Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 10, 1818, Underground Railroad conductor, founder of the Iowa town of Tabor, and antislavery minister John Todd was born. A leading abolitionist during the era leading up to America’s Civil War, Todd’s Tabor home served as a southwestern Iowa stop on the Underground Railroad. Born in West Hanover, Pennsylvania, Todd attended Oberlin College and Seminary before moving west to the Iowa frontier to spread a Congregationalist message and establish

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 10, 1941, Grace Pearl Ingalls Dow, the youngest sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder , who “Little House” readers will recognize as “Baby Grace, ” passed away. Born in Iowa, Grace lived a complicated life marked by endurance and struggle in the wake of her family’s pioneering years. The Ingalls family had long embodied the restless movement of nineteenth-century America. Charles and Caroline Ingalls led their daughters (Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grac

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 10, 2021, RAGBRAI co-founder and Des Moines Register feature writer John Karras passed away. While the annual ride across Iowa ensures Iowans remember Karras, he also endeared himself to generations of Iowans with thoughtful and insightful writing in the Register. Born in California, Karras grew up in Cleveland before attending Allegheny College. Karras began his career at a small newspaper in Meadville, Pennsylvania, before relocating to Des

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 9, 1935, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and Iowa Governor Clyde L. Herring sent Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson a prize hog dubbed “Floyd of Rosedale” to settle a bet. An enduring tradition between the two schools, the story of Floyd of Rosedale offers a more complex perspective on early college football and racial dynamics in America. During the year prior (1934), trouble arose after Minnesota clearly targeted Iowa’s A

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 9, 1944, the SS Red Oak Victory was launched to honor the sacrifice made by the small Iowa community. During World War II, the town suffered the highest casualty rate per capita. . Starting in February 1941, many southwestern Iowans served with the 168th regiment in the European-African-Mediterranean Theater. Company M, composed mainly of men from Red Oak, saw action in Tunisia in early 1943. Combined American and French forces clashed with G

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 9, 2002, Fred Jackson returned a punt for a touchdown in a Coe College win over Luther on his way to an MVP season in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. After dominating on the gridiron in Cedar Rapids and for the arena football Sioux City Bandits, Jackson went on to find success in the NFL. While prepping at Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, Jackson found himself buried on the depth chart as a senior due to his small stature.

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 8, 1948, Marv Levy debuted at fullback for the Coe College Kohawks. Long before his days leading the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowl appearances, Levy’s playing days at a small liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids were the first, foundational step in a coaching career that would eventually span five decades. Levy's arrival in Iowa in the late 1940s placed him squarely in the post-World War II athletic boom. Levy was initially recruited to th

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 8, 1904, voters headed to the polls to cast their votes with a new choice: George Taylor of Oskaloosa, Iowa, stood as the first African American man to run for President of the United States. Although Taylor didn’t win, his run represents an essential first in America’s history. Born free in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the decade before the American Civil War, spent most of his childhood in Illinois and Wisconsin. Working as a journalist in La

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 8, 1908, the founder of Amana Refrigeration Inc., George Christian Foerstner, was born. A leader in commercial and household refrigeration, Foerstner’s Amana grew to signify one of Iowa’s most iconic brands. Born in High Amana, one of the seven villages of the Amana Society, Foerstner completed an eighth-grade education. Foerstner worked for his father at the village store , selling car tires, batteries, radios, and bicycles on a sales route .

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 7, 1959, students filed in to take the first ACT exam. Developed by Everett Franklin Lindquist, an education professor at the University of Iowa, the test sought to compete with the SAT while building on the success of ITBS, ITED, and GED. In 1929, Lindquist, under the direction of Professor Thomas Kirby at the State University of Iowa, developed a statewide scholastic competition known as the ‘Iowa Academic Meet’, which became popularly known

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 7, 1850, “The Father of Iowa State University,” William Beardshear, was born. An early and significant President of Iowa State University (then Iowa Agricultural College), Beardshear also served as school superintendent in West Des Moines and worked as a pastor. Born on an Ohio farm, Beardshear grew up quickly and signed up to serve in the Fourth Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland at the age of 14 . After completing his service at the wa

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 7, 1914, R.A. Lafferty, American sci-fi author, was born in Neola. Lafferty’s arrival was the beginning of a life that would eventually inject the genre with a dose of wild, mythic American tall-tale energy. Lafferty was born into a world on the brink of profound change. World War I had just begun in Europe, an event that would reshape global industry and foreshadow the technological leaps science fiction often explored. Back in the American M

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 6, 1935, Ames native, Chicago White Stockings outfielder, and significant American evangelist Billy Sunday died. Reputed by historians as the ‘most significant American evangelist of the early 20th century,’ Sunday’s life wandered from the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans home to packed stadiums. After Sunday’s father, William Sunday, died of pneumonia five weeks after Billy’s birth while serving with the Iowa 23rd Volunteer Infantry in the American Civ

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 6, 1928, Iowan Herbert Hoover was elected President of the United States. The first man born west of the Mississippi River to hold America’s highest office, Hoover’s presidency would falter and fail as the Great Depression dominated his time as president. Born to Jesse and Hulda Hoover, Herbert spent six years of childhood in late-19th-century Iowa. Tragedy struck when his blacksmith father suffered a heart attack in 1880 and again when his mo

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On November 6, 1861, Alfred Theodore Ringling was born in McGregor. While his name isn't as instantly recognizable as his brothers', Alfred was one of the five Iowa-born siblings who would revolutionize American popular culture through the Ringling Brothers Circus. Alfred's birth occurred during a tumultuous period. Although the Ringling family was far from the battlefields, 1861 marked the beginning of the American Civil War, a time when the nation's pr

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 6, 1993, Cyclone center Tony Booth made a critical catch in a 27-23 Iowa State win over eighteenth-ranked Kansas State. On down 17-12 late and facing a 3rd and 6 at the KSU 49, Booth caught a deflected pass and rumbled for eight yards to set up a come-from-behind victory for the Cyclones. Amid an otherwise bleak 3-8 campaign under head coach Jim Walden, the Cyclones entered a home match-up against heavily favored Kansas State with only a singl

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 5, 1978, firefighters scrambled to put out the deadliest fire in Des Moines' history at Merle Hay Mall. Breaking out in the mall’s Younkers store, the fire caused an estimated $20 million in damage and killed eleven store employees. Built on the site of St. Gabriel’s Monastery, Chicago developers started work on ‘The Northland Shopping Center’ before eventually shifting to Merle Hay to honor the first Iowan (and perhaps American) killed in Wor

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 5, 1839, Iowa Territorial Governor Robert Lucas addressed the Legislature about a bloodless territorial dispute with Missouri known as the “Honey War.” The dispute was taken to the United States Supreme Court, and the conflict ultimately established the southern border of Iowa, which remains familiar today. The dispute centered on a 9.5-mile-wide strip running west from the Des Moines River along the border between Iowa and Missouri. Confusio

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 5, 1921, Hawkeye football legend Aubrey Devine put together one of the greatest performances in school history during a 41-7 win over Minnesota. On the day, the Des Moines native Devine passed for two touchdowns, rushed for four touchdowns, and kicked five extra points. Born in Des Moines, Devine spent part of his childhood in Union County before returning to Iowa’s capital city for high school. Attending West, Glenn shone in the glee club and

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 5, 1938, Iowa State football first entered the national poll before a match-up with Drake at Clyde Williams Field. The Big Six squad, led by Ed Bock and Everett Kischer, went on to beat Drake 14-0 to secure the first 7-0 start in school history. The second season for head coach James J. Yeager saw the Cyclones start off hot with wins over Denver University and Luther. Back-to-back road wins, over Nebraska 8-7 in Lincoln and Missouri 16-13 in C

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 4, 1979, Jesup native Katy Koob was taken hostage during the Iran Hostage Crisis. For the next 444 days, the fate of fifty-two captured Americans, including a quiet Foreign Service Officer named Kathryn "Katy" Koob, became the singular obsession of the United States. This crisis did not emerge from a vacuum; it was the inevitable explosion following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The new Islamic Republic, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, harbored deep

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 4, 1947, KWWL Radio Waterloo first went live on the air. Operated by Black Hawk Broadcasting, the unlikely recipient of an FCC television license in 1953, the story illustrates Ralph McElroy’s dogged boosterism and commitment to providing a public-oriented option for news in the Cedar Valley. Ralph McElroy overcame a difficult childhood and early adulthood, ultimately finding success as an advertising salesman at WMT Radio Waterloo. After serv

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 4, 1962, Frederick Louis Maytag II died. President and Chairman of the Maytag Company, founder of Maytag Dairy Farms, and Iowa State Senator, “Fred II” also established the Fred Maytag Family Foundation during a life balancing a wide array of interests and business acumen. Born to Elmer “E.H.” Maytag, son of Maytag Industries founder Frederick Louis Maytag I, Fred II left Iowa for educational opportunities at the Culver Military Academy and th

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 4, 1973, a newspaper feature touted “Dolph Pulliam’s 1-2-3,” a new children’s show airing in Des Moines. Starting in 1969, the former Drake basketball star arrived on Iowa’s airwaves as the first African-American radio and television broadcaster. A standout at Drake, Pulliam helped the Bulldogs to the most successful season in school history when the team made the 1969 NCAA Final Four. Starring for Coach Maury John on the hardwood, Pulliam als

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 3, 1918, Bob “The Heater from Van Meter” Feller was born in Van Meter. A 1962 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and 18-year MLB pitcher who led the American League in wins six times and won the 1948 World Series, Feller stands as one of the greatest Iowa athletes of all time. Born in Van Meter to a farmer and a schoolteacher, Feller’s father started rolling a baseball for baby Bob before the child could walk. Implementing a routine featuring dail

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 3, 2003, Kurvin C. “KC” Fish, co-founder of popular Iowa-based Casey’s General Store, died. Perhaps the most consistently recognizable Iowa business, the chain grew from a single store to over 2,400 stores spread across sixteen states. In 1959, Fish convinced his friend Donald Lamberti to purchase the Square Deal Oil Company station in Boone. After remodeling his new business into a convenience store, Lamberti renamed it after his friend K.C.’

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 3, 1931, the Peavey Grand Opera House in Sioux City, Iowa, burned to the ground. The abrupt end of a Gilded Age of live entertainment in the city and a stark reminder of the vulnerability of nineteenth-century architecture to the elements, the first destroyed an opera house once hailed as one of the nation's most elegant theaters. The Peavey Grand Opera House was a monument to the ambitious spirit of the late 1880s, a time when towns across th

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 3, 1923, Olympic Champion Glen Brand was born in Clarion. As an Olympic Gold Medalist in wrestling, Brand’s accomplishments were a powerful affirmation of Iowa’s deep-rooted wrestling tradition and its capacity to produce champions who could succeed on the world stage. Raised in a rural environment during the Great Depression, he first honed his wrestling skills in Clarion, coached by his cousin, Dale Brand, a former Olympic alternate. His jou

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 3, 1974, Dubuque Wahlert captured the first of the school’s 18 state championships in volleyball. One of the most dominant runs by one school in a single sport, the Golden Eagles continue to soar above the net as the gold standard for the “Volleyball Capital of Iowa.” Iowa officially certified volleyball as a high school sport in 1974, and Dubuque sent both Wahlert and Dubuque Senior to the state tournament held in Des Moines. Both teams advan

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 2, 1985, the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes took the field to play the eighth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on the road with a new addition to the standard-issue Iowa uniform: each player’s helmet featured a small sticker reading “ANF” in black within a yellow circle. The gesture, meant to show support for Iowa farmers during the depths of the 1980s farm crisis, has evolved to represent a significant cultural representation of the Iowa agricultural ind

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 2, 1913, Tony Gentle was born. Co-founder of the popular Iowa convenience store chain Kum & Go, Gentle helped create one of Iowa’s most iconic brands while pioneering the convenience store concept. In 1959, Tony Gentle bought a gas station in Hampton, Iowa, and started a partnership with his son-in-law, W. A. "Bill" Krause. The first station, known as the Hampton Oil Company, proved successful, and the two men eventually formed the Krause Gen

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 2, 1982, Bill Zuber passed away. An 11-year Major League Baseball veteran originally from the Amana Colonies, Zuber’s rise to the big leagues represents one of Iowa’s most unusual pathways to professional sports. Growing up in Middle Amana, the community prohibited sports as part of the German Pietist ideology. Baseball somehow started to gain popularity as the seven villages formed teams during the 1920s. Each village created a baseball diamo

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 2, 1969, Gene Emerald, a central Iowa radio and television personality, passed away. Long before late-night television became a national free-for-all, local personalities were the true stars, and in Des Moines, few shone brighter than Emerald. The career of Emerald, a singing cowboy, radio, and television host who pioneered local entertainment, exemplifies the enormous and intimate power of local radio and regional TV in the mid-twentieth cen

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 1, 1827, Hoyt Sherman was born. An important early Iowa banker, real estate developer, insurance executive, and local historian, Sherman’s legacy lives on in Hoyt Sherman Place on the west side of downtown Des Moines. Born in Ohio as one of eleven children, Sherman experienced hardship after his father died suddenly in 1829. Despite the setback, Sherman and his siblings all reached adulthood. He and his brothers , William Tecumseh Sherman (a C

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 1, 1920, influential farm writer and publisher James M. Pierce died. Owner of “The Homestead,” Pierce publicly quarreled with the publication’s editor, Henry “Uncle Henry” Wallace, leading to a split when the editor struck out on his own to establish “Wallaces’ Farmer.” Pierce started his long career in journalism in 1866 when he established the Star in Ashley, Ohio. After moving to northern Missouri to farm, a lost crop to grasshoppers sent P

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 1, 1991, a former University of Iowa graduate student named Gang Lu shot and killed three faculty members, an Associate Vice President, a fellow student, and himself. Lu also seriously injured another student in the attack, which represents one of the darkest days in the history of higher education in Iowa. In May 1991, Lu graduated from the University of Iowa with a doctoral degree in physics and astronomy. However, he grew disgruntled that t

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On October 31, 1964, a large crowd gathered to marvel at Iowa’s largest bovine, Albert the Bull, as the iconic statue debuted in Audubon. A 28-foot-tall bull with a 15 span between horns, weighing in at 45 tons, Albert is not only Iowa’s but the World’s Largest Bull. Named for local bank president Albert Kruse , the man who schemed up a local beef promotion called ‘Operation T-Bone,’ Albert came into being through related efforts of the Audubon Junior

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 31, 1991, the Halloween Blizzard thwarted trick-or-treating plans for many throughout Iowa and the upper Midwest. Although many still braved the conditions with winter coats obscuring costumes, the storm cut electricity throughout the state, creating a truly scary situation. By mid-morning on Halloween, snow, sleet, and freezing rain blanketed southeast Minnesota and most of eastern Iowa. As October turned to November, the mixture continued to

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 31, 1927, two-time Emmy-winning producer Marian Rees was born in LeMars. A glass-ceiling-shattering Hollywood trailblazer, Rees rose from NBC receptionist to studio executive. Rees spent her childhood in northwestern Iowa and shone as her class valedictorian at Carroll High School. She went on to study at the University of Iowa, where she majored in sociology and played the drums with the Scottish Highlanders. Rees headed west after graduation

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On October 30, 1938, the City of Des Moines Playground Commission instituted “Beggars’ Night,” a trick-or-treating event that went from a one-off solution to an enduring tradition. The popular “soap or eats” greeting threatened a soaping of a home’s windows if treats weren’t offered. During the 1930s, a high volume of mischief and vandalism on Halloween night led officials in Iowa’s capital city to consider alternatives to trick-or-treating to provide a

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On October 30, 1930, Grant Wood’s iconic Iowa painting “American Gothic” went on display for the first time. Starting with sketches of a small house in Eldon, the painting , featuring either a husband and wife or a father and daughter, stands out as one of the most important cultural artifacts of Iowa’s past. Born on a farm near Anamosa, Iowa, in 1891, Grant Wood showed artistic ability from a young age. After moving to Cedar Rapids following his father

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On October 30, 1939, Joe Crookham was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Crookham went on to become the principal owner of Musco Lighting, a company that pioneered technology to control spill light and glare, changing how major sports events, movie sets, and even disaster sites are lit. Founded in 1844, the Mahaska County seat had historically been a hub for bituminous coal mining and agriculture throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By 193

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 30, 1925, gardening and radio entrepreneur Earl E. May’s KMA radio station went on the air for the first time. The Earl May Seed & Nursery grew from a small town in Shenandoah, southwestern Iowa, into an all-time great Hawkeye State success story. Born on a farm near Hayes Center, Nebraska, May earned money for college by raising turkeys. May graduated from Fremont College before enrolling at the University of Michigan Law School. Spending his

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 29, 1949, Iowa State’s Jim Doran set the (then) NCAA record for receiving yards in a game when he pulled in eight passes for 203 yards against third-ranked Oklahoma. A two-way star for the Cyclones, Doran went on to an eight-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions. While attending Beaver High School, Doran starred in baseball and basketball. The school didn’t have a football team, but the future NFL wide receiver’s athletic ability shone through

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On October 29, 1955, Des Moines’ Roger Williams (originally Louis Jacob Weertz) topped the charts with his classic hit ‘Autumn Leaves.’ The breakthrough hit for Williams, ‘Autumn Leaves,’ was the first of 22 hit singles spread over 38 albums for the iconic Iowa musician. Although born on the Omaha side of the Missouri River, Williams moved to Des Moines with his family before his first birthday. Flourishing in Iowa’s capital city, Williams started on pia

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 29, 1897, actress, vaudevillian, nightclub performer, and strongwoman Hope Emerson was born in Hawarden. Physically imposing, she stood 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed over 200 pounds. After a childhood in northwestern Iowa, Emerson made her Broadway debut in “Lysistrata” in 1930 , when theatrical producer Norman Bel Geddes cast her as Lamputo, an Amazon. She made her film debut in “Smiling Faces” (1932) before returning to the theater briefl

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 28, 2019, Lawrence Joseph “Happy Joe” Whitty passed away. The originator of taco pizza and home to many Iowans' fondest childhood birthday party memories, “Happy” Joe Whitty grew a single pizza and ice cream parlor into one of Iowa’s favorite franchises. Originally from North Dakota, Joe Whitty moved to Davenport in the 1960s to run the Super Value Bakery on Fourth Street before opening his first restaurant. Whitty then took a job as manager fo

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On October 28, 1874, Janette Stevenson Murray was born in Traer. The pioneering educator, suffragist, author, and activist even won “Mother of the Year” from the American Mothers’ Committee of the Golden Rule Foundation. A glass-ceiling-shattering Iowa woman, Murray embodied the changing societal role of women during her lifetime. The daughter of Scottish immigrants who settled in rural Tama County, Stevenson spent her early years in Iowa country schools

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 28, 1932, Cap’n Ernie (Ernie Mims) was born. Mims, the beloved host of WOC-TV's children’s program Cap’n Ernie’s Show Boat from 1964 to 1974, endeared himself to a generation of children spread across eastern Iowa. A native of Nashua, New Hampshire, Mims served as a trumpet player in the United States Air Force Band. He decided to pursue a career in broadcasting and got his first job at WQUB radio in Galesburg, Illinois. Soon after, Mims moved

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 28, 2000, legendary Hawkeye Bob Sanders made his first start at safety for Iowa. 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