"Iowa Almanac" is a copyrighted production of 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.
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 Thursday, February 28, 2019
"The Inventor of Nylon"
Those who have great talent, often have great personal burdens. This is one of those stories.
Wallace Hume Carothers was born in Burlington on April 27th of 1896. He was the oldest of four siblings, and his father was a college teacher and administrator. His favorite sister became well known as part of a musical trio that performed on radio.
Wallace became a scientist and began teaching at the University of South Dakota, working on organic chemistry, especially bonding. After obtaining his PhD in 1924, he began teaching at Harvard, and started experimenting with chemical structures of polymers with high molecular weight.
About that same time, in 1928, the DuPont chemical company did something unique at the time...it opened a laboratory for basic research, for development of artificial materials. Carothers found he enjoyed research more than teaching, and joined their team. He separated himself from others by his creativity, enthusiasm, and ability to bring out the best in those working for him. His team developed the first synthetic rubber, called neoprene, in 1931.
As the 1930s began, the U.S. was having a hard time obtaining enough silk to meet commercial demand due to political and trade trouble with Japan, the primary silk supplier. So Wallace Carothers and his team developed a synthetic fiber that could take the place of silk. As the research progressed, he published 31 academic research papers on the subject of polymers, helping establish terminology in the field commonly used today.
On February 28, 1935, a patent was granted for that synthetic fiber. The company called it nylon, and it quickly replaced silk since it was strong, elastic, and unaffected by water. Within five years, nylon stockings were introduced...and nearly 800-thousand were sold on the first day. By the next year, nylon stockings captured a third of the hosiery market.
But Wallace Carothers did not live to see that. He was prone to depression, disliked socializing, and hated public speaking. Less than two years after the discovery of nylon, in 1937, his favorite sister died suddenly, and it threw him into a deep depression that resulted in him taking his own life a few months later...two days after his 41st birthday, and shortly before the birth of his first child.
The brilliant scientist and researcher Wallace Carothers never knew how popular his creation would be. But he did know the success of developing nylon, on this date in 1935.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 28th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Inventor of Nylon"
Those who have great talent, often have great personal burdens. This is one of those stories.
Wallace Hume Carothers was born in Burlington on April 27th of 1896. He was the oldest of four siblings, and his father was a college teacher and administrator. His favorite sister became well known as part of a musical trio that performed on radio.
Wallace became a scientist and began teaching at the University of South Dakota, working on organic chemistry, especially bonding. After obtaining his PhD in 1924, he began teaching at Harvard, and started experimenting with chemical structures of polymers with high molecular weight.
About that same time, in 1928, the DuPont chemical company did something unique at the time...it opened a laboratory for basic research, for development of artificial materials. Carothers found he enjoyed research more than teaching, and joined their team. He separated himself from others by his creativity, enthusiasm, and ability to bring out the best in those working for him. His team developed the first synthetic rubber, called neoprene, in 1931.
As the 1930s began, the U.S. was having a hard time obtaining enough silk to meet commercial demand due to political and trade trouble with Japan, the primary silk supplier. So Wallace Carothers and his team developed a synthetic fiber that could take the place of silk. As the research progressed, he published 31 academic research papers on the subject of polymers, helping establish terminology in the field commonly used today.
On February 28, 1935, a patent was granted for that synthetic fiber. The company called it nylon, and it quickly replaced silk since it was strong, elastic, and unaffected by water. Within five years, nylon stockings were introduced...and nearly 800-thousand were sold on the first day. By the next year, nylon stockings captured a third of the hosiery market.
But Wallace Carothers did not live to see that. He was prone to depression, disliked socializing, and hated public speaking. Less than two years after the discovery of nylon, in 1937, his favorite sister died suddenly, and it threw him into a deep depression that resulted in him taking his own life a few months later...two days after his 41st birthday, and shortly before the birth of his first child.
The brilliant scientist and researcher Wallace Carothers never knew how popular his creation would be. But he did know the success of developing nylon, on this date in 1935.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 28th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, February 27, 2019
"Starting the Presses"
Newspapers have evolved over time. Now we read them in print and on line. One of the best ways for students to learn the craft of journalism is to have a practicum publication. And on February 27, 1897, the students at Morningside College in Sioux City published the first edition of their student newspaper. It was called L’Echo, presumably to reflect the voices of the students. But the name changed the next year to the Collegian Reporter.
A number of famous Morningside graduates took a turn writing for the Morningside Collegian Reporter during its 120 year history.
Former Iowa governor William L. Harding wrote for the paper, as did novelist Josephine Herbst, the editor of Ebony magazine, Era Bell Thompson, and Des Moines Register editor William Waymack.
But among the Collegian Reporter’s most famous writers were twin sisters Esther and Pauline Friedman, who were born in Sioux City on July 4, 1918. The Friedman twins wrote a gossip column for the paper in the 1930s called The Campus Rat. That wound up being pretty good training for Esther and Pauline…who went on to become the nationally renowned advice columnists Ann Landers and Dear Abby, respectively.
In a sign of the times, the Collegian Reporter stopped publishing a print edition in 2009. But it’s still there as an on-line publication, maintaining the tradition that started with that first edition of L’Echo, published on this date in 1897.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Starting the Presses"
Newspapers have evolved over time. Now we read them in print and on line. One of the best ways for students to learn the craft of journalism is to have a practicum publication. And on February 27, 1897, the students at Morningside College in Sioux City published the first edition of their student newspaper. It was called L’Echo, presumably to reflect the voices of the students. But the name changed the next year to the Collegian Reporter.
A number of famous Morningside graduates took a turn writing for the Morningside Collegian Reporter during its 120 year history.
Former Iowa governor William L. Harding wrote for the paper, as did novelist Josephine Herbst, the editor of Ebony magazine, Era Bell Thompson, and Des Moines Register editor William Waymack.
But among the Collegian Reporter’s most famous writers were twin sisters Esther and Pauline Friedman, who were born in Sioux City on July 4, 1918. The Friedman twins wrote a gossip column for the paper in the 1930s called The Campus Rat. That wound up being pretty good training for Esther and Pauline…who went on to become the nationally renowned advice columnists Ann Landers and Dear Abby, respectively.
In a sign of the times, the Collegian Reporter stopped publishing a print edition in 2009. But it’s still there as an on-line publication, maintaining the tradition that started with that first edition of L’Echo, published on this date in 1897.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, February 26, 2019
"Bringing Home the Bacon"
Iowa is the nation’s biggest producer of pork. In fact, nearly five percent of Iowa’s income comes from the production of bacon alone.
So it’s probably not surprising that various “bacon festivals” have sprung up in the last few years, in Des Moines and Waterloo among other places.
But the Iowa House gave the current bacon craze additional credibility in 2011, when it declared February 26th to be Iowa Bacon Day. It was in conjunction with the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, which was in its fourth year at the time.
The proclamation notes that Maine has lobster, Idaho has potatoes…but Iowa has bacon, what they termed “nature’s perfect food”. The proclamation continues:
“Whereas, whether plain or apple-wood smoked, whether store-bought or artisan-made, bacon is a meat for any meal; and whereas, as America’s top pork producer, Iowa stands tall as the nation’s source of high-quality bacon…be it resolved by the House of Representatives that the House recognizes February 26, 2011, be Iowa Bacon Day and invites all Iowans to take part in the festival and to celebrate bacon.”
80 percent of Americans eat bacon…nature’s perfect food…as recognized by the Iowa House on this date in 2011.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Bringing Home the Bacon"
Iowa is the nation’s biggest producer of pork. In fact, nearly five percent of Iowa’s income comes from the production of bacon alone.
So it’s probably not surprising that various “bacon festivals” have sprung up in the last few years, in Des Moines and Waterloo among other places.
But the Iowa House gave the current bacon craze additional credibility in 2011, when it declared February 26th to be Iowa Bacon Day. It was in conjunction with the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, which was in its fourth year at the time.
The proclamation notes that Maine has lobster, Idaho has potatoes…but Iowa has bacon, what they termed “nature’s perfect food”. The proclamation continues:
“Whereas, whether plain or apple-wood smoked, whether store-bought or artisan-made, bacon is a meat for any meal; and whereas, as America’s top pork producer, Iowa stands tall as the nation’s source of high-quality bacon…be it resolved by the House of Representatives that the House recognizes February 26, 2011, be Iowa Bacon Day and invites all Iowans to take part in the festival and to celebrate bacon.”
80 percent of Americans eat bacon…nature’s perfect food…as recognized by the Iowa House on this date in 2011.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, February 25, 2019
"Creating A University"
Iowa had officially been a state for less than two months, when on February 25, 1847, the Iowa legislature voted to establish a state university. And it only made sense to place that university where the state's capitol was located, Iowa City.
The State University of Iowa took a while to welcome students and actually hold classes. The first faculty offered instruction to students in March of 1855 in the Old Mechanics Building, which is where Seashore Hall was located for many years before it was recently torn down. By September of that year, there were 124 students, including 41 women.
That same year, 1855, saw the university start collecting books for a library. The university received 50 books that year...a good start for a facility that would open in 1857 and become one of the nation's largest research libraries.
In 1857, the state's capitol moved to Des Moines, and the Old Capitol Building became the first permanent home of the university, and it's still its signature building today.
Early on, there were nine departments offering programs in Ancient and Modern Languages, Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, History, Natural History, Mathematics and Chemistry.
The first degree from SUI was awarded in 1858 to Dexter Smith, a bachelor of science degree.
But only 59 days after becoming a state, the University of Iowa was founded on this date in 1847.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Creating A University"
Iowa had officially been a state for less than two months, when on February 25, 1847, the Iowa legislature voted to establish a state university. And it only made sense to place that university where the state's capitol was located, Iowa City.
The State University of Iowa took a while to welcome students and actually hold classes. The first faculty offered instruction to students in March of 1855 in the Old Mechanics Building, which is where Seashore Hall was located for many years before it was recently torn down. By September of that year, there were 124 students, including 41 women.
That same year, 1855, saw the university start collecting books for a library. The university received 50 books that year...a good start for a facility that would open in 1857 and become one of the nation's largest research libraries.
In 1857, the state's capitol moved to Des Moines, and the Old Capitol Building became the first permanent home of the university, and it's still its signature building today.
Early on, there were nine departments offering programs in Ancient and Modern Languages, Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, History, Natural History, Mathematics and Chemistry.
The first degree from SUI was awarded in 1858 to Dexter Smith, a bachelor of science degree.
But only 59 days after becoming a state, the University of Iowa was founded on this date in 1847.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, February 22, 2019
"Finishing First, At First"
They ran the 61st Daytona 500 auto race this past Sunday. It’s well known as being the biggest race of the year, and the first race on the yearly NASCAR schedule.
But when the first 500 mile race was run, it was actually the second race of the season. And an Iowan figured prominently.
Johnny Beauchamp was born in Harlan, Iowa. He began his racing career after World War II racing old model stock cars at county fair tracks, and began the 1950s by winning multiple championships at the Playland Park track in Council Bluffs. At the time, NASCAR was focused in the southeastern U.S., and the International Motor Contest Association, IMCA, dominated the Midwest…and Beauchamp dominated IMCA, winning dozens of races and multiple season championships.
Then came 1959, and Beauchamp found himself behind the wheel of a Thunderbird for the first Daytona 500. He took the lead when Fireball Roberts went out on lap 43, and was in the top three places the rest of the race. With about 50 laps left, Lee Petty moved up near the front, and Beauchamp and Petty raced neck-and-neck for the last quarter of the race.
They crossed the line at about the same time, with Iowan Johnny Beauchamp declared the winner. He took the car to victory lane and enjoyed the celebration…but that was not the end of it. Lee Petty protested, saying he was the winner. The Beauchamp side argued that not only was Johnny’s car ahead by two feet, but that Petty had taken more pit stops during the race and was not even on the same lap. At that time, NASCAR had drivers’ wives often counting the laps…far from the scoring system used today.
NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., studied photos and newsreel footage for three days, and then declared Lee Petty the winner, taking the crown away from Beauchamp.
Johnny won the NASCAR event in Atlanta a month later, and one at Nashville the following year before finishing his career in the 1961 Daytona 500…ironically, in that last race, he was involved in an accident with Lee Petty.
The controversial finish helped put NASCAR on the map, when Iowa’s Johnny Beauchamp was originally declared the first winner of the Daytona 500, on this date in 1959.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 22nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Finishing First, At First"
They ran the 61st Daytona 500 auto race this past Sunday. It’s well known as being the biggest race of the year, and the first race on the yearly NASCAR schedule.
But when the first 500 mile race was run, it was actually the second race of the season. And an Iowan figured prominently.
Johnny Beauchamp was born in Harlan, Iowa. He began his racing career after World War II racing old model stock cars at county fair tracks, and began the 1950s by winning multiple championships at the Playland Park track in Council Bluffs. At the time, NASCAR was focused in the southeastern U.S., and the International Motor Contest Association, IMCA, dominated the Midwest…and Beauchamp dominated IMCA, winning dozens of races and multiple season championships.
Then came 1959, and Beauchamp found himself behind the wheel of a Thunderbird for the first Daytona 500. He took the lead when Fireball Roberts went out on lap 43, and was in the top three places the rest of the race. With about 50 laps left, Lee Petty moved up near the front, and Beauchamp and Petty raced neck-and-neck for the last quarter of the race.
They crossed the line at about the same time, with Iowan Johnny Beauchamp declared the winner. He took the car to victory lane and enjoyed the celebration…but that was not the end of it. Lee Petty protested, saying he was the winner. The Beauchamp side argued that not only was Johnny’s car ahead by two feet, but that Petty had taken more pit stops during the race and was not even on the same lap. At that time, NASCAR had drivers’ wives often counting the laps…far from the scoring system used today.
NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., studied photos and newsreel footage for three days, and then declared Lee Petty the winner, taking the crown away from Beauchamp.
Johnny won the NASCAR event in Atlanta a month later, and one at Nashville the following year before finishing his career in the 1961 Daytona 500…ironically, in that last race, he was involved in an accident with Lee Petty.
The controversial finish helped put NASCAR on the map, when Iowa’s Johnny Beauchamp was originally declared the first winner of the Daytona 500, on this date in 1959.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 22nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, February 21, 2019
"Incorporating a Town"
In the spring of 1834, Benjamin Nye laid out a town at the mouth of Pine Creek, the first settlement in what is now Muscatine County. Not long after, Colonel George Davenport brought a stock of goods and built a log cabin nearby, establishing a trading post there.
Colonel John Vanater bought Davenport's trading post and laid out a town of his own in 1836. He named it Bloomington, in honor of his Indiana hometown. In early 1837, Bloomington was named the new county seat. Two years later, the population was 71, and there were 33 buildings in the town.
But by 1850, there was beginning to be some confusion...Bloomington, Indiana; Bloomington, Illinois; Bloomington, Iowa. Local folks thought it might be a good idea to change the name.
One tribe of Native Americans that lived in the area a century before was called Mascoutin, which meant fiery nation. The name was altered to Muscatine, and both the town and county took the new name.
On February 21, 1851, Muscatine was formally incorporated by a special act of the Iowa legislature. It's one of only four Iowa cities that still operate under such special authority.
Mark Twain lived in the city in 1854. He once wrote, "I remember Muscatine for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any on either side of the ocean that equaled them."
Muscatine, incorporated by special action of the state legislature, on this date in 1851.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 21st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Incorporating a Town"
In the spring of 1834, Benjamin Nye laid out a town at the mouth of Pine Creek, the first settlement in what is now Muscatine County. Not long after, Colonel George Davenport brought a stock of goods and built a log cabin nearby, establishing a trading post there.
Colonel John Vanater bought Davenport's trading post and laid out a town of his own in 1836. He named it Bloomington, in honor of his Indiana hometown. In early 1837, Bloomington was named the new county seat. Two years later, the population was 71, and there were 33 buildings in the town.
But by 1850, there was beginning to be some confusion...Bloomington, Indiana; Bloomington, Illinois; Bloomington, Iowa. Local folks thought it might be a good idea to change the name.
One tribe of Native Americans that lived in the area a century before was called Mascoutin, which meant fiery nation. The name was altered to Muscatine, and both the town and county took the new name.
On February 21, 1851, Muscatine was formally incorporated by a special act of the Iowa legislature. It's one of only four Iowa cities that still operate under such special authority.
Mark Twain lived in the city in 1854. He once wrote, "I remember Muscatine for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any on either side of the ocean that equaled them."
Muscatine, incorporated by special action of the state legislature, on this date in 1851.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 21st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, February 20, 2019
"Tribal Bingo"
In the mid-1980s, the Meskwaki settlement consisted of about 4,000 acres of land, and 650 people lived there. The unemployment rate was around 70 percent.
At the time, other tribes were finding financial success through bingo and casino projects, taking advantage of federal laws that granted special privileges to tribes and Native American settlement lands.
But it was not an easy sell within the Meskwaki nation. On December 7, 1984, a vote of tribal members to pursue a bingo hall failed. Two years later, a similar measure passed, and on February 20, 1987, a new bingo hall was opened on the settlement grounds near Tama.
It quickly became a big success, and soon came a movement to expand beyond bingo to include casino gaming. As was the case when the bingo discussion came up, consensus was hard to find. Some tribal members argued in favor of the jobs and income a casino would provide; others were fearful of new problems. In December 1991, the tribe voted to expand beyond bingo, and soon a major addition to the bingo hall housed casino gaming.
The impact on the Meskwaki nation was immediate. The unemployment rate of 70 percent when the bingo hall opened dropped to 40 percent in only 8 years, and to less than 12 percent after the start of casino gaming.
Today, the facility includes a full gaming hall, entertainment complex, hotel, and convenience store, and proceeds have gone to build houses and a school. There's still bingo, too...which is how it began, when Meskwaki Bingo opened near Tama on this date in 1987.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Tribal Bingo"
In the mid-1980s, the Meskwaki settlement consisted of about 4,000 acres of land, and 650 people lived there. The unemployment rate was around 70 percent.
At the time, other tribes were finding financial success through bingo and casino projects, taking advantage of federal laws that granted special privileges to tribes and Native American settlement lands.
But it was not an easy sell within the Meskwaki nation. On December 7, 1984, a vote of tribal members to pursue a bingo hall failed. Two years later, a similar measure passed, and on February 20, 1987, a new bingo hall was opened on the settlement grounds near Tama.
It quickly became a big success, and soon came a movement to expand beyond bingo to include casino gaming. As was the case when the bingo discussion came up, consensus was hard to find. Some tribal members argued in favor of the jobs and income a casino would provide; others were fearful of new problems. In December 1991, the tribe voted to expand beyond bingo, and soon a major addition to the bingo hall housed casino gaming.
The impact on the Meskwaki nation was immediate. The unemployment rate of 70 percent when the bingo hall opened dropped to 40 percent in only 8 years, and to less than 12 percent after the start of casino gaming.
Today, the facility includes a full gaming hall, entertainment complex, hotel, and convenience store, and proceeds have gone to build houses and a school. There's still bingo, too...which is how it began, when Meskwaki Bingo opened near Tama on this date in 1987.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, February 19, 2019
"The Antenna Inventor"
After serving in World War II, John Winegard returned to Burlington, Iowa and found work as a radio repairman. That made sense, since as a boy during the Great Depression, he built his own telegraph set out of a tobacco can, a car horn, and a used battery.
By the late 1940s, the earliest television stations started broadcasting, but only in major cities hundreds of miles away. John wanted to see what the new Chicago station, now WBBM, was putting on the air, so in 1948 he designed and built an outdoor antenna that would allow him to watch TV from Chicago in Burlington. Working out of a friend’s basement, and then his parents’ garage, John Winegard’s designs became more sophisticated, and soon he created the Electro-Lens director system, the first patented improvement on TV antenna design in 25 years.
In 1948, there were fewer than 1 million TV sets in the U.S. Five years later, that number grew to 25 million, all needing antennas to receive the VHF signals of channels 2 through 13. So John founded the Wingeard Company on December 29, 1953.
When the government opened up the UHF band, channels 14 through 83, in 1955, Winegard was there, with the first 82-channel antenna. A few years later, he invented the first electronic booster, to improve signal quality.
For a time, the legendary Paul Harvey advertised Winegard products on the air as a spokesman…so did Arthur Godfrey and Milton Berle.
Today, the company is still based in Burlington, with a worldwide reputation for producing antennae for a variety of uses. It’s operated by his children, who carry on their father’s dream of making his home area a great place to live and work. It’s the legacy John Winegard left when he died, on this date in 2002.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Antenna Inventor"
After serving in World War II, John Winegard returned to Burlington, Iowa and found work as a radio repairman. That made sense, since as a boy during the Great Depression, he built his own telegraph set out of a tobacco can, a car horn, and a used battery.
By the late 1940s, the earliest television stations started broadcasting, but only in major cities hundreds of miles away. John wanted to see what the new Chicago station, now WBBM, was putting on the air, so in 1948 he designed and built an outdoor antenna that would allow him to watch TV from Chicago in Burlington. Working out of a friend’s basement, and then his parents’ garage, John Winegard’s designs became more sophisticated, and soon he created the Electro-Lens director system, the first patented improvement on TV antenna design in 25 years.
In 1948, there were fewer than 1 million TV sets in the U.S. Five years later, that number grew to 25 million, all needing antennas to receive the VHF signals of channels 2 through 13. So John founded the Wingeard Company on December 29, 1953.
When the government opened up the UHF band, channels 14 through 83, in 1955, Winegard was there, with the first 82-channel antenna. A few years later, he invented the first electronic booster, to improve signal quality.
For a time, the legendary Paul Harvey advertised Winegard products on the air as a spokesman…so did Arthur Godfrey and Milton Berle.
Today, the company is still based in Burlington, with a worldwide reputation for producing antennae for a variety of uses. It’s operated by his children, who carry on their father’s dream of making his home area a great place to live and work. It’s the legacy John Winegard left when he died, on this date in 2002.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, February 18, 2019
"Sounds Flying Through The Air"
Robert Karlowa was fascinated with the idea that sounds could travel wirelessly from one point to another. So in 1907, he was one of a growing number of people who set up experimental stations, first in Rock Island, Illinois and then in Davenport, Iowa, sending signals to other hobbyists. The word “radio” had not been invented then.
Karlowa’s interest grew, as did his station. On February 18, 1922, he got a license from the federal government to operate a radio station in Davenport, called WOC. It was the first commercial station in Iowa, and one of the first west of the Mississippi.
But operating a commercial station was more than a hobby, both in time and cost. Soon after, he sold the station to Col. B.J. Palmer, who operated the Palmer School of Chiropractic. Palmer wanted the station to promote the Palmer School and he even gave radio lectures about chiropractic treatment.
Broadcasting became big business for Palmer, who later wrote a book, “Radio Salesmanship”, which became must-reading for those in the industry.
WOC became a charter member of the NBC radio network in 1927, and in 1932, gave a young man a job as a sportscaster…Ronald Reagan. The original WOC left the air for a time in the 1930s, but a new WOC was started soon after.
B.J. Palmer always said WOC stood for Wonders of Chiropractic. It actually didn’t, because those call letters were randomly assigned to the station’s founder, Robert Karlowa, on this date in 1922.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Sounds Flying Through The Air"
Robert Karlowa was fascinated with the idea that sounds could travel wirelessly from one point to another. So in 1907, he was one of a growing number of people who set up experimental stations, first in Rock Island, Illinois and then in Davenport, Iowa, sending signals to other hobbyists. The word “radio” had not been invented then.
Karlowa’s interest grew, as did his station. On February 18, 1922, he got a license from the federal government to operate a radio station in Davenport, called WOC. It was the first commercial station in Iowa, and one of the first west of the Mississippi.
But operating a commercial station was more than a hobby, both in time and cost. Soon after, he sold the station to Col. B.J. Palmer, who operated the Palmer School of Chiropractic. Palmer wanted the station to promote the Palmer School and he even gave radio lectures about chiropractic treatment.
Broadcasting became big business for Palmer, who later wrote a book, “Radio Salesmanship”, which became must-reading for those in the industry.
WOC became a charter member of the NBC radio network in 1927, and in 1932, gave a young man a job as a sportscaster…Ronald Reagan. The original WOC left the air for a time in the 1930s, but a new WOC was started soon after.
B.J. Palmer always said WOC stood for Wonders of Chiropractic. It actually didn’t, because those call letters were randomly assigned to the station’s founder, Robert Karlowa, on this date in 1922.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, February 15, 2019
"Leading Along The Mormon Trail"
The Mormon exodus across Iowa from Nauvoo, Illinois to Winter Quarters, Nebraska took place between February and June of 1846, just before Iowa became a state. By all accounts, it was a tremendously difficult journey, with typhoid, cholera, black scurvy, tuberculosis and more claiming the lives of many who attempted the trip.
Later migrations took place without the loss of a single life, in large part due to lessons learned about emigrating and colonizing during the trek across Iowa.
Brigham Young arrived at the Sugar Creek Camp just inside the Iowa border on February 15th of that year. By that time, there were about 500 wagons and approximately 5,000 persons already in place. Before the year was out, nearly double that many persons left that camp on their way to the west.
Young had led the Mormon Church as president since the death of Joseph Smith nearly two years before. He had originally planned to vacate Nauvoo when the harsh winter ended and spring arrived. But anti-Mormon violence as well as rumors that federal troops were soon coming up the Mississippi River led to a change in plans.
The weather was especially bad. The temperature often dropped to more than 10 degrees below zero at night, as people huddled around great log fires to remain warm.
The movement to Utah began just ten days after the Mormon leader, Brigham Young, arrived at the Sugar Creek Camp just over the Mississippi River in southeast Iowa, on this date in 1846.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 15th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Leading Along The Mormon Trail"
The Mormon exodus across Iowa from Nauvoo, Illinois to Winter Quarters, Nebraska took place between February and June of 1846, just before Iowa became a state. By all accounts, it was a tremendously difficult journey, with typhoid, cholera, black scurvy, tuberculosis and more claiming the lives of many who attempted the trip.
Later migrations took place without the loss of a single life, in large part due to lessons learned about emigrating and colonizing during the trek across Iowa.
Brigham Young arrived at the Sugar Creek Camp just inside the Iowa border on February 15th of that year. By that time, there were about 500 wagons and approximately 5,000 persons already in place. Before the year was out, nearly double that many persons left that camp on their way to the west.
Young had led the Mormon Church as president since the death of Joseph Smith nearly two years before. He had originally planned to vacate Nauvoo when the harsh winter ended and spring arrived. But anti-Mormon violence as well as rumors that federal troops were soon coming up the Mississippi River led to a change in plans.
The weather was especially bad. The temperature often dropped to more than 10 degrees below zero at night, as people huddled around great log fires to remain warm.
The movement to Utah began just ten days after the Mormon leader, Brigham Young, arrived at the Sugar Creek Camp just over the Mississippi River in southeast Iowa, on this date in 1846.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 15th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, February 14, 2019
"The Last at the Post"
In a broad sense, the story of the military post at Fort Atkinson is one of removing Native Americans from the east side of the Mississippi River to the west. More narrowly stated, it's about the life of those who lived in the "neutral ground" of first the Iowa territory, and then the State of Iowa.
In the 1830s, Winnebago tribe members resisted leaving their Wisconsin homeland. Their burial grounds were there, and they also did not want to move too close to their old enemies, the Sioux. General Henry Atkinson suggested establishing a temporary fort along the Turkey River, in the established "neutral ground" designed to keep tribes apart from each other, and apart from settlers.
The first log barracks were built in 1840. But they did not hold up well under the Iowa winter, and due to the large number of desertions, stone barracks were constructed the next spring. By the fall of 1842, the two years of work was finally completed, with two dozen buildings erected as part of the fort. Fourteen of the buildings were outside the stockade walls, including the stables, a granary, carpenter shop, and blacksmith shop.
In the year of Iowa statehood, 1846, the regular army members stationed at Fort Atkinson were sent to Mexico to fight in the Mexican-American War, so volunteer troops took over staffing the Iowa fort.
Given the large number of settlers moving into the Iowa Territory, the U.S. government again moved the Winnebagos, this time into Minnesota. The military escort-led relocation took until the summer of 1848, and with no more Winnebagos left in the region, the fort was no longer needed.
After a time in private ownership, the state acquired the fort in the 1920s, and in 1976 it became a state preserve.
On a high bluff overlooking the valley of the Turkey River, the remains of the historic old fort stand as a monument to the era, and when the last company of infantry soldiers left Fort Atkinson, on this date in 1849.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 14th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Last at the Post"
In a broad sense, the story of the military post at Fort Atkinson is one of removing Native Americans from the east side of the Mississippi River to the west. More narrowly stated, it's about the life of those who lived in the "neutral ground" of first the Iowa territory, and then the State of Iowa.
In the 1830s, Winnebago tribe members resisted leaving their Wisconsin homeland. Their burial grounds were there, and they also did not want to move too close to their old enemies, the Sioux. General Henry Atkinson suggested establishing a temporary fort along the Turkey River, in the established "neutral ground" designed to keep tribes apart from each other, and apart from settlers.
The first log barracks were built in 1840. But they did not hold up well under the Iowa winter, and due to the large number of desertions, stone barracks were constructed the next spring. By the fall of 1842, the two years of work was finally completed, with two dozen buildings erected as part of the fort. Fourteen of the buildings were outside the stockade walls, including the stables, a granary, carpenter shop, and blacksmith shop.
In the year of Iowa statehood, 1846, the regular army members stationed at Fort Atkinson were sent to Mexico to fight in the Mexican-American War, so volunteer troops took over staffing the Iowa fort.
Given the large number of settlers moving into the Iowa Territory, the U.S. government again moved the Winnebagos, this time into Minnesota. The military escort-led relocation took until the summer of 1848, and with no more Winnebagos left in the region, the fort was no longer needed.
After a time in private ownership, the state acquired the fort in the 1920s, and in 1976 it became a state preserve.
On a high bluff overlooking the valley of the Turkey River, the remains of the historic old fort stand as a monument to the era, and when the last company of infantry soldiers left Fort Atkinson, on this date in 1849.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 14th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, February 13, 2019
"Fire at the Englert"
Not too many years ago, the Englert Theater in downtown Iowa City looked to have met its end. In 1999, the theater was closed and the building sold, destined to become a nightclub. But a group of concerned citizens persuaded the City to buy the theater and hold it in trust until they could raise the money necessary to restore it to its past glory.
It took five years, but the Save the Englert campaign was a success, and since 2004, the theater has hosted live performances and events.
But that wasn't the first time the Englert came back.
The Englert Theater opened on September 26, 1912. William and Etta Englert built the theater to rival the finest stage and movie houses in the Midwest. William died in 1920, and Etta enlisted two managers.
On February 13, 1926, a massive fire nearly destroyed the Englert. Etta Englert and co-manager Dora Chapman watched in horror as fire tore through the roof. The fire caused $125,000 in damage...more than twice the $60,000 it had cost to build the theater only 14 years before. But Etta and her new husband, along with the two managers, brought the theater back, incorporating the styles and tastes of the 1920s to turn the rebuilt Englert into a large and ornate movie palace.
Current Iowa City residents are justifiably proud of how a group of them banded together to save the Englert. But had it not been for the dedication of one of the original owners, the Englert would have passed from the scene long before, after the massive fire that burned on this date in 1926.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Fire at the Englert"
Not too many years ago, the Englert Theater in downtown Iowa City looked to have met its end. In 1999, the theater was closed and the building sold, destined to become a nightclub. But a group of concerned citizens persuaded the City to buy the theater and hold it in trust until they could raise the money necessary to restore it to its past glory.
It took five years, but the Save the Englert campaign was a success, and since 2004, the theater has hosted live performances and events.
But that wasn't the first time the Englert came back.
The Englert Theater opened on September 26, 1912. William and Etta Englert built the theater to rival the finest stage and movie houses in the Midwest. William died in 1920, and Etta enlisted two managers.
On February 13, 1926, a massive fire nearly destroyed the Englert. Etta Englert and co-manager Dora Chapman watched in horror as fire tore through the roof. The fire caused $125,000 in damage...more than twice the $60,000 it had cost to build the theater only 14 years before. But Etta and her new husband, along with the two managers, brought the theater back, incorporating the styles and tastes of the 1920s to turn the rebuilt Englert into a large and ornate movie palace.
Current Iowa City residents are justifiably proud of how a group of them banded together to save the Englert. But had it not been for the dedication of one of the original owners, the Englert would have passed from the scene long before, after the massive fire that burned on this date in 1926.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, February 12, 2019
"A Fireball Falling from the Sky"
It was a clear night in Iowa on this date in 1875, the coldest winter many could recall for years. Suddenly, what came to be called the Amana Meteorite came into view. Its bright fireball was seen from Omaha to Chicago...and from St. Paul to St. Louis.
Iowans saw a bright light and a great ball of fire in the southern sky. One observer said it looked like the face of the moon had fallen off and was approaching the earth. The sound was described as being like a train passing over a bridge, with occasional explosions as the fireball passed.
Witnesses said the moon and stars were blotted from the sky, and the surrounding landscape illuminated as if at noonday.
The meteorite entered the atmosphere over northern Missouri and traveled north/northeast, passing just east of Centerville and directly over Eddyville before exploding and breaking into two main pieces over northwest Keokuk County.
The larger piece continued north, exploding near the Iowa/Benton County line southwest of Norway and no fragments were ever found.
The smaller piece went to the east, exploding over Amana and producing a meteorite field three miles wide and five miles long.
More than 800 pounds of fragments, some as heavy as 74 pounds, have been discovered in the past 140 years...but experts say as much as three and a half tons of fragments are still out there, buried into the Iowa soil, waiting to be discovered.
Witnesses said the moon and stars were blotted from the sky, and the surrounding landscape illuminated as if at noonday...when the Amana meteorite fell from the sky, on this date in 1875.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Fireball Falling from the Sky"
It was a clear night in Iowa on this date in 1875, the coldest winter many could recall for years. Suddenly, what came to be called the Amana Meteorite came into view. Its bright fireball was seen from Omaha to Chicago...and from St. Paul to St. Louis.
Iowans saw a bright light and a great ball of fire in the southern sky. One observer said it looked like the face of the moon had fallen off and was approaching the earth. The sound was described as being like a train passing over a bridge, with occasional explosions as the fireball passed.
Witnesses said the moon and stars were blotted from the sky, and the surrounding landscape illuminated as if at noonday.
The meteorite entered the atmosphere over northern Missouri and traveled north/northeast, passing just east of Centerville and directly over Eddyville before exploding and breaking into two main pieces over northwest Keokuk County.
The larger piece continued north, exploding near the Iowa/Benton County line southwest of Norway and no fragments were ever found.
The smaller piece went to the east, exploding over Amana and producing a meteorite field three miles wide and five miles long.
More than 800 pounds of fragments, some as heavy as 74 pounds, have been discovered in the past 140 years...but experts say as much as three and a half tons of fragments are still out there, buried into the Iowa soil, waiting to be discovered.
Witnesses said the moon and stars were blotted from the sky, and the surrounding landscape illuminated as if at noonday...when the Amana meteorite fell from the sky, on this date in 1875.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, February 11, 2019
"A City Named for a Congressman"
Pomeroy is located in Calhoun County in northwest Iowa. The town of 662 residents was almost wiped off the map in 1893 when a devastating tornado struck the town. But the spirit of the people prevailed and the town was rebuilt. That resilient spirit is fitting, and reminds one of the man for whom the town was named.
Charles W. Pomeroy was born in Connecticut and studied and practiced law. At the age of 30, he moved to Iowa, settling in what was then Boonesboro in Boone County. He pursued agriculture as well as law...and then got interested in politics.
He was one of the earliest members of the Republican Party, and was one of Iowa's electors in 1860, casting a vote in the Electoral College for President Abraham Lincoln.
He changed careers in 1861, becoming receiver of the U.S. Land Office at Fort Dodge. He held that position for nearly eight years. Then, Mr. Pomeroy went to Washington, as a member of Congress from Iowa's 6th District. The district at the time covered the northwestern third of the state, extending from the Missouri River as far east as Waterloo, and from the Minnesota border as far south as Marshalltown. He lost his bid for renomination two years later and took on yet another career, this one as a claim agent in Washington, D.C., a position he held for the last 20 years of his life.
A new Calhoun County town was platted in 1870, and named Pomeroy after the town's first congressman, who died on this date in 1891.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A City Named for a Congressman"
Pomeroy is located in Calhoun County in northwest Iowa. The town of 662 residents was almost wiped off the map in 1893 when a devastating tornado struck the town. But the spirit of the people prevailed and the town was rebuilt. That resilient spirit is fitting, and reminds one of the man for whom the town was named.
Charles W. Pomeroy was born in Connecticut and studied and practiced law. At the age of 30, he moved to Iowa, settling in what was then Boonesboro in Boone County. He pursued agriculture as well as law...and then got interested in politics.
He was one of the earliest members of the Republican Party, and was one of Iowa's electors in 1860, casting a vote in the Electoral College for President Abraham Lincoln.
He changed careers in 1861, becoming receiver of the U.S. Land Office at Fort Dodge. He held that position for nearly eight years. Then, Mr. Pomeroy went to Washington, as a member of Congress from Iowa's 6th District. The district at the time covered the northwestern third of the state, extending from the Missouri River as far east as Waterloo, and from the Minnesota border as far south as Marshalltown. He lost his bid for renomination two years later and took on yet another career, this one as a claim agent in Washington, D.C., a position he held for the last 20 years of his life.
A new Calhoun County town was platted in 1870, and named Pomeroy after the town's first congressman, who died on this date in 1891.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, February 8, 2019
"On The Air, Statewide"
When it set up the rules for television licenses in the early 1950s, the Federal Communications Commission wanted to make sure that educational broadcasting was protected. So in essence, they reserved one of the prime, VHF channels in each market for educational use.
As early as 1952, Iowa governor William Beardsley had a plan...establishing a 12-station educational network for Iowa, at a cost then of $5 million. But no one at the time shared Gov. Beardsley's vision.
In Des Moines, the designated educational channel was channel 11, which went on the air as KDPS-TV, which stood for Des Moines Public Schools, the entity which ran the channel. But after a while, the school decided to get out of the television business and sold the rights to the station to the State of Iowa in 1969 for a half million dollars. The state rechristened the channel KDIN-TV, and it became the flagship in what was called the Iowa Educational Broadcasting Network, or IEBN.
On February 8, 1970, an eastern Iowa station was added, as KIIN-TV in Iowa City began broadcasting on channel 12, with an identical signal to KDIN. And with two stations, it was now officially a network. By the middle of the decade, four more stations were added, extending the network's reach from one end of the state to the other.
Now known as Iowa Public Television, the network broadcasts four separate program streams, over 9 licensed stations and another 8 translators...now surpassing even the ambitious goals of Gov. Beardsley from more than 60 years ago.
But the second station on what was then IEBN, truly making public television in Iowa a network...KIIN, channel 12 in Iowa City...went on the air on this date in 1970.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 8th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"On The Air, Statewide"
When it set up the rules for television licenses in the early 1950s, the Federal Communications Commission wanted to make sure that educational broadcasting was protected. So in essence, they reserved one of the prime, VHF channels in each market for educational use.
As early as 1952, Iowa governor William Beardsley had a plan...establishing a 12-station educational network for Iowa, at a cost then of $5 million. But no one at the time shared Gov. Beardsley's vision.
In Des Moines, the designated educational channel was channel 11, which went on the air as KDPS-TV, which stood for Des Moines Public Schools, the entity which ran the channel. But after a while, the school decided to get out of the television business and sold the rights to the station to the State of Iowa in 1969 for a half million dollars. The state rechristened the channel KDIN-TV, and it became the flagship in what was called the Iowa Educational Broadcasting Network, or IEBN.
On February 8, 1970, an eastern Iowa station was added, as KIIN-TV in Iowa City began broadcasting on channel 12, with an identical signal to KDIN. And with two stations, it was now officially a network. By the middle of the decade, four more stations were added, extending the network's reach from one end of the state to the other.
Now known as Iowa Public Television, the network broadcasts four separate program streams, over 9 licensed stations and another 8 translators...now surpassing even the ambitious goals of Gov. Beardsley from more than 60 years ago.
But the second station on what was then IEBN, truly making public television in Iowa a network...KIIN, channel 12 in Iowa City...went on the air on this date in 1970.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 8th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, February 7, 2019
"From Iowa to the Big & Small Screen"
On February 7, 1978, a Cedar Rapids couple welcomed fraternal twin boys into the world, named Michael and Christopher. Michael had a rough time as a boy, suffering from heart trouble and cerebral palsy. That caused understandable stress at home, leading Chris to worry so much, at age 13 he even contemplated suicide so his brother could have his healthy heart.
He enrolled at the University of Iowa, planning to major in biochemical engineering, in part because he wanted to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. But he was a typical party boy, even getting kicked out of his apartment for being too wild.
As it turns out, hanging out in Iowa City bars worked to his advantage. While at the Airliner bar downtown, he was approached by a scout for the Fresh Faces of Iowa modeling competition. He entered and won. And that led to a career in modeling and acting.
We first saw him in the TV series "That 70s Show" as Michael Kelso, and later in the final seasons of "Two and a Half Men". You also know him as the producer of the MTV hidden camera series "Punk'd". On the big screen, he's been in movies such as "The Guardian", "Dude, Where's My Car?", and "Jobs". And he has invested heavily in helping startup companies focused on new technology. He himself was the first Twitter user to reach more than 1 million followers.
Professionally, he goes by his middle name, Ashton. But he was born Christopher Ashton Kutcher, in Cedar Rapids, on this date in 1978.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 7th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"From Iowa to the Big & Small Screen"
On February 7, 1978, a Cedar Rapids couple welcomed fraternal twin boys into the world, named Michael and Christopher. Michael had a rough time as a boy, suffering from heart trouble and cerebral palsy. That caused understandable stress at home, leading Chris to worry so much, at age 13 he even contemplated suicide so his brother could have his healthy heart.
He enrolled at the University of Iowa, planning to major in biochemical engineering, in part because he wanted to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. But he was a typical party boy, even getting kicked out of his apartment for being too wild.
As it turns out, hanging out in Iowa City bars worked to his advantage. While at the Airliner bar downtown, he was approached by a scout for the Fresh Faces of Iowa modeling competition. He entered and won. And that led to a career in modeling and acting.
We first saw him in the TV series "That 70s Show" as Michael Kelso, and later in the final seasons of "Two and a Half Men". You also know him as the producer of the MTV hidden camera series "Punk'd". On the big screen, he's been in movies such as "The Guardian", "Dude, Where's My Car?", and "Jobs". And he has invested heavily in helping startup companies focused on new technology. He himself was the first Twitter user to reach more than 1 million followers.
Professionally, he goes by his middle name, Ashton. But he was born Christopher Ashton Kutcher, in Cedar Rapids, on this date in 1978.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 7th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, February 6, 2019
"Dubuque's Donut Maker"
Back in 1907, John P. Trausch opened a baking company in Dubuque, operated by Trausch, his wife, and one employee. The main product was bread, and Trausch made deliveries within the city of Dubuque.
But distribution was limited because the unwrapped loaves of bread quickly grew stale if transported over a broader area. By 1926, a new company manager named William Clemens, Sr., began exploring how to wrap the bread to prolong its freshness. Wrapped bread could be sold over a wider geographic area, meaning more profit for the bakery.
Over time, those bread wrappers contained Sunbeam, Hillbilly and Peter Pan bread, well known for their identifiable packaging...and in addition to Dubuque, Trausch Baking added sales and distribution centers in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Burlington, and Ottumwa, as well as two locations in Wisconsin and two more in Illinois.
Trausch was known for more than just bread...in fact, it was one of the city's first bakeries to make a complete line of goods, including Trausch's donuts. But making donuts was time consuming, and it was hard to keep up with demand.
So on this date in 1929, Trausch unveiled Iowa's first donut-making machine, one of only a few in existence in America at the time. Occasionally today, we still see mini donut stands at county fairs, showing how the donuts are formed and dropped in oil...imagine full sized donuts, coming out in rapid succession by the hundreds. The ability to mass produce them changed the industry. And in Iowa, it all started with Dubuque's Trausch Baking, on this date in 1929…90 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Dubuque's Donut Maker"
Back in 1907, John P. Trausch opened a baking company in Dubuque, operated by Trausch, his wife, and one employee. The main product was bread, and Trausch made deliveries within the city of Dubuque.
But distribution was limited because the unwrapped loaves of bread quickly grew stale if transported over a broader area. By 1926, a new company manager named William Clemens, Sr., began exploring how to wrap the bread to prolong its freshness. Wrapped bread could be sold over a wider geographic area, meaning more profit for the bakery.
Over time, those bread wrappers contained Sunbeam, Hillbilly and Peter Pan bread, well known for their identifiable packaging...and in addition to Dubuque, Trausch Baking added sales and distribution centers in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Burlington, and Ottumwa, as well as two locations in Wisconsin and two more in Illinois.
Trausch was known for more than just bread...in fact, it was one of the city's first bakeries to make a complete line of goods, including Trausch's donuts. But making donuts was time consuming, and it was hard to keep up with demand.
So on this date in 1929, Trausch unveiled Iowa's first donut-making machine, one of only a few in existence in America at the time. Occasionally today, we still see mini donut stands at county fairs, showing how the donuts are formed and dropped in oil...imagine full sized donuts, coming out in rapid succession by the hundreds. The ability to mass produce them changed the industry. And in Iowa, it all started with Dubuque's Trausch Baking, on this date in 1929…90 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, February 5, 2019
"Immigrants in Iowa"
Prior to World War I, there was an influx of people who came to America from Europe in search of a better life. They came to become Americans…but in order to preserve some of their heritage and culture, and have a peer group to share this new American experience with, they often got together.
Around that time, a large number of Italians migrated to Iowa to work in the mining camps of Polk, Dallas, Boone, Marion and Lucas counties. In 1913, a group of them spun off from the Order of Foresters of America and formed a lodge, the Societa Vittoria Italiana. Pellegrino Castelli was one of the founders, and served as the lodge’s original president.
The group became one of the largest American-Italian organizations in Iowa. The lodge’s purpose was “to unite fraternally men of Italian extraction, of good and moral character”. Besides originally serving as a health benefit organization, it also became a vital instrument in the social life of these new immigrants and their families as they adjusted to life in Iowa.
On June 20, 1954, a new Vittoria Lodge Building and Park Grounds was dedicated. It still stands in Ankeny today, and is not only used by members, but you can rent the facility for your own event.
That lodge building was a long held dream of the leaders and members of the lodge. But the founding president was not there to see it…Pellegrino Castelli died a few months before the dedication, on this date in 1954.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Immigrants in Iowa"
Prior to World War I, there was an influx of people who came to America from Europe in search of a better life. They came to become Americans…but in order to preserve some of their heritage and culture, and have a peer group to share this new American experience with, they often got together.
Around that time, a large number of Italians migrated to Iowa to work in the mining camps of Polk, Dallas, Boone, Marion and Lucas counties. In 1913, a group of them spun off from the Order of Foresters of America and formed a lodge, the Societa Vittoria Italiana. Pellegrino Castelli was one of the founders, and served as the lodge’s original president.
The group became one of the largest American-Italian organizations in Iowa. The lodge’s purpose was “to unite fraternally men of Italian extraction, of good and moral character”. Besides originally serving as a health benefit organization, it also became a vital instrument in the social life of these new immigrants and their families as they adjusted to life in Iowa.
On June 20, 1954, a new Vittoria Lodge Building and Park Grounds was dedicated. It still stands in Ankeny today, and is not only used by members, but you can rent the facility for your own event.
That lodge building was a long held dream of the leaders and members of the lodge. But the founding president was not there to see it…Pellegrino Castelli died a few months before the dedication, on this date in 1954.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, February 4, 2019
"Bringing a Windmill to Iowa"
For 40 years, one of the landmarks in the Shelby county town of Elk Horn has been an historic windmill. How it got here is a story worth telling.
The windmill we're talking about was built in 1848 in Norre Snede, Denmark and is called a smock mill. They were commonly used to grind grain into flour. But technology has advanced, and now there are more efficient ways to grind grain. So windmills like this one have been deteriorating for some time.
Elk Horn farmer Harvey Sornson took a trip to his homeland back in 1976 and was so impressed with these structures that he wanted to bring one back with him, sort of an oversized souvenir. After getting back to Iowa, Sornson shared his idea with people in the community, and in only a few days $30,000 had been raised locally with the goal of bringing a real windmill from Denmark to Iowa.
While the Iowans were busy raising more money to support the effort, a carpenter in Denmark was building a scale model of the windmill so it could be dismantled and reassembled in Elk Horn.
On this date in 1976, the pieces of the 60-foot tall mill arrived in Iowa. Beams that had rotted were replaced. A crane was necessary to complete the restoration. Soon the total cost was more than $100,000...no small matter for a town of 750 people.
Reassembling the mill took the 300 volunteers who worked on the project more than a year. But now, in addition to having the largest rural Danish settlement in the U.S., Elk Horn has the only authentic, working Danish windmill in America. And there likely won't be another, since shortly after this one was moved, a law was passed in Denmark, prohibiting any more mills from leaving the country. The last one to leave arrived in Elk Horn, Iowa, on this date in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Bringing a Windmill to Iowa"
For 40 years, one of the landmarks in the Shelby county town of Elk Horn has been an historic windmill. How it got here is a story worth telling.
The windmill we're talking about was built in 1848 in Norre Snede, Denmark and is called a smock mill. They were commonly used to grind grain into flour. But technology has advanced, and now there are more efficient ways to grind grain. So windmills like this one have been deteriorating for some time.
Elk Horn farmer Harvey Sornson took a trip to his homeland back in 1976 and was so impressed with these structures that he wanted to bring one back with him, sort of an oversized souvenir. After getting back to Iowa, Sornson shared his idea with people in the community, and in only a few days $30,000 had been raised locally with the goal of bringing a real windmill from Denmark to Iowa.
While the Iowans were busy raising more money to support the effort, a carpenter in Denmark was building a scale model of the windmill so it could be dismantled and reassembled in Elk Horn.
On this date in 1976, the pieces of the 60-foot tall mill arrived in Iowa. Beams that had rotted were replaced. A crane was necessary to complete the restoration. Soon the total cost was more than $100,000...no small matter for a town of 750 people.
Reassembling the mill took the 300 volunteers who worked on the project more than a year. But now, in addition to having the largest rural Danish settlement in the U.S., Elk Horn has the only authentic, working Danish windmill in America. And there likely won't be another, since shortly after this one was moved, a law was passed in Denmark, prohibiting any more mills from leaving the country. The last one to leave arrived in Elk Horn, Iowa, on this date in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, February 1, 2019
"The Medal of Honor"
33-year-old Air Force major Merlyn Dethlefsen stood at attention in the East Room of the White House on February 1st, 1968. Virtually all his family was present as President Lyndon Johnson presented the Greenville, Iowa native with the Medal of Honor.
On March 10th, 1967, Dethlefsen was flying an F-105 Thunderchief, one of a number of aircraft flying ahead of a strike force of 72 fighter bombers. Dethlefsen was flying the number three aircraft, but as they made their first pass, the flight leader's plane was shot down, and the wing man was forced to withdraw because of damage. That put then- Captain Dethlefsen in charge.
Despite his own aircraft being damaged, he fended off MiG attacks by flying directly into antiaircraft fire. He made repeated strikes with his wing man against the enemy's defensive positions, effectively destroying two missile sites before guiding his nearly crippled plane back to the air base in Thailand, some 500 miles away.
Dethlefsen could have pulled out of the mission honorably many times--when attacked by two MiGs, when hit by flak, or when the smoke of battle made it difficult to locate the enemy. But he made repeated passes, each one more dangerous than the one before.
I mentioned that virtually all of his family was there at the Medal of Honor ceremony. His younger brother, an Army private, couldn't make it. Because of renewed intensive fighting, his plane from Vietnam to Washington was delayed. And soon, that fighting would lead the very president awarding the medal to decline running for another term.
Born in Greenville, raised in Royal, Merlyn Dethlefsen ultimately rose to the rank of Colonel before retiring from the Air Force in 1977. But he became the third Iowan to receive our nation's highest decoration during the Vietnam War--the Medal of Honor--on this date in 1968.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 1st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Medal of Honor"
33-year-old Air Force major Merlyn Dethlefsen stood at attention in the East Room of the White House on February 1st, 1968. Virtually all his family was present as President Lyndon Johnson presented the Greenville, Iowa native with the Medal of Honor.
On March 10th, 1967, Dethlefsen was flying an F-105 Thunderchief, one of a number of aircraft flying ahead of a strike force of 72 fighter bombers. Dethlefsen was flying the number three aircraft, but as they made their first pass, the flight leader's plane was shot down, and the wing man was forced to withdraw because of damage. That put then- Captain Dethlefsen in charge.
Despite his own aircraft being damaged, he fended off MiG attacks by flying directly into antiaircraft fire. He made repeated strikes with his wing man against the enemy's defensive positions, effectively destroying two missile sites before guiding his nearly crippled plane back to the air base in Thailand, some 500 miles away.
Dethlefsen could have pulled out of the mission honorably many times--when attacked by two MiGs, when hit by flak, or when the smoke of battle made it difficult to locate the enemy. But he made repeated passes, each one more dangerous than the one before.
I mentioned that virtually all of his family was there at the Medal of Honor ceremony. His younger brother, an Army private, couldn't make it. Because of renewed intensive fighting, his plane from Vietnam to Washington was delayed. And soon, that fighting would lead the very president awarding the medal to decline running for another term.
Born in Greenville, raised in Royal, Merlyn Dethlefsen ultimately rose to the rank of Colonel before retiring from the Air Force in 1977. But he became the third Iowan to receive our nation's highest decoration during the Vietnam War--the Medal of Honor--on this date in 1968.
And that's Iowa Almanac for February 1st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.