X-Nico

99 unusual facts about Iowa


2011 Missouri River Flood

On July 1, the main levee near Percival (16 miles north of Hamburg) breached in the early morning hours adding to the flooded conditions from the Hamburg breach.

Ackley School District v. Hall

The Independent School District of Ackley, Hardin County, Iowa, promises to pay to Foster Brothers, or order at the Hardin County Bank at Eldora, Iowa, on the first day of May, 1872, five hundred dollars for value received, with interest at the rate of ten percent per annum, said interest payable semiannually, on the first day of May and November in each year thereafter at the Hardin County Bank at Eldora, on the presentation and surrender of the interest coupons hereto attached

Alonzo Cook

Throughout their marriage, Cook and his wife relocated on several occasions, living in Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and California.

Anders Sandvig

In addition to expanding the museum significantly, Sandvig also travelled extensively to promote ethnological museums, including Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa.

Arthur Charles Lewis Brown

Although he declared himself unhurt, and wanted to remount and continue, he was carried protesting to a Dubuque hospital and died a few hours later of a fractured skull.

Bannered routes of U.S. Route 61

U.S. Route 61 Business was created in 2010 when U.S. Route 61 was rerouted around Davenport on I-280 and I-80.

Bert German

Bert German was the third head football coach for the Iowa State University Cyclones located in Ames, Iowa and he held that position for five seasons, from 1894 until 1898.

Birch Monroe

In 1934, Birch chose the stability of working at the refinery to support his sisters while Charlie and Bill went on to perform on KFNF in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Blanche Barrow

Buck was severely wounded in the withering gunfire, shot through the head and Blanche took shards of glass in her eyes, but all five gang members escaped to an abandoned amusement park near Dexter, Iowa.

Brian Gross

Brian Gross (born in 1976 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is an actor starring in the 1998 TV series Wind on Water as Kelly Connolly and has also appeared in numerous films and TV movies.

Butter Braid

Braided pastries were first sold at farmers market in West Bend, Iowa by Ken and Marlene Banwart.

Calmar

Calmar, Iowa, United States, a town in Winneshiek County, Iowa

Camanche, California

Once called Limerick, the town became Camanche (after Camanche, Iowa) in 1849.

Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad

The Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad was a railroad chartered to run from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Council Bluffs, Iowa on the Missouri River.

Charles D. Brown

Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Brown wrote and directed a single short film in 1914.

Charles I. Sparks

Born on a farm near Ontario, in Jackson Township, Iowa, Sparks was educated in the rural schools and Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa.

CJMS

It broadcasts on 1040 kHz with a daytime power of 10,000 watts and a nighttime power of 5,000 watts as a class B station, using a directional antenna with the same directional pattern day and night to protect WHO in Des Moines, Iowa.

Claire Dodd

Some confusion has led to Dodd's birthplace being listed as Des Moines, Iowa.

Devere Christensen

Born in Hamilton, Iowa and competing out of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, he was a member of the United States national team that was eliminated in the second round of that year's water polo tournament.

Douglas Otto

Otto then was the superintendent of schools for the North Scott School Community District in Eldridge, Iowa and the Rockridge Community Unit School District in Taylor Ridge, Illinois.

Earl Dew

On January 7, 1941, Iowa native sons Earl Dew and baseball star Bob Feller were honored at ceremonies in the state capital of Des Moines.

Erasmus Haworth

Born on a farm near Indianola, Iowa, he graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor of science degree in 1883 (1881?) and received a master's degree there the following year.

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1961

George Martin Bradley - U.S. prisoner arrested May 1, 1961 in Davenport, Iowa by local police officers and identified after routine fingerprinting following an attempted bank robbery

Ferner Nuhn

Ferner Nuhn (July 25, 1903—April 15, 1989) was an American author, literary critic, and artist born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the son of William C. and Anna R. Nuhn.

Frances Rafferty

Frances Anne Rafferty was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Maxwell Lewis Rafferty, Sr. (born c. 1887), and the former DeEtta Cox Rafferty (born c. 1892).

Frank M. Byrne

Byrne was born near Volney, Allamakee County, Iowa to Irish immigrants, Michael and Delia (Hart) Byrne.

George H. Crosman

During the 1820s, he served at various posts on the frontier with the 6th Infantry including Fort Mackinac in Michigan, Fort Atkinson in Iowa, and Jefferson Barracks in Missouri.

Grace Noll Crowell

She was educated at the German-English college in Wilton, Iowa.

Hans Schlegel

Schlegel, born and raised in Germany, graduated as an international exchange student from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa before studying physics at RWTH Aachen University in his home country.

Harry Mewhirter

Mewhirter was born in Sugar Grove, Illinois, USA, the son of Robert Mewhirter, and was educated in New Providence and at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Hector International Airport

The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from Clear Lake, Iowa, killing the 3 musicians and the pilot.

Henry D. Miller

From the years of 1917 to 1926 Miller's business required him to live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

IA3

Iowa's 3rd congressional district, a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa

IA5

Iowa's 5th congressional district, a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball

Iowa's men's basketball team plays their home games at Carver–Hawkeye Arena, a 15,500-seat multi-purpose indoor arena located in Iowa City, Iowa.

Jack Trice Stadium

The Olsen Building, named in honor of prominent Ellsworth, Iowa farmer and ISU alumnus, houses the strength and conditioning facilities, the team meeting rooms, and the locker rooms.

Jeff Kaufmann

His political experience includes serving as a trustee for Sugar Creek Township.

Joe Lutz

Following his major league career, Lutz coached high school baseball, football and basketball in Argyle, Iowa and Davenport, Iowa, where he led Davenport's baseball to a state championship, and was an athletic coach at Parsons College in Iowa.

John Merlin Powis Smith

On 19 September 1899, Smith married Catherine McKlveen in Chariton, Iowa.

While attending college in Iowa, Smith also taught introductory Greek, and after earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1893, taught Greek at Cedar Valley Seminary in Osage, Iowa.

Judy Lee Klemesrud

Judy Lee Klemesrud was born in Thompson, Iowa to Glee (1909–1986) and Theo S. Klemesrud (1902–1995).

Junius Ralph Magee

He was born 3 June 1880 in Maquoketa, Iowa, the son of John Calvin and Jane Amelia (Cole) Magee.

KCDR

KCDR-LD, a low-power television station (channel 45) licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

KCWL

KCWL-LP, a low-power television station (channel 57) licensed to Storm Lake, Iowa, United States

KDST

The transmitter and broadcast tower are located six miles southwest of Dyersville, near the intersection of 250th Street and 300th Avenue, in rural Hopkinton in Delaware County.

Kenneth Bressett

In 1980, Bressett left Whitman to work for A. M. Kagin in Des Moines, Iowa.

Kenneth Cecil Bunch

Kenneth Cecil Bunch was born on 21 January 1919 in Norman County, Minnesota, and was raised in Hamilton, Iowa.

Kent Taylor

Born Louis William Weiss in Nashua in northeastern Iowa, Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more prestigious studio releases, including I'm No Angel (1933), Cradle Song (1933), Death Takes a Holiday (1934), Payment on Demand (1951), and Track the Man Down (1955).

Kevin Dresser

Born in Fort Dodge and a native of Humboldt, Iowa, Dresser was a two-time high school wrestling state champion and four time place winner fifth (freshman) and sixth (sophomore) Humboldt High School.

KFMG

KFMG-LP, a low-power radio station (99.1 FM) licensed to Des Moines, Iowa, United States

KGGR

KGGR is an AM urban contemporary gospel radio station that serves the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, airing only during the Daytime hours on AM 1040 because this station shares the same frequency with "clear channel" station WHO-AM in Des Moines, Iowa.

KJJY

KJJY originally signed on the air as KANY in 1978 at 106.3, when it was licensed to Ankeny, Iowa.

KTDC

KTDC-LP, a low-power radio station (105.3 FM) licensed to Muscatine, Iowa, United States

Lara Flynn Boyle

Boyle was born in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of Sally, a clerical worker, assistant, and manager, and Michael L. Boyle.

Lawrie Tatum

He was born to Quaker parents George and Lydia Tatum near Mullica Hill, New Jersey in 1822 and moved to Goshen, Ohio in 1831 followed by a move to Cedar County, Iowa in 1844.

LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation

LeBlond/Ken-Royce engine parts were provided during the 1950s by Air Associates and in the 1960s the remaining parts were sold to the Antique Airplane Association of Blakesburg, Iowa.

Lenox College

Lenox College was a college in Hopkinton, Iowa that operated from 1859 until its closure in 1944.

Leo Elthon

Leo Elthon (June 9, 1898, Fertile, Iowa – April 16, 1967, Fertile) was the 32nd Governor of Iowa from November 21, 1954 to January 13, 1955.

M.I.U. Album

Produced by Al Jardine and songwriter Ron Altbach, the album's title stems from Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, where the majority of the album was recorded.

Meservey, Iowa

As of the 2008-2009 school year, Thornton is part of the West Fork Schools, along with students from then neighboring towns of Thornton, Sheffield, Chapin, Rockwell, Swaledale, and the surrounding area.

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town is a book by Nick Reding which documents the drug culture of Oelwein, Iowa and how it ties into larger issues of rural flight and small town economic decline placed in the historic context of the drug trade, particularly the manufacture and consumption of methamphetamine.

Metro Arts Alliance of Greater Des Moines

This assessment led to the study and formation in 1975 of the Arts and Recreation Council of Greater Des Moines with 35 board members.

Mitch Traphagen

He is currently the publisher and editor of The East Iowa Herald based in Victor, Iowa.

Mono Aircraft Monoprep

The sole surviving example of the Monoprep 218 NC179K is publicly displayed in airworthy condition in the Airpower Museum at Ottumwa Iowa.

Mount Pleasant Community School District

The Mount Pleasant Community School District is the public school system serving the city of Mount Pleasant, Iowa and the surrounding area, primarily Salem, Westwood, Rome, Swedesburg, and rural students.

Multi-State Lottery Association

MUSL currently has 12 full-time employees located in Urbandale, Iowa.

Orson Lowell

Born in Wyoming, Iowa, Lowell was the son of landscapist Milton H. Lowell.

Paul van Katwijk

He was appointed to the piano faculty of Christian College in Columbia, Missouri, then to similar positions at the University of Chicago and at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Peter Hedges

Hedges was born in West Des Moines, Iowa, where he was raised, the son of Carole, a psychotherapist, and the Rev. Robert B. Hedges, a retired Episcopalian minister.

Phoebe Washburn

An earlier work, Heavy Has Debt, (exhibited in 2003 in Grinnell, Iowa), was a "massive, shingled wall of debris," produced largely from mounted cardboard.

Plagmann Round Barn

The Plagmann Round Barn is an historical structure located near Conroy in rural Iowa County, Iowa.

Ralph G. Neppel

Neppel joined the Army from Glidden, Iowa in March 1943, and by December 14, 1944 was serving as a Sergeant in Company M, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division.

Region of Waterloo International Airport

The airport's former name, Waterloo Regional Airport, is now used by Waterloo Regional Airport in Waterloo, Iowa.

Richland, Iowa

All the high school students from these four towns, along with all the rural areas which had been associated with these separate school systems, were then educated at a new building located near Pekin.

Romaine Fielding

Born William Grant Blandin in Riceville, Iowa, he worked and acted in live theatre for a number of years until 1911 when he turned to acting, writing and directing silent films for Philadelphia-based Lubin Studios.

Ross McCloud

Born and raised in Ohio, McCloud moved to Iowa when he was a young man, where at the young age of 20, he was elected to the position of County Surveyor of newly organized Linn County, Iowa.

Roy Laverne Stephenson

He was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve from 1938 to 1941, while serving in private practice in Mapleton, Iowa from 1940 to 1941.

Sherman Harrill

While he was still young, his family relocated to Carson, Iowa where he finished High School.

Sherman Pendergarst

After college he worked as a mortgage broker but soon began practicing martial arts and boxing before moving to Bettendorf, Iowa to train with the Miletich Fighting Systems.

Sioux City and Pacific Railroad

In August 1867 the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River opened a branch from Missouri Valley Junction west to California Junction (sold to the Sioux City and Pacific in July 1871), where the Sioux City and Pacific, funded by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River, began constructing its line north through the Missouri River Valley, reaching Sioux City in February 1868.

The east-west portion from Fremont to Missouri Valley is the Blair Subdivision, carrying mainly westbound UP trains (most eastbounds use the Omaha Subdivision), and the line from California Junction north to Sioux City is the Sioux City Subdivision.

Stephanie Marie Rose

Rose's work in the U.S. attorney's office has involved some controversy surrounding the Postville Raid and the conviction and sentence of Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse chief Sholom Rubashkin of Postville, Iowa on 86 financial fraud-related federal charges and his subsequent 27-year sentence in federal prison.

Sully v. Drennan

The suit was brought originally in the district court of the state by James N. Drennan and others, taxpayers of Prairie Township, in the County of Mahaska.

The Sword of the Lady

They cross the river and meet the Bossman and the rest of Rudi's party in Dubuque.

The Waylors

After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a plane for himself, Allsup and Jennings to avoid a long bus trip to Fargo, North Dakota.

Thomas Harris MacDonald

In 1907, he married Elizabeth Dunham of Ames, Iowa and they had two children before her death in 1935.

Tutankham

Tutankham was one of six games chosen to appear in the famous LIFE magazine photo-session conducted at Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa, Iowa, on November 7, 1982.

U.S. Route 77 in Texas

U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville to Sioux City, Iowa.

Virgil Stammeyer

He was well known for his actions during a high speed chase from Maquoketa, Iowa to Key West, Iowa, and became one of the few officers wounded in the line of duty.

W. C. Friley

In 1932, he became the dean of the science division at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Waubeek

Waubeek, Iowa, an unincorporated community in Linn County, Iowa

WGEM-DT3

Known on-air as WGEM Fox, the station can also be seen on Mediacom channel 2 in Iowa, US Cable channel 12 in Missouri, and Comcast channel 18 in Illinois.

Whatcheeria

Whatcheeria is named after What Cheer, Iowa, the hometown of the man who discovered the first skeletons of the animal.

Wilhelm Weitling

He participated with the experimental German-American settlement of Communia, Iowa.

William Dana Ewart

A resident of Belle Plaine, Iowa, Ewart was a farm-implement dealer when he conceived of the idea.

William G. Anderson

After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Alabama State College for Negroes (now Alabama State University) in 1949, Anderson attended Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa, and received his certification in surgery.

William Miller Jenkins

Jenkins and his wife removed to Shelby County, Iowa, in 1880 where he was admitted to the bar in 1883.

WNRG-FM

WNRG-FM is also the first station in the Saga Communications Rhythmic Top 40 line up to be launched on a full-powered signal, as their two other outlets in Des Moines (HITS99.9 K260AM/KIOA) and Champaign (HITS99.7 WIXY-HD3 & W259BG), broadcasts on simulcasting HD radio subchannels and FM translators.

Zevs Cosmos

During this time, Cosmos would often be seen teaching his ideas about nudism on street corners in Ames, Iowa City, and Des Moines, Iowa.


2010 Insight Bowl

But Iowa has lost their last three games including a season-ending 27-24 loss to Minnesota.

Antônio Roberto Monteiro Simões

Simões' B.A. was conferred at Central College, in the town of Pella, Iowa, United States, after withdrawing his undergraduate work at the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil.

Austin Dillon

On July 11, 2010, Dillon scored his first career NASCAR victory in the Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series and won a Truck Series race in a truck wearing the No. 3 for the first time since Bryan Reffner won for Team Menard in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway.

CYCLONE

Do not get this Iowa State machine confused with the Atanasoff–Berry Computer of the late 1930s- Neither John Vincent Atanasoff nor Clifford Berry worked on this machine.

Dan Guerrero

Additionally, the recent hiring of Men's Basketball Coach Steve Alford raised many questions regarding how much vetting was done into Alford's past when it became known to UCLA alumni and fans that Alford had publicly supported former Iowa basketball player Pierre Pierce who was accused of sexual assault and later pled to a lesser charge.

David R. Barker

He has also been featured on radio programs such as Marketplace, As It Happens, The Jerry Doyle Show, The Santita Jackson Show, Pratt on Texas, Iowa Public Radio and many others.

Eastern Iowa brass band

In 1991, the band was featured by the Smithsonian Institution in the Festival of American Folklife in Washington D.C. On six occasions EIBB has been invited to present a feature program at the annual convention of the Iowa Bandmasters Association, and recently performed to a sellout crowd at the American School Band Directors Association convention.

Greene, Iowa

Greene is a city in Butler County, Iowa, along the Shell Rock River, and along Butler County's northern border, where Butler and Floyd counties meet.

Herky the Hawk

Native Iowa City artist Charles Reed based his drawing of Herky on two sources: former Hawkeye wrestler Barry Davis and cartoon character Mighty Mouse.

J. Barry Griswell

He has been inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame, is a recipient of the United Way of Central Iowa Alexis de Tocqueville Society award, a 2004 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a 2004 recipient of the Central Iowa Philanthropic Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, and a 2006 recipient of the Business Committee for the Arts Leadership Award as well as a 2008 recipient of the American for the Arts Corporate Citizenship in the Arts Award.

James Weaver

James B. Weaver (1833–1912), United States Representative from Iowa and Presidential candidate

Jim Nussle

His district was renumbered as the 1st District as a result of the 2000s (decade) round of redistricting, and became even more Democratic with the addition of much of Iowa's share of the Quad Cities.

John H. Gear

He was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House for the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses, serving from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1891.

John Navarre

He also held the records for most total offensive yards gained in a game (368 vs. Iowa in 2003) and in a season (3,240 in 2003) before being surpassed by Denard Robinson in 2010.

John R. Schmidhauser

He served one term as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from southeastern Iowa, defeating incumbent Republican Fred Schwengel in 1964 but losing to Schwengel two years later in 1966, and again in 1968.

Kadr

KADR, radio station licensed to serve the community of Elkader, Iowa

Karen T. Taylor

In early 2012, members of the Dubuque County Historical Society and curators at the National Mississippi River Museum asked Taylor to create a 2D facial reconstruction based on the skull of Julien Dubuque, founder of Dubuque, Iowa.

Karl King

He was given a testimonial dinner for 250 people in 1951 at the age of 59 where band world luminaries including Glenn Cliffe Bainum, Albert Austin Harding, Paul V. Yoder, and William H. Santelmann attended (as well as William S. Beardsley, the governor of Iowa).

Katy Lederer

After graduating in 1995, Lederer moved to Las Vegas to study poker with her siblings, and was subsequently accepted to the Iowa Writers' Workshop on an Iowa Arts Fellowship.

KCRG

KCRG-TV, a television station (Channel 9 digital/virtual) licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

KDUB

KFXB-TV, a television station (channel 40) licensed to serve Dubuque, Iowa, which used the call signs KDUB or KDUB-TV until August 1995

Kesho Y. Scott

She is the author of several books, including The Habit of Surviving, and Tight Spaces (coauthored with Cherry Muhanji and Egyirba High), which was the winner of the 1988 American Book Award, and was also awarded the Christine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women.

KRUI

KRUI-FM, a radio station (89.7 FM) located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States

KVFD

KVFD-TV, a defunct television station (analog 21 and 50) in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States

Minnesota State Highway 76

Minnesota State Highway 76 is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 76 at the Iowa state line (near Eitzen), and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with Interstate Highway 90 in Pleasant Hill Township near Winona.

National Farmers Organization

However, much of the initial impetus for the NFO’s early growth came from positive comments made by former Iowa Governor Daniel Webster Turner when he was asked about it by the press.

New Vision Television

On August 1, 2006, New Vision announced an agreement to acquire CBS affiliates WIAT in Birmingham, Alabama and KIMT in Mason City, Iowa from Media General for $35 million.

Rivermont Collegiate

These funds were invested in Cambria Place, a magnificent residence designed by a famous architect (who designed the Illinois State Capitol and the Chicago Board of Trade Building), with five acres of land high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa.

TEOCO

TEOCO was involved in the recent Iowa Utilities Board, and subsequent FCC ruling in Qwest communication's Traffic pumping case.

Tim Clue

His comedy “Leaving Iowa,” first produced at actor Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre Company in 2004, ran for over a year to critical acclaim in Chicago.

Tom Carnegie

While living in Waterloo, Iowa, Carnegie would listen to radio broadcasts of a young Ronald Reagan and credits Reagan with being one of his main broadcasting inspirations and influences.

University of Iowa School of Art and Art History

The University of Iowa School of Art and Art History is a school of the University of Iowa located in Iowa City, IA which awards undergraduate and graduate degrees in Art and Art history.

Violence Against Women Act

However, several of them, including Steve King (R-Iowa), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri), Keith Rothfus (R-Pennsylvania), and Tim Murphy (R-Pennsylvania), later claimed to have voted in favor of the act.

W.N. Flynt Granite Co.

Many public buildings in Monson and the surrounding communities were constructed of Flynt granite, but the quarry also shipped granite for buildings in Boston, New York, Chicago, and even as far as Kansas and Iowa.

Waukee High School

Combined with some students from Valley High School, this Girls' Lacrosse Team was the first high-school-age team in Iowa.

Willard L. Boyd

He returned to Iowa in 2002 to serve as interim president, holding the role between 2002 and 2003 until being succeeded by David J. Skorton.