"Iowa Almanac" is a copyrighted production of Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
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No use of the material is allowed without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Copyright 2019 by Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
All Rights Reserved.
No use of the material is allowed without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Copyright 2019 by Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, December 31, 2019
"The Creator of Paul Bunyan"
James Floyd Stevens was born in Iowa, but he did not have an easy childhood. Born on a farm near Albia in 1892, his father was a so-called gypsy farmer who liked to move around, and his mother worked as a hired girl for $12 per month. Young James lived with his grandmother in Moravia for five years, from the time he was 4 years old.
He later moved to Idaho. After fighting in World War I, he returned to the Pacific Northwest and worked in the woods, logging camps, and sawmills of Oregon. It was there he first heard tall tales about a gigantic lumberjack.
He researched the character, tracing the legend back to French Canada in the early 1800s, and possibly a real logger by that name.
In 1925, Stevens collected the stories about the lumberjack and wrote a best-selling book named after the character--Paul Bunyan. And so began a fifty-year literary career, which included nine books and more than 250 stories and magazine articles. He was known for exaggeration and satire, which offended some readers who lived in the places he wrote about.
While some knew the tales of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, they only became well known through the mind and pen of an Iowan...James Stevens, who died at age 79 on this date in 1971.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 31st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Creator of Paul Bunyan"
James Floyd Stevens was born in Iowa, but he did not have an easy childhood. Born on a farm near Albia in 1892, his father was a so-called gypsy farmer who liked to move around, and his mother worked as a hired girl for $12 per month. Young James lived with his grandmother in Moravia for five years, from the time he was 4 years old.
He later moved to Idaho. After fighting in World War I, he returned to the Pacific Northwest and worked in the woods, logging camps, and sawmills of Oregon. It was there he first heard tall tales about a gigantic lumberjack.
He researched the character, tracing the legend back to French Canada in the early 1800s, and possibly a real logger by that name.
In 1925, Stevens collected the stories about the lumberjack and wrote a best-selling book named after the character--Paul Bunyan. And so began a fifty-year literary career, which included nine books and more than 250 stories and magazine articles. He was known for exaggeration and satire, which offended some readers who lived in the places he wrote about.
While some knew the tales of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, they only became well known through the mind and pen of an Iowan...James Stevens, who died at age 79 on this date in 1971.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 31st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, December 30, 2019
"Dissolving the Trust"
In hindsight, it sounded too good to be true. Perhaps that should have been our first clue.
Steven Wymer founded a company in Irvine, California, called Institutional Treasury Management. He set up funds in which cities and towns could invest. One was called the Iowa Trust, and 88 government agencies in Iowa invested more than $70 million in the Iowa Trust. Formed in January 1989, the Trust was designed to pool dozens of small and medium investment accounts to create better opportunities. Wymer had done business with various Iowa cities, including Marshalltown, and other cities soon joined the new venture.
It should have been safe, with investment only in government securities. But it was a fraud, with Wymer deceiving his clients, sending false monthly statements overstating the amount of money in clients' accounts and forging brokerage documents to support those false statements.
The bubble burst on December 12, 1991, when the house of cards came falling down. Wymer faced fraud charges tied to $113 million of money given him by municipalities. Officials in California and Colorado were seriously affected, but nowhere was the crisis more severe than in Iowa.
Cities and towns across the state had to put off plans to maintain roads, buildings, and cemeteries...build libraries...and they had to lay off employees. Money was lost, never to be recovered.
The Trust itself was put in the hands of a receiver to pursue claims and recover some of the money. Long before the case of Bernie Madoff hit national headlines, there was Steve Wymer and the Iowa Trust, termed the worst financial scandal in our state's history.
Lawsuits continued throughout the decade, but nearly three years to the day the fraud was discovered, the Iowa Trust itself was dissolved by order of an Iowa District Court, on this date in 1994…25 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Dissolving the Trust"
In hindsight, it sounded too good to be true. Perhaps that should have been our first clue.
Steven Wymer founded a company in Irvine, California, called Institutional Treasury Management. He set up funds in which cities and towns could invest. One was called the Iowa Trust, and 88 government agencies in Iowa invested more than $70 million in the Iowa Trust. Formed in January 1989, the Trust was designed to pool dozens of small and medium investment accounts to create better opportunities. Wymer had done business with various Iowa cities, including Marshalltown, and other cities soon joined the new venture.
It should have been safe, with investment only in government securities. But it was a fraud, with Wymer deceiving his clients, sending false monthly statements overstating the amount of money in clients' accounts and forging brokerage documents to support those false statements.
The bubble burst on December 12, 1991, when the house of cards came falling down. Wymer faced fraud charges tied to $113 million of money given him by municipalities. Officials in California and Colorado were seriously affected, but nowhere was the crisis more severe than in Iowa.
Cities and towns across the state had to put off plans to maintain roads, buildings, and cemeteries...build libraries...and they had to lay off employees. Money was lost, never to be recovered.
The Trust itself was put in the hands of a receiver to pursue claims and recover some of the money. Long before the case of Bernie Madoff hit national headlines, there was Steve Wymer and the Iowa Trust, termed the worst financial scandal in our state's history.
Lawsuits continued throughout the decade, but nearly three years to the day the fraud was discovered, the Iowa Trust itself was dissolved by order of an Iowa District Court, on this date in 1994…25 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, December 27, 2019
"Organizing Farmers"
Farmers by nature are a somewhat independent sort, sometimes going it alone when working together would suit them better. But even more than a century ago, some Iowa farmers knew there was strength in numbers as they looked to market their products fairly.
In 1912, a group of farmers in Clinton and Scott counties came together; the idea soon spread to other counties, and in addition to farmers, bankers, lawyers, merchants, and teachers joined the farmers in the common effort to help agriculture play its proper role in a stable economy.
On December 27th, 1918, representatives from these groups from 72 of Iowa's 99 counties came together in Marshalltown. They gathered on that cold, snowy day because they saw that working together with a common vision and purpose could lead to better results than if they all worked separately.
And at that meeting, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was born.
After approving a constitution and by-laws, officers and board members were selected. James R. Howard of Marshall County was elected the group's first president by those in attendance. In that first year, the Iowa Farm Bureau lobbied state and federal legislatures, helped other ag-related organizations get established, and played a key role in joining with other state groups to form the American Farm Bureau Federation.
In the century since its founding, much has changed in agriculture and society generally. But common values such as hard work, love of community and devotion to the land have not changed.
The group now boasts more than 153-thousand member families across the state, and is still made up of a cross-section of Iowans, all with the common interest of furthering agriculture...the same as when the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was founded in Marshalltown on this date in 1918.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Organizing Farmers"
Farmers by nature are a somewhat independent sort, sometimes going it alone when working together would suit them better. But even more than a century ago, some Iowa farmers knew there was strength in numbers as they looked to market their products fairly.
In 1912, a group of farmers in Clinton and Scott counties came together; the idea soon spread to other counties, and in addition to farmers, bankers, lawyers, merchants, and teachers joined the farmers in the common effort to help agriculture play its proper role in a stable economy.
On December 27th, 1918, representatives from these groups from 72 of Iowa's 99 counties came together in Marshalltown. They gathered on that cold, snowy day because they saw that working together with a common vision and purpose could lead to better results than if they all worked separately.
And at that meeting, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was born.
After approving a constitution and by-laws, officers and board members were selected. James R. Howard of Marshall County was elected the group's first president by those in attendance. In that first year, the Iowa Farm Bureau lobbied state and federal legislatures, helped other ag-related organizations get established, and played a key role in joining with other state groups to form the American Farm Bureau Federation.
In the century since its founding, much has changed in agriculture and society generally. But common values such as hard work, love of community and devotion to the land have not changed.
The group now boasts more than 153-thousand member families across the state, and is still made up of a cross-section of Iowans, all with the common interest of furthering agriculture...the same as when the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was founded in Marshalltown on this date in 1918.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, December 26, 2019
"Bowling Them Over"
When the 1984 season began, Iowa football fans were again getting used to winning. They had been to three bowl games in three seasons, and expectations were high.
Hayden Fry was in his 6th year as head coach, and the Hawks featured underclassmen such as Chuck Long and Ronnie Harmon. Four seniors wound up being drafted by the NFL, including tight end Jonathan Hayes, running back Owen Gill, linebacker Dave Strobel, and defensive tackle George Little.
The team finished the regular season 7-4-1 and unranked. When college bowl games were making their selections, a brand new game showed interest--the Freedom Bowl, in Anaheim, California. Some thought the team should go to a more established bowl, but when Fry learned the opponent would be the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns, the native Texan jumped at the chance to play.
It was a rainy night in California, and the conditions did not seem to be conducive to a lot of scoring. But Coach Fry's pregame comments turned out to be right on the money.
The Hawks led 24-17 at the half, but blew the game open with 31 unanswered points in the third quarter, going on to win 55-17. Chuck Long completed 29 of 39 passes for 461 yards and six touchdowns. And the Hawks wound up being ranked 15th nationally in the final coaches' poll that season.
The Freedom Bowl was played 11 times...but no team ever scored as many points, or won by as large a margin, as the Iowa Hawkeyes did in the first Freedom Bowl game, played on this date in 1984…35 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Bowling Them Over"
When the 1984 season began, Iowa football fans were again getting used to winning. They had been to three bowl games in three seasons, and expectations were high.
Hayden Fry was in his 6th year as head coach, and the Hawks featured underclassmen such as Chuck Long and Ronnie Harmon. Four seniors wound up being drafted by the NFL, including tight end Jonathan Hayes, running back Owen Gill, linebacker Dave Strobel, and defensive tackle George Little.
The team finished the regular season 7-4-1 and unranked. When college bowl games were making their selections, a brand new game showed interest--the Freedom Bowl, in Anaheim, California. Some thought the team should go to a more established bowl, but when Fry learned the opponent would be the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns, the native Texan jumped at the chance to play.
It was a rainy night in California, and the conditions did not seem to be conducive to a lot of scoring. But Coach Fry's pregame comments turned out to be right on the money.
The Hawks led 24-17 at the half, but blew the game open with 31 unanswered points in the third quarter, going on to win 55-17. Chuck Long completed 29 of 39 passes for 461 yards and six touchdowns. And the Hawks wound up being ranked 15th nationally in the final coaches' poll that season.
The Freedom Bowl was played 11 times...but no team ever scored as many points, or won by as large a margin, as the Iowa Hawkeyes did in the first Freedom Bowl game, played on this date in 1984…35 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, December 25, 2019
"The Founder of Iowa State"
By the time Benjamin F. Gue moved to Iowa at the age of 24, he'd already had many life experiences. He was born on December 25th, 1828 on a farm in New York. His parents were Quakers and Abolutionists, and their home was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. When Ben Gue was 10 years of age, his father died, leaving his mother to raise Ben and his siblings, and to manage the farm.
In the early 1850s, he and his younger brother migrated to Iowa and farmed in Scott County. In 1856, he was a delegate to the state convention which formally organized the Republican Party in Iowa. He was elected to the state house in 1858, then the senate in 1862. He also served a term as lieutenant governor of our state.
In 1858, Gue was one of the authors of a bill to establish a state agricultural college and model farm, which became Iowa State University. He served as president of the board of trustees for what was then Iowa Agricultural College. His leadership at that pivotal time led many to call him the founder of the school.
In addition to being a farmer and a politician, Gue was a newspaper editor and publisher. His four volume history of Iowa was published in 1903 and remains the most important work on the earliest days of our state.
The founder of Iowa State University, Benjamin F. Gue, was born on this date, Christmas Day, in 1828.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Founder of Iowa State"
By the time Benjamin F. Gue moved to Iowa at the age of 24, he'd already had many life experiences. He was born on December 25th, 1828 on a farm in New York. His parents were Quakers and Abolutionists, and their home was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. When Ben Gue was 10 years of age, his father died, leaving his mother to raise Ben and his siblings, and to manage the farm.
In the early 1850s, he and his younger brother migrated to Iowa and farmed in Scott County. In 1856, he was a delegate to the state convention which formally organized the Republican Party in Iowa. He was elected to the state house in 1858, then the senate in 1862. He also served a term as lieutenant governor of our state.
In 1858, Gue was one of the authors of a bill to establish a state agricultural college and model farm, which became Iowa State University. He served as president of the board of trustees for what was then Iowa Agricultural College. His leadership at that pivotal time led many to call him the founder of the school.
In addition to being a farmer and a politician, Gue was a newspaper editor and publisher. His four volume history of Iowa was published in 1903 and remains the most important work on the earliest days of our state.
The founder of Iowa State University, Benjamin F. Gue, was born on this date, Christmas Day, in 1828.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, December 24, 2019
"A Raffle...Or A Scam?"
To some in Sioux City, John Peirce was an upstanding citizen and land developer. To others, he was a wheeler-dealer and a scam artist.
Peirce was a veteran of the Civil War from the Sixth Iowa Infantry and a major promoter of Sioux City during the late 1800s, a boom time for that area of Iowa.
Like many in business, Peirce had been hurt by the national financial panic of 1893. To pay back his debts, Peirce looked for an easy answer. He decided to raffle off his well known mansion on the city's north side. He charged a dollar a ticket with the drawing to be at the Union passenger depot on Christmas Eve 1900. Some 40,000 tickets were sold. That would be worth more than $1.1 million today.
It was announced that the winner was a jeweler from Vinton. But it was soon discovered that the winning ticket was actually held by a New York millionaire, William Barbour...the same William Barbour to whom John Peirce owed a substantial debt.
To make matters worse, legal documents showed that Peirce had signed a deed transferring ownership of the mansion to Barbour nine days before the Christmas Eve drawing.
Barbour quickly sold the mansion to another party in exchange for bonds in a local bridge company. As for Peirce, he took the money and ran...literally. He wrote a farewell letter to the city that was published in the newspaper and moved with his family to Seattle. He never returned.
John Peirce's fraudulent house raffle, where he made off with what would be more than a million dollars in today's money, happened in Sioux City on this date, Christmas Eve, in 1900.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Raffle...Or A Scam?"
To some in Sioux City, John Peirce was an upstanding citizen and land developer. To others, he was a wheeler-dealer and a scam artist.
Peirce was a veteran of the Civil War from the Sixth Iowa Infantry and a major promoter of Sioux City during the late 1800s, a boom time for that area of Iowa.
Like many in business, Peirce had been hurt by the national financial panic of 1893. To pay back his debts, Peirce looked for an easy answer. He decided to raffle off his well known mansion on the city's north side. He charged a dollar a ticket with the drawing to be at the Union passenger depot on Christmas Eve 1900. Some 40,000 tickets were sold. That would be worth more than $1.1 million today.
It was announced that the winner was a jeweler from Vinton. But it was soon discovered that the winning ticket was actually held by a New York millionaire, William Barbour...the same William Barbour to whom John Peirce owed a substantial debt.
To make matters worse, legal documents showed that Peirce had signed a deed transferring ownership of the mansion to Barbour nine days before the Christmas Eve drawing.
Barbour quickly sold the mansion to another party in exchange for bonds in a local bridge company. As for Peirce, he took the money and ran...literally. He wrote a farewell letter to the city that was published in the newspaper and moved with his family to Seattle. He never returned.
John Peirce's fraudulent house raffle, where he made off with what would be more than a million dollars in today's money, happened in Sioux City on this date, Christmas Eve, in 1900.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, December 23, 2019
"Planning A Zoo"
For generations in the 1900s, a zoo was a place for families to go to view animals from around the world. But you can't simply start a zoo. It's a long process, as citizens of Des Moines found out.
Back in 1961, the federal government approached the city of Des Moines about donating some land near Fort Des Moines to be used for recreational purposes. The idea of a zoo in Iowa's capital city was discussed, and on December 23rd, 1963, the city signed an agreement to create the Des Moines Children's Zoo. A.H. Blank donated $150,000 to the city to build the zoo, and civic leaders and citizens worked to raise additional funds.
On May 8, 1966, the Des Moines Children's Zoo opened. Designed primarily around nursery rhyme themes, it included a castle with a moat, Monkey Island, an animal petting area, and miniature train. Zoo director Bob Elgin welcomed 186-thousand visitors that first year alone.
By 1980, though, attendance had dropped off to only 43-thousand a year. That led to the founding of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation. Voters approved a $1.8-million bond referendum, and a community campaign raised another $1.4-million. The zoo was closed for three years for renovation, and under its new name, the Blank Park Zoo opened again in 1986, broadening its focus from just being a children's zoo.
Since then, there have been many other changes, and some years, attendance nears 400-thousand people. But it all began when the city signed off on a development agreement to create a zoo in Des Moines, on this date in 1963.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Planning A Zoo"
For generations in the 1900s, a zoo was a place for families to go to view animals from around the world. But you can't simply start a zoo. It's a long process, as citizens of Des Moines found out.
Back in 1961, the federal government approached the city of Des Moines about donating some land near Fort Des Moines to be used for recreational purposes. The idea of a zoo in Iowa's capital city was discussed, and on December 23rd, 1963, the city signed an agreement to create the Des Moines Children's Zoo. A.H. Blank donated $150,000 to the city to build the zoo, and civic leaders and citizens worked to raise additional funds.
On May 8, 1966, the Des Moines Children's Zoo opened. Designed primarily around nursery rhyme themes, it included a castle with a moat, Monkey Island, an animal petting area, and miniature train. Zoo director Bob Elgin welcomed 186-thousand visitors that first year alone.
By 1980, though, attendance had dropped off to only 43-thousand a year. That led to the founding of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation. Voters approved a $1.8-million bond referendum, and a community campaign raised another $1.4-million. The zoo was closed for three years for renovation, and under its new name, the Blank Park Zoo opened again in 1986, broadening its focus from just being a children's zoo.
Since then, there have been many other changes, and some years, attendance nears 400-thousand people. But it all began when the city signed off on a development agreement to create a zoo in Des Moines, on this date in 1963.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, December 20, 2019
"Retreading Globally"
Muscatine was home to a family-owned manufacturing firm, Carver Pump Company. Roy J. Carver was the owner, and had great interest in supporting new business ideas. In 1957, he was on a business trip to West Germany when he learned about a new tire-retreading process invented by Bernard A. Nowak. The Nowak method used lower temperatures than in other retreading processes, meaning less damage to casings, and longer durability.
Carver was intrigued and bought the U.S. rights to the process from Nowak. The inventor, however, insisted that his name be a part of the new American company. So Carver used Nowak's initials...BAN, plus the first letter of Nowak's hometown, Darmstadt, and the letters AG, the German abbreviation for incorporated. And that's how the BANDAG company got its name.
The early days of the business were not easy, but Carver and his engineers improved upon the Nowak method, receiving their own patents on the improved process in 1962.
Growth was explosive. By 1971, Bandag held 10 percent of the U.S. truck tire-retreading market. By 1980, it was the world's largest producer of tread rubber and retreading equipment, with 20 percent of the global retreading market.
Roy Carver died suddenly of a heart attack in 1981, and was succeeded by his son Martin. Martin Carver's aggressive refocus on the company's core business and employee-centered management style was a success. By the end of the 1980s, Bandag held half the U.S. truck tire-retreading market.
Still headquartered in Muscatine, Bandag is now a part of the Bridgestone company but remains the global market leader for retreading materials and equipment. Since its founding, the Bandag retread process has kept some 300 million tires out of the waste stream, saving 4 billion gallons of oil. And it all started when the company licensed a West German process and formally incorporated on this date in 1957.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Retreading Globally"
Muscatine was home to a family-owned manufacturing firm, Carver Pump Company. Roy J. Carver was the owner, and had great interest in supporting new business ideas. In 1957, he was on a business trip to West Germany when he learned about a new tire-retreading process invented by Bernard A. Nowak. The Nowak method used lower temperatures than in other retreading processes, meaning less damage to casings, and longer durability.
Carver was intrigued and bought the U.S. rights to the process from Nowak. The inventor, however, insisted that his name be a part of the new American company. So Carver used Nowak's initials...BAN, plus the first letter of Nowak's hometown, Darmstadt, and the letters AG, the German abbreviation for incorporated. And that's how the BANDAG company got its name.
The early days of the business were not easy, but Carver and his engineers improved upon the Nowak method, receiving their own patents on the improved process in 1962.
Growth was explosive. By 1971, Bandag held 10 percent of the U.S. truck tire-retreading market. By 1980, it was the world's largest producer of tread rubber and retreading equipment, with 20 percent of the global retreading market.
Roy Carver died suddenly of a heart attack in 1981, and was succeeded by his son Martin. Martin Carver's aggressive refocus on the company's core business and employee-centered management style was a success. By the end of the 1980s, Bandag held half the U.S. truck tire-retreading market.
Still headquartered in Muscatine, Bandag is now a part of the Bridgestone company but remains the global market leader for retreading materials and equipment. Since its founding, the Bandag retread process has kept some 300 million tires out of the waste stream, saving 4 billion gallons of oil. And it all started when the company licensed a West German process and formally incorporated on this date in 1957.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, December 19, 2019
"A River City Premiere"
By the time his musical hit the Broadway stage on December 19th, 1957, he was 55 years of age, and had already had quite a career.
He attended what is now the Julliard School in New York, was a member of John Phillip Sousa's band, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the director of Arturo Toscanini. After a move to California, he scored music for films, earning Academy Award nominations in successive years, for "The Great Dictator" and "The Little Foxes".
Then came World War II, and work for the Armed Forces Radio Service, which led to a successful career in radio, including his own programs.
But it was that Broadway show that became Meredith Willson's most famous work. "The Music Man" premiered in 1957 and became an instant hit, with some 1,375 performances. It won three Tony Awards, and Robert Preston won a Theater World Award for his portrayal of Professor Harold Hill. The cast recording won the first Grammy for its category. The show was adapted twice for film.
And to show that he had more than one Broadway show in him, Willson's second musical was "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", which ran for more than 500 performances.
The Mason City native once called the show "an Iowan's attempt to pay tribute to his home state". And the world learned of River City, through the genius of Meredith Willson, when "The Music Man" premiered on Broadway, on this date in 1957.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A River City Premiere"
By the time his musical hit the Broadway stage on December 19th, 1957, he was 55 years of age, and had already had quite a career.
He attended what is now the Julliard School in New York, was a member of John Phillip Sousa's band, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the director of Arturo Toscanini. After a move to California, he scored music for films, earning Academy Award nominations in successive years, for "The Great Dictator" and "The Little Foxes".
Then came World War II, and work for the Armed Forces Radio Service, which led to a successful career in radio, including his own programs.
But it was that Broadway show that became Meredith Willson's most famous work. "The Music Man" premiered in 1957 and became an instant hit, with some 1,375 performances. It won three Tony Awards, and Robert Preston won a Theater World Award for his portrayal of Professor Harold Hill. The cast recording won the first Grammy for its category. The show was adapted twice for film.
And to show that he had more than one Broadway show in him, Willson's second musical was "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", which ran for more than 500 performances.
The Mason City native once called the show "an Iowan's attempt to pay tribute to his home state". And the world learned of River City, through the genius of Meredith Willson, when "The Music Man" premiered on Broadway, on this date in 1957.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, December 18, 2019
"The Wizard of Spirit Lake"
It’s always been a popular spot for sportsmen, the area around Spirit Lake. And it’s therefore not surprising that many well-known sportsmen hail from that area.
One of the most famous was Fred Gilbert, known to all as Dood Gilbert…and known to trap shooters as the Wizard of Spirit Lake.
He was born on December 18th, 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, and it was said that young Fred Gilbert had a shotgun in his hands from the time he was able to carry one. At an early age, it was also clear he had a skill that would make him known around the world.
Trap shooting was such a big part of his life that he named his daughter Annie, after Annie Oakley, and his son Tom Marshall, after a fellow shooter and Dood’s longtime mentor.
He won the World’s Pigeon Shooting Championship in Baltimore in 1895 just before he turned 30 years of age, and from then on, shooting became his livelihood.
In the early 1900s, he traveled around the country in a private railroad car, competing at shoots for his employers, the DuPont Powder Company and the Parker Gun Company. He shot targets in every state in the union, as well as in England, Scotland, and Ireland. For years, his run of 591 straight hits in competition stood as a world record.
Dood Gilbert was inducted into the Amateur Trapshooting Association Hall of Fame in 1969, and a park toward the north end of Spirit Lake bears his name. Two others from Spirit Lake are also in the Hall—Johnny Jahn, inducted in 1976, and Bob Allen, inducted in 1982; no other town in America can claim three Hall of Famers.
Fred Gilbert…Dood…a Hall of Fame trapshooter, born in Spirit Lake, on this date in 1865.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Wizard of Spirit Lake"
It’s always been a popular spot for sportsmen, the area around Spirit Lake. And it’s therefore not surprising that many well-known sportsmen hail from that area.
One of the most famous was Fred Gilbert, known to all as Dood Gilbert…and known to trap shooters as the Wizard of Spirit Lake.
He was born on December 18th, 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, and it was said that young Fred Gilbert had a shotgun in his hands from the time he was able to carry one. At an early age, it was also clear he had a skill that would make him known around the world.
Trap shooting was such a big part of his life that he named his daughter Annie, after Annie Oakley, and his son Tom Marshall, after a fellow shooter and Dood’s longtime mentor.
He won the World’s Pigeon Shooting Championship in Baltimore in 1895 just before he turned 30 years of age, and from then on, shooting became his livelihood.
In the early 1900s, he traveled around the country in a private railroad car, competing at shoots for his employers, the DuPont Powder Company and the Parker Gun Company. He shot targets in every state in the union, as well as in England, Scotland, and Ireland. For years, his run of 591 straight hits in competition stood as a world record.
Dood Gilbert was inducted into the Amateur Trapshooting Association Hall of Fame in 1969, and a park toward the north end of Spirit Lake bears his name. Two others from Spirit Lake are also in the Hall—Johnny Jahn, inducted in 1976, and Bob Allen, inducted in 1982; no other town in America can claim three Hall of Famers.
Fred Gilbert…Dood…a Hall of Fame trapshooter, born in Spirit Lake, on this date in 1865.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, December 17, 2019
"Life Is A Terrible Thing To Sleep Through"
Peter Hedges was born in West Des Moines in 1962. His mother was a psychotherapist; his father, a retired Episcopalian minister. The Valley High School grad was active in theater while in school, and went on to study drama in college.
Before he was 30 years of age, Hedges published his first novel. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" told the story of a young man in Endora, Iowa, who has to care for his challenged brother Arnie and his obese mother, all of which gets in the way when love walks into his life. One review called it a classic American novel. The book was made into a movie, which premiered on December 17th, 1993.
The movie starred a young Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, and an even younger Leonardo DiCaprio as his brother Arnie.
DiCaprio earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in the film, which grossed more than $10 million nationally at the box office.
Hedges wrote the screenplay, adapting his own novel. In 2002, he received his own Academy Award nomination for adapting the screenplay for the film "About A Boy". More recently, he not only writes but directs his films.
The movie poster used the phrase "life is a terrible thing to sleep through" to promote the story of a young man whose life is at a crossroads in small town Iowa. The movie, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", from the book written by Iowa native Peter Hedges, premiered on this date in 1993.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Life Is A Terrible Thing To Sleep Through"
Peter Hedges was born in West Des Moines in 1962. His mother was a psychotherapist; his father, a retired Episcopalian minister. The Valley High School grad was active in theater while in school, and went on to study drama in college.
Before he was 30 years of age, Hedges published his first novel. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" told the story of a young man in Endora, Iowa, who has to care for his challenged brother Arnie and his obese mother, all of which gets in the way when love walks into his life. One review called it a classic American novel. The book was made into a movie, which premiered on December 17th, 1993.
The movie starred a young Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape, and an even younger Leonardo DiCaprio as his brother Arnie.
DiCaprio earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in the film, which grossed more than $10 million nationally at the box office.
Hedges wrote the screenplay, adapting his own novel. In 2002, he received his own Academy Award nomination for adapting the screenplay for the film "About A Boy". More recently, he not only writes but directs his films.
The movie poster used the phrase "life is a terrible thing to sleep through" to promote the story of a young man whose life is at a crossroads in small town Iowa. The movie, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", from the book written by Iowa native Peter Hedges, premiered on this date in 1993.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, December 16, 2019
"Shock Waves"
These days we know a lot about earthquakes, including measurement of their severity and to a limited degree, predicting where they might occur.
That was not the case in 1811, a time when communication was limited and it literally took days and weeks to get information from one point to another.
On December 16th, 1811, the most powerful earthquakes to hit the contiguous United States east of the Rocky Mountains occurred. The earthquakes shook all corners of the land that would soon become the Iowa Territory, and later, the state of Iowa.
The epicenter was in what is now northeast Arkansas, and the series of estimated 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that day and the next were named for the nearby Mississippi River town of New Madrid, which is now in the state of Missouri.
The earthquakes were strongly felt over a 50,000 square mile area, and roughly felt across a million square miles of our country.
Damage was not as severe as you might expect, because so much of the area at the time was sparsely populated, and largely rural. Aftershocks continued for two months.
Witnesses recall an awful noise like loud but distant thunder and awoke to find cracks in the structures of buildings.
The area is now part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and analysts predict a 7 to 10 percent chance of another major earthquake in that region in the next 50 years.
The first earthquakes ever reported to be felt in Iowa were part of the New Madrid earthquakes, which started on this date in 1811.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Shock Waves"
These days we know a lot about earthquakes, including measurement of their severity and to a limited degree, predicting where they might occur.
That was not the case in 1811, a time when communication was limited and it literally took days and weeks to get information from one point to another.
On December 16th, 1811, the most powerful earthquakes to hit the contiguous United States east of the Rocky Mountains occurred. The earthquakes shook all corners of the land that would soon become the Iowa Territory, and later, the state of Iowa.
The epicenter was in what is now northeast Arkansas, and the series of estimated 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that day and the next were named for the nearby Mississippi River town of New Madrid, which is now in the state of Missouri.
The earthquakes were strongly felt over a 50,000 square mile area, and roughly felt across a million square miles of our country.
Damage was not as severe as you might expect, because so much of the area at the time was sparsely populated, and largely rural. Aftershocks continued for two months.
Witnesses recall an awful noise like loud but distant thunder and awoke to find cracks in the structures of buildings.
The area is now part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and analysts predict a 7 to 10 percent chance of another major earthquake in that region in the next 50 years.
The first earthquakes ever reported to be felt in Iowa were part of the New Madrid earthquakes, which started on this date in 1811.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, December 13, 2019
"It Changed His Heart"
The 2000 Iowa Caucuses were held on January 24th that year. Candidate debates were more limited then, just two decades ago. So it was quite an event when all six remaining Republican candidates were on the same stage in Des Moines on December 13th, 1999, some six weeks before our first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Six seemed like a lot of candidates...they included Alan Keyes, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, John McCain, and George W. Bush.
Bush was leading in the polls, but he truly made news with his answer to a question posed by one of the debate moderators, John Bachman of Channel 13 in Des Moines. Bachman asked the candidates, "What political philosopher or thinker do you most identify with and why?" When it was his turn, the Texas governor gave a somewhat unique answer.
BUSH: Christ, because he changed my heart.
BACHMAN: I think that the viewer would like to know more on how He has changed your heart.
BUSH: Well, if they don't know it is going to be hard to explain. When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the savior, it changes your heart, it changes your life
Bush went on to win the Iowa Caucus and his party's nomination, then won the presidency in one of the closest votes in American history, not decided until a U.S. Supreme Court decision 35 days after election day.
But it was during a Des Moines debate that he identified Christ as a political philosopher he admired, on this date in 1999…20 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"It Changed His Heart"
The 2000 Iowa Caucuses were held on January 24th that year. Candidate debates were more limited then, just two decades ago. So it was quite an event when all six remaining Republican candidates were on the same stage in Des Moines on December 13th, 1999, some six weeks before our first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Six seemed like a lot of candidates...they included Alan Keyes, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, John McCain, and George W. Bush.
Bush was leading in the polls, but he truly made news with his answer to a question posed by one of the debate moderators, John Bachman of Channel 13 in Des Moines. Bachman asked the candidates, "What political philosopher or thinker do you most identify with and why?" When it was his turn, the Texas governor gave a somewhat unique answer.
BUSH: Christ, because he changed my heart.
BACHMAN: I think that the viewer would like to know more on how He has changed your heart.
BUSH: Well, if they don't know it is going to be hard to explain. When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the savior, it changes your heart, it changes your life
Bush went on to win the Iowa Caucus and his party's nomination, then won the presidency in one of the closest votes in American history, not decided until a U.S. Supreme Court decision 35 days after election day.
But it was during a Des Moines debate that he identified Christ as a political philosopher he admired, on this date in 1999…20 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, December 12, 2019
"The Oldest Co-op"
The oldest active cooperative elevator in the United States was incorporated in Marcus, in Cherokee County, on December 12th, 1887.
The inspiration for co-ops comes from an English society that was formed in 1844, where supplies were sold at market price and savings returned to purchasers in proportion to the volume of their patronage.
There was a need for a fairer deal for farmers in the post-Civil War era. Railroads often constructed elevators in towns along the rail line. Those elevators were typically controlled by a single individual, and the price was fixed at each elevator along the rail line. That meant no competition and poor results for farmers. It was not uncommon for the rail line elevator to realize a 50 percent profit margin on grain.
Co-op elevators started to pop up in Iowa around this time, but the one in Marcus was the earliest one to become permanent.
It was originally called the Marcus Shipping Association, and as a result, the town was soon recognized as the second most important shipping point between Dubuque and Sioux City. While it was authorized to be a general purchasing and shipping business, it soon was known as "the farmers elevator" because of the large amount of small grain, wheat and oats, barley and flax, received there.
By 1912, the entity was reincorporated as the Farmers Elevator Company, and the Shipping Association name was used for a separate livestock marketing service.
In more recent years, the Farmers Coop of Marcus merged with entities in Cleghorn, Cherokee, Meriden and Larrabee, taking the name First Farmers Cooperative Elevator in honor of being the country's oldest active co-op, which was organized in Marcus on this date in 1887.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Oldest Co-op"
The oldest active cooperative elevator in the United States was incorporated in Marcus, in Cherokee County, on December 12th, 1887.
The inspiration for co-ops comes from an English society that was formed in 1844, where supplies were sold at market price and savings returned to purchasers in proportion to the volume of their patronage.
There was a need for a fairer deal for farmers in the post-Civil War era. Railroads often constructed elevators in towns along the rail line. Those elevators were typically controlled by a single individual, and the price was fixed at each elevator along the rail line. That meant no competition and poor results for farmers. It was not uncommon for the rail line elevator to realize a 50 percent profit margin on grain.
Co-op elevators started to pop up in Iowa around this time, but the one in Marcus was the earliest one to become permanent.
It was originally called the Marcus Shipping Association, and as a result, the town was soon recognized as the second most important shipping point between Dubuque and Sioux City. While it was authorized to be a general purchasing and shipping business, it soon was known as "the farmers elevator" because of the large amount of small grain, wheat and oats, barley and flax, received there.
By 1912, the entity was reincorporated as the Farmers Elevator Company, and the Shipping Association name was used for a separate livestock marketing service.
In more recent years, the Farmers Coop of Marcus merged with entities in Cleghorn, Cherokee, Meriden and Larrabee, taking the name First Farmers Cooperative Elevator in honor of being the country's oldest active co-op, which was organized in Marcus on this date in 1887.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, December 11, 2019
"Partnering with the Soviets"
It was no surprise that young John Chrystal would be involved in agriculture and dealings with the Soviet Union.
Chrystal's uncle was Roswell Garst, who hosted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on his farm in 1959. Chrystal was there, and soon followed in his uncle's footsteps, making his own first trip to the Soviet Union in 1960, touring key agricultural areas and offering criticism of Soviet farming methods.
John Chrystal was invited back more than 30 times over the years, and became a confidant not only of Khrushchev, but of a then-obscure official named Mikhail Gorbachev.
Chrystal was criticized at times for this close association with the Soviets, but in his view, if they prospered from learning better ag methods, they would become better customers of the U.S.
"And if we can be less afraid of each other," he said, "we have a better chance of stopping the arms race and not blowing each other up."
He became chairman and CEO of the Bankers Trust Company in the 1980s, while maintaining a partnership with his brother, running the family farm. He even ran for the Democrat nomination for governor.
As a country banker in Iowa, he helped farmers achieve their dreams by providing money to grow their corn and hog operations. As an international ag expert, he lent advice on growing methods and trade relations. John Chrystal of Coon Rapids, born on this date in 1925.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Partnering with the Soviets"
It was no surprise that young John Chrystal would be involved in agriculture and dealings with the Soviet Union.
Chrystal's uncle was Roswell Garst, who hosted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on his farm in 1959. Chrystal was there, and soon followed in his uncle's footsteps, making his own first trip to the Soviet Union in 1960, touring key agricultural areas and offering criticism of Soviet farming methods.
John Chrystal was invited back more than 30 times over the years, and became a confidant not only of Khrushchev, but of a then-obscure official named Mikhail Gorbachev.
Chrystal was criticized at times for this close association with the Soviets, but in his view, if they prospered from learning better ag methods, they would become better customers of the U.S.
"And if we can be less afraid of each other," he said, "we have a better chance of stopping the arms race and not blowing each other up."
He became chairman and CEO of the Bankers Trust Company in the 1980s, while maintaining a partnership with his brother, running the family farm. He even ran for the Democrat nomination for governor.
As a country banker in Iowa, he helped farmers achieve their dreams by providing money to grow their corn and hog operations. As an international ag expert, he lent advice on growing methods and trade relations. John Chrystal of Coon Rapids, born on this date in 1925.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, December 10, 2019
"On The Cover"
Albert Cummins was a powerful Iowa political figure. He served as our state's 18th governor, and later for 18 years as a U.S. Senator from the state. He even ran for president twice, in both 1912 and 1916.
After an early career as a civil engineer building railroads, he became a lawyer. In his most famous case, he represented a group of farmers in an attempt to break an eastern syndicate's control of the production of barbed wire.
A Republican, he generally supported Democrat President Woodrow Wilson's efforts to regulate business, and even wrote a clause of the Sherman Anti-trust Act. But on foreign policy matters, especially as they related to the First World War, he stuck to his party's platform.
Cummins was president pro tem of the U.S. Senate for six years, from 1919 to 1925. He also chaired the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee and the body's committee on interstate commerce.
It was because of that power in Washington that a new weekly newsmagazine put Albert Cummins on the cover of its December 10th, 1923 issue. The magazine had only been around for six months at that point, but it would come to be one of the most recognized names in American journalism--Time magazine.
Cummins lost a primary fight for re-election in 1926, and died a month after at the age of 76.
A national political figure from Iowa, governor and U.S. senator Albert Cummins was pictured on the cover of Time magazine, on this date in 1923.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"On The Cover"
Albert Cummins was a powerful Iowa political figure. He served as our state's 18th governor, and later for 18 years as a U.S. Senator from the state. He even ran for president twice, in both 1912 and 1916.
After an early career as a civil engineer building railroads, he became a lawyer. In his most famous case, he represented a group of farmers in an attempt to break an eastern syndicate's control of the production of barbed wire.
A Republican, he generally supported Democrat President Woodrow Wilson's efforts to regulate business, and even wrote a clause of the Sherman Anti-trust Act. But on foreign policy matters, especially as they related to the First World War, he stuck to his party's platform.
Cummins was president pro tem of the U.S. Senate for six years, from 1919 to 1925. He also chaired the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee and the body's committee on interstate commerce.
It was because of that power in Washington that a new weekly newsmagazine put Albert Cummins on the cover of its December 10th, 1923 issue. The magazine had only been around for six months at that point, but it would come to be one of the most recognized names in American journalism--Time magazine.
Cummins lost a primary fight for re-election in 1926, and died a month after at the age of 76.
A national political figure from Iowa, governor and U.S. senator Albert Cummins was pictured on the cover of Time magazine, on this date in 1923.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, December 9, 2019
"The First Heisman"
John Jay Berwanger was born in Dubuque on March 19, 1914. He was a talented athlete and played football at the University of Chicago in the 1930s, when the school was part of the Big Ten Conference.
Berwanger played halfback for the Maroons. But that wasn't all. He called plays, ran, passed, punted, blocked, tackled, kicked off, kicked extra points, and returned punts and kickoffs.
In a 1934 game against Michigan, he was tackled by future president Gerald Ford. But the tackle was more memorable for Ford, who suffered a gash under his left eye while making the tackle, and bore the scar the rest of his life.
In November 1935, Jay Berwanger received a telegram from Manhattan's Downtown Athletic Club, informing him he had won a trophy for being the most valuable football player east of the Mississippi. It included a trip for two to New York, which Berwanger later said was more important than the trophy, because it included his first airplane flight.
That first trophy actually didn't have a name. It was named for athletic club director John W. Heisman the following year.
That wasn't the end of firsts for Jay Berwanger. In the first National Football League draft in the spring of 1936, he was the first player selected by the Philadelphia Eagles. They traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, but Berwanger and legendary Bears coach George Halas could not agree on a salary. So he never played pro ball.
For some years, that trophy was actually used as a doorstop in his aunt's house. Later, as the award became more prestigious, the trophy was placed on display at the university.
The first winner of what became the Heisman Trophy, Dubuque native Jay Berwanger, picked up his trophy in New York on this date in 1935.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The First Heisman"
John Jay Berwanger was born in Dubuque on March 19, 1914. He was a talented athlete and played football at the University of Chicago in the 1930s, when the school was part of the Big Ten Conference.
Berwanger played halfback for the Maroons. But that wasn't all. He called plays, ran, passed, punted, blocked, tackled, kicked off, kicked extra points, and returned punts and kickoffs.
In a 1934 game against Michigan, he was tackled by future president Gerald Ford. But the tackle was more memorable for Ford, who suffered a gash under his left eye while making the tackle, and bore the scar the rest of his life.
In November 1935, Jay Berwanger received a telegram from Manhattan's Downtown Athletic Club, informing him he had won a trophy for being the most valuable football player east of the Mississippi. It included a trip for two to New York, which Berwanger later said was more important than the trophy, because it included his first airplane flight.
That first trophy actually didn't have a name. It was named for athletic club director John W. Heisman the following year.
That wasn't the end of firsts for Jay Berwanger. In the first National Football League draft in the spring of 1936, he was the first player selected by the Philadelphia Eagles. They traded his rights to the Chicago Bears, but Berwanger and legendary Bears coach George Halas could not agree on a salary. So he never played pro ball.
For some years, that trophy was actually used as a doorstop in his aunt's house. Later, as the award became more prestigious, the trophy was placed on display at the university.
The first winner of what became the Heisman Trophy, Dubuque native Jay Berwanger, picked up his trophy in New York on this date in 1935.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, December 6, 2019
"Iowa's OSCAR Winner"
Dominic Felix Amici's father was concerned that the Kenosha, Wisconsin boy might fall in with the wrong elements. So the Italian immigrant saloon-keeper sent his 11 year old son to Iowa in 1919.
Young Dom attended St. Birchman's Boys Academy in Marion, where as an 8th grader, he first tried acting, and found it to his liking. He later attended what is now Loras College in Dubuque, where the yearbook described him as one of the most promising actors at the school.
In the early 1930s, actors were making a living performing in radio dramas, and Chicago was one of the nation's broadcasting centers at the time. Amici's rich baritone voice put him in demand, and it wasn't long before he parlayed his radio career into a Hollywood movie career.
Now known as Don Ameche, he made his movie debut in 1936, playing dual roles in the movie "Sins of Man". His portrayal of Alexander Graham Bell in 1939 won him rave reviews, as did the 1943 comedy "Heaven Can Wait". He was part of radio's quarrelsome couple "The Bickersons" and starred on Broadway.
Don Ameche turned to directing in the 1960s and 1970s, but made his return to the movie screen in 1983's "Trading Places". And he was discovered by a new generation for his Oscar-winning performance in the 1985 film "Cocoon".
Don Ameche always considered Iowa his home base, marrying a woman from Dubuque and raising their six children there part-time.
For seven decades, Don Ameche found fame in show business, appearing regularly in major films until his death from prostate cancer, on this date in 1993.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Iowa's OSCAR Winner"
Dominic Felix Amici's father was concerned that the Kenosha, Wisconsin boy might fall in with the wrong elements. So the Italian immigrant saloon-keeper sent his 11 year old son to Iowa in 1919.
Young Dom attended St. Birchman's Boys Academy in Marion, where as an 8th grader, he first tried acting, and found it to his liking. He later attended what is now Loras College in Dubuque, where the yearbook described him as one of the most promising actors at the school.
In the early 1930s, actors were making a living performing in radio dramas, and Chicago was one of the nation's broadcasting centers at the time. Amici's rich baritone voice put him in demand, and it wasn't long before he parlayed his radio career into a Hollywood movie career.
Now known as Don Ameche, he made his movie debut in 1936, playing dual roles in the movie "Sins of Man". His portrayal of Alexander Graham Bell in 1939 won him rave reviews, as did the 1943 comedy "Heaven Can Wait". He was part of radio's quarrelsome couple "The Bickersons" and starred on Broadway.
Don Ameche turned to directing in the 1960s and 1970s, but made his return to the movie screen in 1983's "Trading Places". And he was discovered by a new generation for his Oscar-winning performance in the 1985 film "Cocoon".
Don Ameche always considered Iowa his home base, marrying a woman from Dubuque and raising their six children there part-time.
For seven decades, Don Ameche found fame in show business, appearing regularly in major films until his death from prostate cancer, on this date in 1993.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, December 5, 2019
"Angels at Rest"
It's every parent's nightmare...a call that says your child is missing.
On July 13th, 2012, cousins Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins were being watched by their grandmother in Evansdale, a city of about 4,700 residents in Black Hawk County. Around the noon hour, the girls went for a bike ride. They were seen shortly before 1 p.m. on their bikes near Meyers Lake, a popular fishing and recreation area.
That was the last time the girls were seen. When they did not return from the bike ride, people began looking for the girls. Both their bikes and Elizabeth's purse were found on a trail on the southeast corner of the lake later that afternoon, but there was no sign of the girls.
In the early afternoon of December 5th, 2012, nearly five months after the girls disappeared, hunters found their bodies in the Seven Bridges Park, a remote wildlife area near Readlyn in Bremer County, some 25 miles from where the girls were last seen.
Early in 2013, officials renamed the trail and park at Meyers Lake to honor the girls' memory and those of others in the area who were killed. It's now called "Angels' Park" and a small island at the lake is "Angels' Park Memorial Island".
While rumors and theories are abundant, the identity of the person or persons who abducted and killed the girls is still not known. In order to help the investigation, how the girls were killed has not been released to the public.
The case of two missing Black Hawk County girls became a murder investigation, when the bodies of 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook were found, on this date in 2012.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Angels at Rest"
It's every parent's nightmare...a call that says your child is missing.
On July 13th, 2012, cousins Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins were being watched by their grandmother in Evansdale, a city of about 4,700 residents in Black Hawk County. Around the noon hour, the girls went for a bike ride. They were seen shortly before 1 p.m. on their bikes near Meyers Lake, a popular fishing and recreation area.
That was the last time the girls were seen. When they did not return from the bike ride, people began looking for the girls. Both their bikes and Elizabeth's purse were found on a trail on the southeast corner of the lake later that afternoon, but there was no sign of the girls.
In the early afternoon of December 5th, 2012, nearly five months after the girls disappeared, hunters found their bodies in the Seven Bridges Park, a remote wildlife area near Readlyn in Bremer County, some 25 miles from where the girls were last seen.
Early in 2013, officials renamed the trail and park at Meyers Lake to honor the girls' memory and those of others in the area who were killed. It's now called "Angels' Park" and a small island at the lake is "Angels' Park Memorial Island".
While rumors and theories are abundant, the identity of the person or persons who abducted and killed the girls is still not known. In order to help the investigation, how the girls were killed has not been released to the public.
The case of two missing Black Hawk County girls became a murder investigation, when the bodies of 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook were found, on this date in 2012.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, December 4, 2019
"The Most Beautiful Woman in the World"
Helen Louise Leonard was born in Clinton on December 4th, 1861. Her father was an editor of the Clinton Herald newspaper; her mother, a leader of the suffrage movement. They nicknamed her Nellie.
When Nellie Leonard was a child, the family moved to Chicago. By the time she was 15, she had moved to New York and soon became noticed. Her facial features were termed perfect, her figure voluptuous, and her soprano voice beautiful. The Father of Vaudeville, Tony Pastor, discovered Nellie in 1879 and made her a star. But not as Nellie Leonard, rather by the stage name Lillian Russell.
She became known as the Great American Beauty. Earning up to $5,000 per week in the early 1900s, she'd take the stage in a $3,900, diamond-studded corset and sing her signature song, "Come Down, My Evening Star".
She was often seen with her friend, Diamond Jim Brady, riding bicycles in New York's Central Park. She'd be on a gold-plated bike set with diamonds and emeralds, which cost $1,900.
But even as the lavish Lillian Russell, there was still a part of the Iowa girl left. Her favorite food was always corn on the cob.
From a humble beginning in Clinton as Helen Louise Leonard, the glamorous early 20th century performer Lillian Russell was born on this date in 1861.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Most Beautiful Woman in the World"
Helen Louise Leonard was born in Clinton on December 4th, 1861. Her father was an editor of the Clinton Herald newspaper; her mother, a leader of the suffrage movement. They nicknamed her Nellie.
When Nellie Leonard was a child, the family moved to Chicago. By the time she was 15, she had moved to New York and soon became noticed. Her facial features were termed perfect, her figure voluptuous, and her soprano voice beautiful. The Father of Vaudeville, Tony Pastor, discovered Nellie in 1879 and made her a star. But not as Nellie Leonard, rather by the stage name Lillian Russell.
She became known as the Great American Beauty. Earning up to $5,000 per week in the early 1900s, she'd take the stage in a $3,900, diamond-studded corset and sing her signature song, "Come Down, My Evening Star".
She was often seen with her friend, Diamond Jim Brady, riding bicycles in New York's Central Park. She'd be on a gold-plated bike set with diamonds and emeralds, which cost $1,900.
But even as the lavish Lillian Russell, there was still a part of the Iowa girl left. Her favorite food was always corn on the cob.
From a humble beginning in Clinton as Helen Louise Leonard, the glamorous early 20th century performer Lillian Russell was born on this date in 1861.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, December 3, 2019
"The First Inauguration"
Iowa became a state in December of 1846. The territorial government was converted to a state government, and Iowa's first state governor was an unlikely choice.
Ansel Briggs was a Vermont native who moved from Ohio to Iowa in 1839 after hearing of great opportunities in the new land. He opened a stagecoach business and earned a good living transporting mail for the government.
His travel in eastern Iowa for his business led him to become well known, and he soon held various positions, declaring himself a Democrat.
As Iowa was forming its state government, Briggs became a candidate for governor, using as his slogan a toast he had once made at a banquet--"No banks but earth, and they well tilled." He won the nomination against two opponents, and then won the general election against his Whig opponent by only 247 votes out of more than 15,000 cast. (The Republican party had yet to be formed; that would still be eight years away.)
On December 3, 1846, an informal inauguration was held for Iowa's first governor. A committee of two Senators and two Representatives escorted Briggs into the House Chamber of the Capitol in Iowa City. The Chief Justice administered an oath. Then the governor sat and listened as his inaugural address was read aloud by a friend who was a member of the state Senate. He asked for the General Assembly's "aid and indulgence" as he began the job.
Briggs declined to serve more than that first four-year term, believing the job should be placed in more capable hands. A consistently humble man, he did not live in Iowa City, the capitol, while governor. He lived in his Iowa home town of Andrew in Jackson County, despite the fact there were no traveled roads from there to Iowa City. Briggs would make the trips on horseback and on foot, days and nights at a time.
That's how Ansel Briggs got to Iowa City to be sworn in as Iowa's first governor, on this date in 1846.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The First Inauguration"
Iowa became a state in December of 1846. The territorial government was converted to a state government, and Iowa's first state governor was an unlikely choice.
Ansel Briggs was a Vermont native who moved from Ohio to Iowa in 1839 after hearing of great opportunities in the new land. He opened a stagecoach business and earned a good living transporting mail for the government.
His travel in eastern Iowa for his business led him to become well known, and he soon held various positions, declaring himself a Democrat.
As Iowa was forming its state government, Briggs became a candidate for governor, using as his slogan a toast he had once made at a banquet--"No banks but earth, and they well tilled." He won the nomination against two opponents, and then won the general election against his Whig opponent by only 247 votes out of more than 15,000 cast. (The Republican party had yet to be formed; that would still be eight years away.)
On December 3, 1846, an informal inauguration was held for Iowa's first governor. A committee of two Senators and two Representatives escorted Briggs into the House Chamber of the Capitol in Iowa City. The Chief Justice administered an oath. Then the governor sat and listened as his inaugural address was read aloud by a friend who was a member of the state Senate. He asked for the General Assembly's "aid and indulgence" as he began the job.
Briggs declined to serve more than that first four-year term, believing the job should be placed in more capable hands. A consistently humble man, he did not live in Iowa City, the capitol, while governor. He lived in his Iowa home town of Andrew in Jackson County, despite the fact there were no traveled roads from there to Iowa City. Briggs would make the trips on horseback and on foot, days and nights at a time.
That's how Ansel Briggs got to Iowa City to be sworn in as Iowa's first governor, on this date in 1846.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, December 2, 2019
"The Ames Project"
Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, the head of physical chemistry at Iowa State College, Professor Frank Spedding, was quietly recruited by the federal government for a war-related project. After travelling to meetings in Chicago and elsewhere, Spedding convinced his colleagues that his portion of the research should be done in his lab in Ames. Iowa State president Charles Friley gave his permission, even though details at the project were top secret and he himself didn't have the proper security clearance at the time.
Spedding had expertise in spectroscopy and separation of rare earth elements. That was important because he now was part of the Manhattan Project, which led to development of the atomic bomb. Spedding and his team in Ames, including chemist Harley Wilhelm, were tasked with the job of transforming bulk uranium ore into highly purified uranium metal. By February 1942, only two months after the U.S. entered World War II, a new team was up and running in Ames.
By September of that year, they had their first breakthrough...creation of small blocks of pure uranium metal, the first ones ever manufactured. On December 2nd, 1942, Spedding and a group of 40 scientists, including the noted physicist Enrico Fermi, watched a test of the Iowa State discovery at the University of Chicago. Workers there had converted an old squash court into a mini-reactor. The material developed in Ames was the key component leading to a reaction and production of nuclear energy, which would later be channeled into development of the most destructive bomb ever created.
Work continued in Ames secretly, and then on August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped from a plane piloted by a former Iowan. The work of the Ames Project then became known.
The Manhattan Project's first breakthrough, converting theory to practice, was made possible because of research done at Iowa State, successfully tested on this date in 1942.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Ames Project"
Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, the head of physical chemistry at Iowa State College, Professor Frank Spedding, was quietly recruited by the federal government for a war-related project. After travelling to meetings in Chicago and elsewhere, Spedding convinced his colleagues that his portion of the research should be done in his lab in Ames. Iowa State president Charles Friley gave his permission, even though details at the project were top secret and he himself didn't have the proper security clearance at the time.
Spedding had expertise in spectroscopy and separation of rare earth elements. That was important because he now was part of the Manhattan Project, which led to development of the atomic bomb. Spedding and his team in Ames, including chemist Harley Wilhelm, were tasked with the job of transforming bulk uranium ore into highly purified uranium metal. By February 1942, only two months after the U.S. entered World War II, a new team was up and running in Ames.
By September of that year, they had their first breakthrough...creation of small blocks of pure uranium metal, the first ones ever manufactured. On December 2nd, 1942, Spedding and a group of 40 scientists, including the noted physicist Enrico Fermi, watched a test of the Iowa State discovery at the University of Chicago. Workers there had converted an old squash court into a mini-reactor. The material developed in Ames was the key component leading to a reaction and production of nuclear energy, which would later be channeled into development of the most destructive bomb ever created.
Work continued in Ames secretly, and then on August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped from a plane piloted by a former Iowan. The work of the Ames Project then became known.
The Manhattan Project's first breakthrough, converting theory to practice, was made possible because of research done at Iowa State, successfully tested on this date in 1942.
And that's Iowa Almanac for December 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.