Norma “The Monona Marvel” Schoulte set the Iowa 6-on-6 single-game scoring record with 111...

Iowa Actress Donna Reed: Iowa Time Machine January
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 27, 1921, Academy Award-winning actress Donna Reed (Donna Belle Mullenger) was born on a farm near...

Brigadier General Samuel Allen Rice: Iowa Time Machine January 27, 1828
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 27, 1828, Brigadier General Samuel Allen Rice was born. Fatally wounded while serving in the American...

Korver Lifts Drake Over UNI: Iowa Time Machine January 26, 2008
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 26, 2008, Klayton Korver hit seven three-pointers to help Drake extend a school-record winning streak to...

Blizzard of '96: Iowa Time Machine January 26, 1996
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 26, 1996, one of the largest blizzards to ever rip across the state dropped over a foot of snow...

Fort Madison State Pen: Iowa Time Machine January 25, 1839
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 25, 1839, the Iowa Territorial Legislature passed a law establishing the creation of a prison in Fort...

ISU Ag Economist Earl O. Heady: Iowa Time Machine January 25, 1916
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 25, 1916, Iowa State professor and world-renowned agricultural economist Earl O. Heady was born. An...

Iowa State Gym: Iowa Time Machine January 24, 1914
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 24, 1914, the Iowa State men’s basketball team first took the floor at State Gym. The early home of...

Ola Babcock Miller: Iowa Time Machine January 24, 1937
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 24, 1937, Iowa's first female Secretary of State and founder of the Iowa State Highway Patrol, Eunice...

Iowan Invents Eskimo Pie: Iowa Time Machine January 24, 1922
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 24, 1922, Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, patented the popular ice cream treat then known as the...

Denise Long Scores 111: Iowa Time Machine January 23, 1968
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 23, 1968, Denise Long of Union-Whitten High School tied the state 6-on-6 scoring record with 111 points....

Bonnie & Clyde Rob Rembrandt: Iowa Time Machine January 23, 1934
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 23, 1934, infamous American outlaws Bonnie and Clyde robbed the First State Bank of Rembrandt. After the...

Orange City Swipes County Seat: Iowa Time Machine January 22, 1872
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 22, 1872, 55 bobsleds embarked from Orange City full of determined Dutchmen planning to steal the seat of...

MLK Jr. in Ames: Iowa Time Machine January 22, 1960
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 22, 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Ames. Around 1,500 people turned out to the Iowa State Memorial...

John Neal's Big Day: Iowa Time Machine January 21, 2004
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 21, 2004, Iowa State walk-on John Neal etched his name into Cyclone lore when he hit two big threes late...

Iowa City's Founding: Iowa Time Machine January 21, 1839
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 21, 1839, the Iowa Territory's Legislative Assembly created Iowa City to relocate the capital from...

Kate Shelley: Iowa Time Machine January 21, 1912
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 21, 1912, Kate Shelley, the heroine of the High Bridge, passed away. At seventeen, Kate Shelley braved a...

Governor William Larrabee: Iowa Time Machine January 20, 1832
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 20, 1832, Iowa’s 12th Governor, William Larrabee, was born. Famed for a campaign focused on "a...
bottom of page