"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 2018 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 2018 by Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, July 31, 2018
"Iowa's Woodstock"
New York had its Woodstock. Iowa had Wadena.
But if city leaders of Galena, Illinois had not gotten in the way, the 1970 rock music festival might have been held there. That was what organizers had in mind, but when they were blocked in Illinois, they came across the river and found a site on a farm near Wadena.
Some 30,000 people attended the three day music festival. Coming as it did just a year after Woodstock, some Iowans were not too happy about the event, which did feature open use of drugs and drug sales, and a fair amount of young people skinny dipping in a pond.
Johnny Winter, REO Speedwagon, Little Richard, Iowa's Everly Brothers, and Mason Proffit
were among those who performed.
Complaints went all the way to Iowa Governor Robert Ray, who showed up at the site on the first day, July 31st, and after being satisfied that adequate preparations had been made regarding health and safety, told the participants to have a good time. This came after Iowa Attorney General Richard Turner had gotten an injunction signed by an Iowa Supreme Court justice to block the event a few days before.
The party goers did not cause much trouble for the locals, but they did leave a fair amount of garbage behind that took a lot of cleaning up.
The story surrounding the event was voted the top news story in Iowa that year by the Associated Press, when the three-day Wadena Rock Festival began on this date in 1970.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 31st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Iowa's Woodstock"
New York had its Woodstock. Iowa had Wadena.
But if city leaders of Galena, Illinois had not gotten in the way, the 1970 rock music festival might have been held there. That was what organizers had in mind, but when they were blocked in Illinois, they came across the river and found a site on a farm near Wadena.
Some 30,000 people attended the three day music festival. Coming as it did just a year after Woodstock, some Iowans were not too happy about the event, which did feature open use of drugs and drug sales, and a fair amount of young people skinny dipping in a pond.
Johnny Winter, REO Speedwagon, Little Richard, Iowa's Everly Brothers, and Mason Proffit
were among those who performed.
Complaints went all the way to Iowa Governor Robert Ray, who showed up at the site on the first day, July 31st, and after being satisfied that adequate preparations had been made regarding health and safety, told the participants to have a good time. This came after Iowa Attorney General Richard Turner had gotten an injunction signed by an Iowa Supreme Court justice to block the event a few days before.
The party goers did not cause much trouble for the locals, but they did leave a fair amount of garbage behind that took a lot of cleaning up.
The story surrounding the event was voted the top news story in Iowa that year by the Associated Press, when the three-day Wadena Rock Festival began on this date in 1970.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 31st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, July 30, 2018
"Winning Olympic Gold"
Over the past few years, you've heard a lot about the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon for reasons other than sports. But while training and attending Graceland College in Lamoni, he was known as Bruce Jenner.
Jenner actually attended Graceland on a football scholarship, but had to stop playing due to a knee injury. Graceland track coach L.D. Weldon saw his athletic potential, though, and Jenner began training for the decathlon, making his debut in the event in the 1970 Drake Relays. He finished fifth, and later qualified for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team in the event. He finished 10th in the Munich Games, and after graduating from Graceland the next year, continued his training, selling insurance at night to make ends meet, all the while aiming his sights at Montreal in 1976.
Jenner racked up 8,616 points in the 1976 games, smashing the world record he had just set at the U.S. Olympic trials by nearly 100 points. The iconic image of Jenner carrying a small American flag during that victory lap is etched in many of our memories. In fact, it started a tradition that is now common among winning athletes.
Bruce Jenner became just the second person to be pictured on the front of a Wheaties cereal box. Today's generation knows Jenner for reality television shows and publicly discussing gender identification. But it was Graceland alum Bruce Jenner who won Olympic gold and the title of world's greatest athlete, on this date, in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Winning Olympic Gold"
Over the past few years, you've heard a lot about the 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon for reasons other than sports. But while training and attending Graceland College in Lamoni, he was known as Bruce Jenner.
Jenner actually attended Graceland on a football scholarship, but had to stop playing due to a knee injury. Graceland track coach L.D. Weldon saw his athletic potential, though, and Jenner began training for the decathlon, making his debut in the event in the 1970 Drake Relays. He finished fifth, and later qualified for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team in the event. He finished 10th in the Munich Games, and after graduating from Graceland the next year, continued his training, selling insurance at night to make ends meet, all the while aiming his sights at Montreal in 1976.
Jenner racked up 8,616 points in the 1976 games, smashing the world record he had just set at the U.S. Olympic trials by nearly 100 points. The iconic image of Jenner carrying a small American flag during that victory lap is etched in many of our memories. In fact, it started a tradition that is now common among winning athletes.
Bruce Jenner became just the second person to be pictured on the front of a Wheaties cereal box. Today's generation knows Jenner for reality television shows and publicly discussing gender identification. But it was Graceland alum Bruce Jenner who won Olympic gold and the title of world's greatest athlete, on this date, in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, July 27, 2018
"The Giant of the World"
He stood 8 feet 8 inches tall, and weighed more than 300 pounds.
Bernard Coyne was born on July 27th, 1897, on his family’s farm in Oto, a small town in Woodbury County. He was the second of six children, and by the time he was a teenager, he was already seven feet tall.
Bernard suffered from a condition commonly called Daddy Long-Legs Syndrome, and was one of only 17 people in modern medical history to have stood at least 8 feet tall. He wore size 25 shoes.
Special rigs were required so he could ride in the family’s Model T. Often, the family drove with a door open so his five-feet-long legs could stretch out.
But despite all those issues, Bernard was a shy, gentle, and good-natured man.
He was refused induction into the U.S. Army during World War I because of his size.
His condition led to liver disease, but he kept growing until his death in May of 1921 at the age of only 23. At the time, he was the tallest man in the world. And to this day, no Iowan ever stood taller than Bernard Coyne, who was born on this date in 1897.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Giant of the World"
He stood 8 feet 8 inches tall, and weighed more than 300 pounds.
Bernard Coyne was born on July 27th, 1897, on his family’s farm in Oto, a small town in Woodbury County. He was the second of six children, and by the time he was a teenager, he was already seven feet tall.
Bernard suffered from a condition commonly called Daddy Long-Legs Syndrome, and was one of only 17 people in modern medical history to have stood at least 8 feet tall. He wore size 25 shoes.
Special rigs were required so he could ride in the family’s Model T. Often, the family drove with a door open so his five-feet-long legs could stretch out.
But despite all those issues, Bernard was a shy, gentle, and good-natured man.
He was refused induction into the U.S. Army during World War I because of his size.
His condition led to liver disease, but he kept growing until his death in May of 1921 at the age of only 23. At the time, he was the tallest man in the world. And to this day, no Iowan ever stood taller than Bernard Coyne, who was born on this date in 1897.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, July 26, 2018
"Fail-Safe"
Eugene Burdick was born in Sheldon in northwest Iowa in 1918. He and his family moved to California when he was a boy, and he wound up attending Stanford University. After earning a Ph.D. from Oxford, he worked as a professor in the political science department of the University of California.
His talent at researching the most urgent problems of our civic culture led him to write a series of scholarly articles, which gained him recognition throughout the world. But it was when he turned those talents toward fictionalized books and movies that he reached an even wider audience.
Among his best known books were 1958's "The Ugly American", and "Fail Safe", written in 1962. Both became book-of-the-month-club selections, and then major motion pictures. Audiences became concerned, some for the first time, about the basic problems of foreign policy and national defense.
"Fail Safe" starred Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau, and described how Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States led to an accidental thermonuclear first strike after an error sent a group of U.S. bombers to bomb Moscow. The movie was released in 1964.
A year later, on July 26th, 1965, Burdick died suddenly from a heart attack while playing tennis. Despite living with diabetes and a chronic heart condition, Burdick was a man who could not say "no"--writing, travelling, competing in sports, and teaching, despite failing health.
Many Americans first learned of the gravity of global relations when reading books or seeing movies based on the work of Iowa native Eugene Burdick, who died at age 46, on this date in 1965.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Fail-Safe"
Eugene Burdick was born in Sheldon in northwest Iowa in 1918. He and his family moved to California when he was a boy, and he wound up attending Stanford University. After earning a Ph.D. from Oxford, he worked as a professor in the political science department of the University of California.
His talent at researching the most urgent problems of our civic culture led him to write a series of scholarly articles, which gained him recognition throughout the world. But it was when he turned those talents toward fictionalized books and movies that he reached an even wider audience.
Among his best known books were 1958's "The Ugly American", and "Fail Safe", written in 1962. Both became book-of-the-month-club selections, and then major motion pictures. Audiences became concerned, some for the first time, about the basic problems of foreign policy and national defense.
"Fail Safe" starred Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau, and described how Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States led to an accidental thermonuclear first strike after an error sent a group of U.S. bombers to bomb Moscow. The movie was released in 1964.
A year later, on July 26th, 1965, Burdick died suddenly from a heart attack while playing tennis. Despite living with diabetes and a chronic heart condition, Burdick was a man who could not say "no"--writing, travelling, competing in sports, and teaching, despite failing health.
Many Americans first learned of the gravity of global relations when reading books or seeing movies based on the work of Iowa native Eugene Burdick, who died at age 46, on this date in 1965.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, July 25, 2018
"A Carousel...or a Merry-Go-Round?"
For many of us, it was the first ride we experienced at a fair or carnival. Wooden horses or other animals, mounted on posts...moving up and down to simulate galloping...as the entire circular platform moves in a circle, accompanied by circus music.
It was known as a carousel; less intricate, similar versions are called merry-go-rounds. Today is National Carousel Day, thanks to the Davenport man who invented the modern carousel.
On July 25th, 1871, William Schneider of Davenport obtained a United States patent for his version of the carousel. Schneider was a businessman and promoter who made significant improvements on the original design that dated back to the 1600s in Europe.
His patent was for what he called a "new and improved carousel", described as a two-story "carousel or rotary pavilion used in public parks or other places of amusement". Obviously, this was a large device that required an operator.
In the 20th Century, two other Iowans obtained patents for further variations--in 1923, Willis Peck of Des Moines patented a "rotary playground apparatus" which is what most of us think of as a merry-go-round...and four years later, John Ahrens of Grinnell patented the "Miracle Whirl", a merry-go-round that could be operated by one person.
In the early 1900s, there were 4,000 carousels with hand painted horses across the U.S. There are still two left in Iowa...a 1913 model in North Park in Story City, and at the Midwest Old Threshers site in Mt. Pleasant, one with hand carved animals dating back to 1894.
Many across the country will make a point of visiting a carousel or merry-go-round on this National Carousel Day, made possible because William Schneider of Davenport obtained a patent for the modern carousel, on this date in 1871.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Carousel...or a Merry-Go-Round?"
For many of us, it was the first ride we experienced at a fair or carnival. Wooden horses or other animals, mounted on posts...moving up and down to simulate galloping...as the entire circular platform moves in a circle, accompanied by circus music.
It was known as a carousel; less intricate, similar versions are called merry-go-rounds. Today is National Carousel Day, thanks to the Davenport man who invented the modern carousel.
On July 25th, 1871, William Schneider of Davenport obtained a United States patent for his version of the carousel. Schneider was a businessman and promoter who made significant improvements on the original design that dated back to the 1600s in Europe.
His patent was for what he called a "new and improved carousel", described as a two-story "carousel or rotary pavilion used in public parks or other places of amusement". Obviously, this was a large device that required an operator.
In the 20th Century, two other Iowans obtained patents for further variations--in 1923, Willis Peck of Des Moines patented a "rotary playground apparatus" which is what most of us think of as a merry-go-round...and four years later, John Ahrens of Grinnell patented the "Miracle Whirl", a merry-go-round that could be operated by one person.
In the early 1900s, there were 4,000 carousels with hand painted horses across the U.S. There are still two left in Iowa...a 1913 model in North Park in Story City, and at the Midwest Old Threshers site in Mt. Pleasant, one with hand carved animals dating back to 1894.
Many across the country will make a point of visiting a carousel or merry-go-round on this National Carousel Day, made possible because William Schneider of Davenport obtained a patent for the modern carousel, on this date in 1871.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, July 24, 2018
"Carving Out A Niche...Literally"
On July 24th, 1862, Jerome Palmer of Hinkletown, Iowa, enlisted in Company B, 28th Iowa Infantry. He served in the Civil War for three years before mustering out at Savannah, Georgia on July 31st, 1865. He returned to the Foote and Keota areas, opening the first hardware store in Keota.
The flag that Company B took into battle had been hand sewn by Marengo women, and to this day, you can see evidence of artillery shots as well as blood stains of one of the flag's carriers. It's preserved at the Iowa Masonic Library and Museum in Cedar Rapids.
But this story is about Jerome Palmer, and something he did in Virginia which was not known for nearly 150 years after the end of the Civil War.
From July to October 1864, in the heat of the Shenandoah Valley campaign, the Iowa regiments under General Phillip Sheridan became known for their bravery on the valley's battlefields. They took control of a town named Newtown. Staying over at a store there, Palmer took out a drawer from a wooden cabinet, and sketched on the bottom of it. He drew the American flag and wrote the word "Union" above it, among other war-related things, and then wrote his name and company identification on the bottom of the drawer. He put the drawer back and continued his service in the war.
But no one knew it was there, until someone tried to restore the cabinet, and in the summer of 2009, they turned over the drawer and found what Palmer had sketched 145 years before. It's now on display in a museum there, forever memorializing the service of Iowan Jerome Palmer, who enlisted for service in the Civil War on this date in 1862.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Carving Out A Niche...Literally"
On July 24th, 1862, Jerome Palmer of Hinkletown, Iowa, enlisted in Company B, 28th Iowa Infantry. He served in the Civil War for three years before mustering out at Savannah, Georgia on July 31st, 1865. He returned to the Foote and Keota areas, opening the first hardware store in Keota.
The flag that Company B took into battle had been hand sewn by Marengo women, and to this day, you can see evidence of artillery shots as well as blood stains of one of the flag's carriers. It's preserved at the Iowa Masonic Library and Museum in Cedar Rapids.
But this story is about Jerome Palmer, and something he did in Virginia which was not known for nearly 150 years after the end of the Civil War.
From July to October 1864, in the heat of the Shenandoah Valley campaign, the Iowa regiments under General Phillip Sheridan became known for their bravery on the valley's battlefields. They took control of a town named Newtown. Staying over at a store there, Palmer took out a drawer from a wooden cabinet, and sketched on the bottom of it. He drew the American flag and wrote the word "Union" above it, among other war-related things, and then wrote his name and company identification on the bottom of the drawer. He put the drawer back and continued his service in the war.
But no one knew it was there, until someone tried to restore the cabinet, and in the summer of 2009, they turned over the drawer and found what Palmer had sketched 145 years before. It's now on display in a museum there, forever memorializing the service of Iowan Jerome Palmer, who enlisted for service in the Civil War on this date in 1862.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, July 23, 2018
"A New Way of Shaving"
Jacob Schick was born in Ottumwa on September 16, 1877. He served in the Army in the Philippines in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and returned to service during World War I, eventually becoming a lieutenant colonel.
In between those Army stints, Schick staked mining claims in Alaska and Canada. During one particularly cold winter there, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees below zero, he noticed he had a difficult time trying to shave with a conventional razor and shaving cream.
Due to an ankle injury, he had to remain in camp alone for several months, and it was during that time he first thought of the idea of a shaver that could be used without water or lather...a dry shaver. But when he returned to the continental U.S. after the war, no one was interested in his idea of a dry shaver. So in 1921, he invented a new type of safety razor, inspired by the army repeating rifle. The Magazine Repeating Razor had replacement blades stored in the handle, ready to be fed into shaving position without fear of a cut from a sharp blade.
But Jacob Schick did not give up on his original idea, and on July 23, 1929, he received a patent for the first electric razor, one which would shave without water or lather. He was so confident that the product would be a success, he sold his interest in the Magazine Repeating Razor company, and founded a new one to produce and sell Schick electric razors.
He also invented a boat for use in shallow water, and an improved pencil sharpener. But Ottumwa's Jacob Schick is probably best known for inventing the first electric razor, which received its patent on this date in 1929.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A New Way of Shaving"
Jacob Schick was born in Ottumwa on September 16, 1877. He served in the Army in the Philippines in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and returned to service during World War I, eventually becoming a lieutenant colonel.
In between those Army stints, Schick staked mining claims in Alaska and Canada. During one particularly cold winter there, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees below zero, he noticed he had a difficult time trying to shave with a conventional razor and shaving cream.
Due to an ankle injury, he had to remain in camp alone for several months, and it was during that time he first thought of the idea of a shaver that could be used without water or lather...a dry shaver. But when he returned to the continental U.S. after the war, no one was interested in his idea of a dry shaver. So in 1921, he invented a new type of safety razor, inspired by the army repeating rifle. The Magazine Repeating Razor had replacement blades stored in the handle, ready to be fed into shaving position without fear of a cut from a sharp blade.
But Jacob Schick did not give up on his original idea, and on July 23, 1929, he received a patent for the first electric razor, one which would shave without water or lather. He was so confident that the product would be a success, he sold his interest in the Magazine Repeating Razor company, and founded a new one to produce and sell Schick electric razors.
He also invented a boat for use in shallow water, and an improved pencil sharpener. But Ottumwa's Jacob Schick is probably best known for inventing the first electric razor, which received its patent on this date in 1929.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, July 20, 2018
"Training at Fort Des Moines"
In May 1941, a Massachusetts congresswoman named Edith Rogers introduced a bill establishing the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Spurred on by the attack on Pearl Harbor later that year, Congress passed the bill a year later, and on July 20th, 1942, the first WAAC trainees arrived at Fort Des Moines.
The WAAC was established "for the purpose of making available to the national defense the knowledge, skill and special training of women of the nation". It would provide trained women to fill support roles and free up more men for combat duty.
That first group included 125 enlisted women and 440 others for Officer Candidate School.
The WAAC accepted women between the ages of 21 to 45, and since no one expected women to go into combat, basic training for recruits was different, consisting primarily of marching drills, military customs and courtesies, map reading, and supply and mess management.
After training, a WAAC would either remain at the Fort Des Moines training center to replace a male staff member, or transfer to a special company to serve as clerks, typists, drivers, or cooks.
Stateside, the basic rate of pay for enlisted women and men was the same--$21 per month.
From the start, the WAACs exceeded their recruiting goals, and in only three months, the Fort Des Moines center was at capacity. The Army had to create four additional training centers to handle the demand.
But the original Women's Army Auxiliary Corps training center opened at Fort Des Moines, on this date, in 1942.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Training at Fort Des Moines"
In May 1941, a Massachusetts congresswoman named Edith Rogers introduced a bill establishing the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Spurred on by the attack on Pearl Harbor later that year, Congress passed the bill a year later, and on July 20th, 1942, the first WAAC trainees arrived at Fort Des Moines.
The WAAC was established "for the purpose of making available to the national defense the knowledge, skill and special training of women of the nation". It would provide trained women to fill support roles and free up more men for combat duty.
That first group included 125 enlisted women and 440 others for Officer Candidate School.
The WAAC accepted women between the ages of 21 to 45, and since no one expected women to go into combat, basic training for recruits was different, consisting primarily of marching drills, military customs and courtesies, map reading, and supply and mess management.
After training, a WAAC would either remain at the Fort Des Moines training center to replace a male staff member, or transfer to a special company to serve as clerks, typists, drivers, or cooks.
Stateside, the basic rate of pay for enlisted women and men was the same--$21 per month.
From the start, the WAACs exceeded their recruiting goals, and in only three months, the Fort Des Moines center was at capacity. The Army had to create four additional training centers to handle the demand.
But the original Women's Army Auxiliary Corps training center opened at Fort Des Moines, on this date, in 1942.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, July 19, 2018
"The Sioux City Crash"
United Airlines Flight 232 was en route from Denver to Chicago on July 19th, 1989. Suddenly, the plane suffered a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine, which led to loss of all flight controls when the plane's three hydraulic systems were punctured.
Air traffic control was contacted, and an emergency landing at Sioux Gateway Airport was organized.
The flight crew, led by Captain Al Haynes, tried to fly the plane using their control columns while also throttling the remaining engines. Due to the tail damage, the plane had a tendency to keep turning right, so the crew had to adapt, making wide loops to the right to eventually get close to the landing site in Sioux City.
Haynes asked air traffic controllers to keep the plane away from the city, fearful that the crew would lose control of the craft.
The plan was for the plane to land on a 9,000-foot runway, but lining up the aircraft was nearly impossible. It wound up headed toward a shorter, adjacent runway--one where emergency vehicles and fire trucks had lined up. Those vehicles moved quickly as the crippled plane came to the ground.
The plane banked to the right, with the right wing tip hitting the runway first and spilling fuel, which ignited. The tail section broke off, and the rest of the aircraft bounced several times, breaking into pieces. The main cabin ultimately broke off, skidded, and came to rest upside down.
There were 296 people on board the plane; 111 died in the crash or later from injuries. But that meant 185 survived, thanks to the actions of the flight crew led by Captain Alfred C. Haynes in steering the crippled United Flight 232 to the ground in Sioux City, on this date in 1989.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Sioux City Crash"
United Airlines Flight 232 was en route from Denver to Chicago on July 19th, 1989. Suddenly, the plane suffered a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine, which led to loss of all flight controls when the plane's three hydraulic systems were punctured.
Air traffic control was contacted, and an emergency landing at Sioux Gateway Airport was organized.
The flight crew, led by Captain Al Haynes, tried to fly the plane using their control columns while also throttling the remaining engines. Due to the tail damage, the plane had a tendency to keep turning right, so the crew had to adapt, making wide loops to the right to eventually get close to the landing site in Sioux City.
Haynes asked air traffic controllers to keep the plane away from the city, fearful that the crew would lose control of the craft.
The plan was for the plane to land on a 9,000-foot runway, but lining up the aircraft was nearly impossible. It wound up headed toward a shorter, adjacent runway--one where emergency vehicles and fire trucks had lined up. Those vehicles moved quickly as the crippled plane came to the ground.
The plane banked to the right, with the right wing tip hitting the runway first and spilling fuel, which ignited. The tail section broke off, and the rest of the aircraft bounced several times, breaking into pieces. The main cabin ultimately broke off, skidded, and came to rest upside down.
There were 296 people on board the plane; 111 died in the crash or later from injuries. But that meant 185 survived, thanks to the actions of the flight crew led by Captain Alfred C. Haynes in steering the crippled United Flight 232 to the ground in Sioux City, on this date in 1989.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, July 18, 2018
"An All-American Hero"
Fred Becker had already accomplished much in his young life when he graduated from East High School in Waterloo in 1914. He had been an outstanding student, involved in many sports and activities.
He went on to study at the University of Iowa. In 1916, his only season on the gridiron, he was named a first-team All-American football player, the first Hawkeye to ever earn that honor in any sport. The Chicago Tribune noted at the time, “no matter where he was placed, his work was a feature…he was on top of the play all year.”
But that was the only season Fred Becker would play football. Within a month after the U.S. entered World War I, he enlisted in the Army, being commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing accelerated training. He sailed for France in September of 1917.
After front line service in the Verdun area that fall, Becker was wounded by artillery in the opening stages of the Battle of Belleau Wood in June of 1918. After a month of recuperation, he was assigned to be commander of the lead platoon in the 55th Company. Shortly after, on July 18th, 1918, during the Battle of Soissons, Fred Becker went ahead of his men and attacked machine gun nests, one of which he single-handedly destroyed, saving many of his men. But not long after, he was killed by an artillery shell.
For his courage and valor in battle, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, America’s second highest wartime honor; as well as the Silver Star; and the highest honor awarded by France, the Croix de Guerre.
Some 5,000 people attended his funeral when his body was returned to Waterloo in 1921, three years after his death. Yet his story was forgotten for nine decades until Waterloo native and historian Mike Chapman rediscovered Fred Becker. The cover story for Chapman’s Iowa History Journal magazine in 2009 led to Becker being remembered in a number of ways…induction into the University of Iowa and East Waterloo High School athletics halls of fame, and in 2013, a new elementary school in Waterloo was named for him.
At the time of his death, Iowa Speaker of the House Bill Atkinson said Becker “was everything that a young man should be, morally and mentally as well. He stood for everything that was wholesome, square, honorable, manly and American.”
The first University of Iowa athletic All-American, Waterloo’s Fred Becker, died an American hero on the battlefields of France, on this date in 1918—100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"An All-American Hero"
Fred Becker had already accomplished much in his young life when he graduated from East High School in Waterloo in 1914. He had been an outstanding student, involved in many sports and activities.
He went on to study at the University of Iowa. In 1916, his only season on the gridiron, he was named a first-team All-American football player, the first Hawkeye to ever earn that honor in any sport. The Chicago Tribune noted at the time, “no matter where he was placed, his work was a feature…he was on top of the play all year.”
But that was the only season Fred Becker would play football. Within a month after the U.S. entered World War I, he enlisted in the Army, being commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing accelerated training. He sailed for France in September of 1917.
After front line service in the Verdun area that fall, Becker was wounded by artillery in the opening stages of the Battle of Belleau Wood in June of 1918. After a month of recuperation, he was assigned to be commander of the lead platoon in the 55th Company. Shortly after, on July 18th, 1918, during the Battle of Soissons, Fred Becker went ahead of his men and attacked machine gun nests, one of which he single-handedly destroyed, saving many of his men. But not long after, he was killed by an artillery shell.
For his courage and valor in battle, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, America’s second highest wartime honor; as well as the Silver Star; and the highest honor awarded by France, the Croix de Guerre.
Some 5,000 people attended his funeral when his body was returned to Waterloo in 1921, three years after his death. Yet his story was forgotten for nine decades until Waterloo native and historian Mike Chapman rediscovered Fred Becker. The cover story for Chapman’s Iowa History Journal magazine in 2009 led to Becker being remembered in a number of ways…induction into the University of Iowa and East Waterloo High School athletics halls of fame, and in 2013, a new elementary school in Waterloo was named for him.
At the time of his death, Iowa Speaker of the House Bill Atkinson said Becker “was everything that a young man should be, morally and mentally as well. He stood for everything that was wholesome, square, honorable, manly and American.”
The first University of Iowa athletic All-American, Waterloo’s Fred Becker, died an American hero on the battlefields of France, on this date in 1918—100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, July 17, 2018
"The Boy Murderer"
John Elkins and his wife were killed on their Clayton County farm in the early morning hours of July 17th, 1889. Mr. Elkins was shot with a rifle, while Mrs. Elkins was beaten with a stick. 11-year-old John Wesley Elkins discovered the bodies and with his infant sister in his arms, reported the gruesome scene to neighbors a few miles away.
The governor offered a $500 reward for the arrest and capture of the person responsible.
From the start, suspicion focused on John Wesley's older brother, who had been at odds with his father. John Wesley showed no emotion about the deaths, which many thought curious. He told authorities he was sleeping in the barn that night and didn't hear a shot, or any other noise while his father and stepmother were brutally killed.
Ten days after the murders, John Wesley confessed. He said he had some difficulty with his father the night before, and shortly after 2 a.m., he took a rifle that had been hanging in the family's home and shot his father in the head. To cover up the crime, he then clubbed his stepmother to death and made the whole thing look like unknown robbers were involved.
He was sentenced to life in prison and sent to the Iowa State Penitentiary before he had reached the age of 12. He spent a dozen years in prison, but by 1902, there was a feeling that his incarceration at such a young age was itself illegal. The parole board voted against his release, but the Iowa legislature intervened, passing a bill approving a pardon...and the now 23-year-old John Wesley was released.
He wound up moving to Minnesota, graduating from college with honors. He later married, and died in 1961 in California, having lived into his mid eighties. That was something denied to his father and stepmother, when 11-year-old John Wesley Elkins murdered them in their sleep, on this date, in 1889.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Boy Murderer"
John Elkins and his wife were killed on their Clayton County farm in the early morning hours of July 17th, 1889. Mr. Elkins was shot with a rifle, while Mrs. Elkins was beaten with a stick. 11-year-old John Wesley Elkins discovered the bodies and with his infant sister in his arms, reported the gruesome scene to neighbors a few miles away.
The governor offered a $500 reward for the arrest and capture of the person responsible.
From the start, suspicion focused on John Wesley's older brother, who had been at odds with his father. John Wesley showed no emotion about the deaths, which many thought curious. He told authorities he was sleeping in the barn that night and didn't hear a shot, or any other noise while his father and stepmother were brutally killed.
Ten days after the murders, John Wesley confessed. He said he had some difficulty with his father the night before, and shortly after 2 a.m., he took a rifle that had been hanging in the family's home and shot his father in the head. To cover up the crime, he then clubbed his stepmother to death and made the whole thing look like unknown robbers were involved.
He was sentenced to life in prison and sent to the Iowa State Penitentiary before he had reached the age of 12. He spent a dozen years in prison, but by 1902, there was a feeling that his incarceration at such a young age was itself illegal. The parole board voted against his release, but the Iowa legislature intervened, passing a bill approving a pardon...and the now 23-year-old John Wesley was released.
He wound up moving to Minnesota, graduating from college with honors. He later married, and died in 1961 in California, having lived into his mid eighties. That was something denied to his father and stepmother, when 11-year-old John Wesley Elkins murdered them in their sleep, on this date, in 1889.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, July 16, 2018
"A Not Guilty Verdict"
The American Indian Movement, or AIM, was founded in 1968 to address concerns regarding Native American sovereignty, treaty issues, and leadership, while also addressing incidents of racism and police harassment. While much violence occurred during the 1970s in South Dakota, it was a federal courtroom in Cedar Rapids that served as the stage for one of the more remarkable events of the time.
Leonard Peltier, Darrelle Butler, and Robert Roubideau were charged with the murders of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. How the interaction with the agents started, and who shot first, was in dispute; what was not in dispute was that more than 100 shots were fired, and that the agents were killed execution style, each shot in the head while they lay on the ground.
Peltier fled to Canada, leaving Butler and Roubideau to stand trial in federal court. Given the racial strife at the time, the trial was moved from South Dakota to Cedar Rapids, in the courtroom of Judge Edward McManus.
The two men admitted they were present at the shoot-out and had exchanged fire with the agents, but said they were defending their women and children from a pattern of federal abuse that explained their behavior. They denied firing the fatal shots, however.
The flamboyant defense attorney William Kuntsler represented the pair, demonstrating a pattern of FBI misconduct in other prosecutions of AIM members and tension between AIM and the FBI, with Indians fearing an all-out attack on them by the federal government.
The jury deliberated for five days and said they were hopelessly deadlocked. Judge McManus ordered the jury to continue its work, and on July 16, 1976, they delivered a not guilty verdict, saying the atmosphere of fear and violence on the reservation led to the defendants feeling they were acting in self-defense. Peltier was later returned to the U.S. and convicted, with many still working to overturn his convictions to this day.
But it was a jury in Cedar Rapids that found two American Indian Movement members not guilty of murder, on this date in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Not Guilty Verdict"
The American Indian Movement, or AIM, was founded in 1968 to address concerns regarding Native American sovereignty, treaty issues, and leadership, while also addressing incidents of racism and police harassment. While much violence occurred during the 1970s in South Dakota, it was a federal courtroom in Cedar Rapids that served as the stage for one of the more remarkable events of the time.
Leonard Peltier, Darrelle Butler, and Robert Roubideau were charged with the murders of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. How the interaction with the agents started, and who shot first, was in dispute; what was not in dispute was that more than 100 shots were fired, and that the agents were killed execution style, each shot in the head while they lay on the ground.
Peltier fled to Canada, leaving Butler and Roubideau to stand trial in federal court. Given the racial strife at the time, the trial was moved from South Dakota to Cedar Rapids, in the courtroom of Judge Edward McManus.
The two men admitted they were present at the shoot-out and had exchanged fire with the agents, but said they were defending their women and children from a pattern of federal abuse that explained their behavior. They denied firing the fatal shots, however.
The flamboyant defense attorney William Kuntsler represented the pair, demonstrating a pattern of FBI misconduct in other prosecutions of AIM members and tension between AIM and the FBI, with Indians fearing an all-out attack on them by the federal government.
The jury deliberated for five days and said they were hopelessly deadlocked. Judge McManus ordered the jury to continue its work, and on July 16, 1976, they delivered a not guilty verdict, saying the atmosphere of fear and violence on the reservation led to the defendants feeling they were acting in self-defense. Peltier was later returned to the U.S. and convicted, with many still working to overturn his convictions to this day.
But it was a jury in Cedar Rapids that found two American Indian Movement members not guilty of murder, on this date in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, July 13, 2018
"Sacrifice in the Line of Duty"
Waterloo Police Officers Wayne Rice and Michael Hoing were working the overnight shift when they responded to a call of loud music coming from a house. Those involved turned down the music, and the officers returned to their squad car.
Then four of the individuals started yelling and cursing at the officers. Rice and Hoing returned to the house and placed one person under arrest for disturbing the peace; he then started fighting with Officer Hoing. Another tackled Officer Rice, and the two struggled on the ground, the officer even getting hit in the head with a chair.
James Taylor, who had recently been released from a federal prison in Missouri, then joined the fight, punching Rice with his fist, and then removing the officer’s gun from its holster. Taylor fired two shots into Officer Rice’s chest. Not satisfied, he moved to where Officer Hoing was involved in the first fight and shot and killed him.
Taylor then fled the scene, leading to a manhunt featuring helicopters searching from the air, and officers from a number of law enforcement agencies searching from the ground.
Four days later, two women ran into Taylor on a farm near LaPorte City. Officers armed with shotguns swarmed the farm fields. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Marvin Messerschmidt saw crops moving and chased Taylor through a soybean field. Taylor tripped, fell, and was captured.
He was convicted of double murder and sentenced to life in prison, a life that ended when Taylor died in 2014 at the age of 60; ironically, just a few weeks after the state trooper who captured him also died.
It was the largest manhunt in Iowa history, leading to the capture of James “T-Bone” Taylor after killing two Waterloo police officers in the early morning hours on this date, in 1981.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Sacrifice in the Line of Duty"
Waterloo Police Officers Wayne Rice and Michael Hoing were working the overnight shift when they responded to a call of loud music coming from a house. Those involved turned down the music, and the officers returned to their squad car.
Then four of the individuals started yelling and cursing at the officers. Rice and Hoing returned to the house and placed one person under arrest for disturbing the peace; he then started fighting with Officer Hoing. Another tackled Officer Rice, and the two struggled on the ground, the officer even getting hit in the head with a chair.
James Taylor, who had recently been released from a federal prison in Missouri, then joined the fight, punching Rice with his fist, and then removing the officer’s gun from its holster. Taylor fired two shots into Officer Rice’s chest. Not satisfied, he moved to where Officer Hoing was involved in the first fight and shot and killed him.
Taylor then fled the scene, leading to a manhunt featuring helicopters searching from the air, and officers from a number of law enforcement agencies searching from the ground.
Four days later, two women ran into Taylor on a farm near LaPorte City. Officers armed with shotguns swarmed the farm fields. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Marvin Messerschmidt saw crops moving and chased Taylor through a soybean field. Taylor tripped, fell, and was captured.
He was convicted of double murder and sentenced to life in prison, a life that ended when Taylor died in 2014 at the age of 60; ironically, just a few weeks after the state trooper who captured him also died.
It was the largest manhunt in Iowa history, leading to the capture of James “T-Bone” Taylor after killing two Waterloo police officers in the early morning hours on this date, in 1981.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, July 12, 2018
"The Beekeeper"
Frank Chapman Pellett was born on a farm in Cass County on July 12th, 1879. He attended schools near Atlantic, but was forced to leave school due to health reasons. At age 23, he moved to Salem, Missouri, where he operated a fruit farm and studied to become a lawyer. But after only two years in private practice, he returned to his first love--nature and wildlife.
In the spring of 1907, Frank Pellett moved his wife and the two children they had at the time back to Cass County. Even then, many of the wildflowers that were plentiful during Frank's childhood were threatened with extinction. He set aside an 8 acre tract of native woodland as a wildflower preserve. It's now part of the 20-acre Frank Chapman Pellett Memorial Woods, and contains more than 120 species of plants.
Pellett was appointed Iowa's first state apiary inspector in 1912, and soon after became associated with the American Bee Journal. He quickly became one of the nation's foremost authorities on beekeeping, honey plants, and other general nature and horticulture topics. He wrote 13 books, including Beginner's Bee Book and Productive Bee-Keeping...both of which were written before 1920, but are still available on line today.
Today, backyard bee keeping is increasing in popularity in Iowa and across the nation as a hobby. Many use the same practices advocated more than a century ago by Iowa's resident expert on the topic, Frank Chapman Pellett, who was born on this date in 1879.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Beekeeper"
Frank Chapman Pellett was born on a farm in Cass County on July 12th, 1879. He attended schools near Atlantic, but was forced to leave school due to health reasons. At age 23, he moved to Salem, Missouri, where he operated a fruit farm and studied to become a lawyer. But after only two years in private practice, he returned to his first love--nature and wildlife.
In the spring of 1907, Frank Pellett moved his wife and the two children they had at the time back to Cass County. Even then, many of the wildflowers that were plentiful during Frank's childhood were threatened with extinction. He set aside an 8 acre tract of native woodland as a wildflower preserve. It's now part of the 20-acre Frank Chapman Pellett Memorial Woods, and contains more than 120 species of plants.
Pellett was appointed Iowa's first state apiary inspector in 1912, and soon after became associated with the American Bee Journal. He quickly became one of the nation's foremost authorities on beekeeping, honey plants, and other general nature and horticulture topics. He wrote 13 books, including Beginner's Bee Book and Productive Bee-Keeping...both of which were written before 1920, but are still available on line today.
Today, backyard bee keeping is increasing in popularity in Iowa and across the nation as a hobby. Many use the same practices advocated more than a century ago by Iowa's resident expert on the topic, Frank Chapman Pellett, who was born on this date in 1879.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, July 11, 2018
"The Open in Iowa"
It became the biggest sports event in Iowa history. More than a quarter million people attended part of the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club which began on July 11, 1999.
It was the first time in 36 years that a United States Golf Association championship was held in Iowa. That was the 1963 U.S. Amateur tournament, held at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines.
One of those amateurs was Dave Eichelberger. Thirty-six years later, the Waco, Texas native was back in Iowa for the U.S. Senior Open, one of five golfers who played in both the 1963 amateur and 1999 senior tournaments held in our state.
Ike, as he was known on the tour, was just one shot off the lead as the final round began. By the back nine, he was putting together a string of birdies that gave him a tournament total of 7 under par and a three stroke victory...and a first place check for $315,000.
Eichelberger was a four-time winner on the PGA tour, and a six time winner on the senior tour, now called the Champions Tour. His last win came in 2002.
A total of 252,800 fans attended the event, including 51,200 on the final day, when the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament was held in Des Moines, beginning on this date in 1999.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Open in Iowa"
It became the biggest sports event in Iowa history. More than a quarter million people attended part of the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club which began on July 11, 1999.
It was the first time in 36 years that a United States Golf Association championship was held in Iowa. That was the 1963 U.S. Amateur tournament, held at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines.
One of those amateurs was Dave Eichelberger. Thirty-six years later, the Waco, Texas native was back in Iowa for the U.S. Senior Open, one of five golfers who played in both the 1963 amateur and 1999 senior tournaments held in our state.
Ike, as he was known on the tour, was just one shot off the lead as the final round began. By the back nine, he was putting together a string of birdies that gave him a tournament total of 7 under par and a three stroke victory...and a first place check for $315,000.
Eichelberger was a four-time winner on the PGA tour, and a six time winner on the senior tour, now called the Champions Tour. His last win came in 2002.
A total of 252,800 fans attended the event, including 51,200 on the final day, when the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament was held in Des Moines, beginning on this date in 1999.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, July 10, 2018
"A City Without Water"
The rains fell and the rivers rose. On the night of July 10th, 1993, came the word that was unthinkable--the Des Moines Water Works Plant would soon be shut down. The water supply to Iowa's largest city would be turned off.
L.D. McMullen was director of the water works at the time. He said shutting the plant down just before the Raccoon River water came over the levee protecting it meant they could get water back to citizens in a matter of weeks, instead of months.
The Raccoon created at a record 26.75 feet, nearly two feet higher than the levee. Des Moines became the largest city in the U.S. to be without water in modern times. It brought national media and even the president to Des Moines.
After the waters receded a bit, crews spent a week pumping six feet of water out of the plant. Twelve days after the plant shut down, people could flush their toilets again. After another week, it was again safe to drink water from a faucet.
Some still have souvenirs from that time, including metal cans of drinking water produced by Anheuser-Busch. And even now, a full quarter century later, the memories are still strong of the then-record flooding that left Des Moines without its water supply, on this date in 1993…25 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A City Without Water"
The rains fell and the rivers rose. On the night of July 10th, 1993, came the word that was unthinkable--the Des Moines Water Works Plant would soon be shut down. The water supply to Iowa's largest city would be turned off.
L.D. McMullen was director of the water works at the time. He said shutting the plant down just before the Raccoon River water came over the levee protecting it meant they could get water back to citizens in a matter of weeks, instead of months.
The Raccoon created at a record 26.75 feet, nearly two feet higher than the levee. Des Moines became the largest city in the U.S. to be without water in modern times. It brought national media and even the president to Des Moines.
After the waters receded a bit, crews spent a week pumping six feet of water out of the plant. Twelve days after the plant shut down, people could flush their toilets again. After another week, it was again safe to drink water from a faucet.
Some still have souvenirs from that time, including metal cans of drinking water produced by Anheuser-Busch. And even now, a full quarter century later, the memories are still strong of the then-record flooding that left Des Moines without its water supply, on this date in 1993…25 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, July 9, 2018
"Iowa's Heisman Winner"
On July 9th, 1918, one of Iowa's most famous athletes and citizens was born in Adel: Nile Clarke Kinnick, Jr.
You probably know that Kinnick was a consensus All-American football player at the University of Iowa, who won the 1939 Heisman Trophy, the only Hawkeye to ever be so honored. He is one of only two Iowa players to have his jersey number retired, and the Hawkeyes' home has been called Kinnick Stadium since 1972.
You probably also know that he enlisted in the Naval Air Reserve, and reported for induction three days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was trained to be a fighter pilot. And on June 2nd, 1943, while on a routine training flight from an aircraft carrier, his plane became disabled and he died after executing an emergency landing in the water, barely a month before his 25th birthday. His body was never found.
But did you know that Nile Kinnick was a devout Christian Scientist? Or that he also played baseball and basketball, as well as football, for the Hawkeyes? Or that he was student body president during his senior year at Iowa, and gave the commencement speech for his graduating class in 1940?
They say his acceptance speech at the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York was one of the best ever.
Every football player in these United States dreams about winning that trophy, and of this fine trip to New York. Every player considers that trophy the acme in recognition of this kind. And the fact that I am actually receiving this trophy tonight almost overwhelms me, and I know that all those boys who have gone before me must have felt somewhat the same way.
And given later events, these words from that 1939 speech are especially eerie:
Finally, if you will permit me, I'd like to make a comment which in my mind, is indicative, perhaps, of the greater significance of football and sports emphasis in general in this country, and that is, I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battlefields of Europe.
Had Nile Kinnick lived, would he have gone on to be Iowa governor, as his grandfather had? Or maybe a professional football player, since he was offered a contract for that? We'll never know, but the bright light that was Nile Kinnick began shining when he was born on this date in 1918…100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Iowa's Heisman Winner"
On July 9th, 1918, one of Iowa's most famous athletes and citizens was born in Adel: Nile Clarke Kinnick, Jr.
You probably know that Kinnick was a consensus All-American football player at the University of Iowa, who won the 1939 Heisman Trophy, the only Hawkeye to ever be so honored. He is one of only two Iowa players to have his jersey number retired, and the Hawkeyes' home has been called Kinnick Stadium since 1972.
You probably also know that he enlisted in the Naval Air Reserve, and reported for induction three days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was trained to be a fighter pilot. And on June 2nd, 1943, while on a routine training flight from an aircraft carrier, his plane became disabled and he died after executing an emergency landing in the water, barely a month before his 25th birthday. His body was never found.
But did you know that Nile Kinnick was a devout Christian Scientist? Or that he also played baseball and basketball, as well as football, for the Hawkeyes? Or that he was student body president during his senior year at Iowa, and gave the commencement speech for his graduating class in 1940?
They say his acceptance speech at the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York was one of the best ever.
Every football player in these United States dreams about winning that trophy, and of this fine trip to New York. Every player considers that trophy the acme in recognition of this kind. And the fact that I am actually receiving this trophy tonight almost overwhelms me, and I know that all those boys who have gone before me must have felt somewhat the same way.
And given later events, these words from that 1939 speech are especially eerie:
Finally, if you will permit me, I'd like to make a comment which in my mind, is indicative, perhaps, of the greater significance of football and sports emphasis in general in this country, and that is, I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battlefields of Europe.
Had Nile Kinnick lived, would he have gone on to be Iowa governor, as his grandfather had? Or maybe a professional football player, since he was offered a contract for that? We'll never know, but the bright light that was Nile Kinnick began shining when he was born on this date in 1918…100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, July 6, 2018
"A Teenage Heroine"
Today if a storm is in the distance, we can turn to a radio, television or computer to see how bad the weather will be. But on July 6th, 1881, no such devices existed, and a 15-year-old girl living near Moingona, Iowa risked her own life to save others, gaining national fame and lasting gratitude from a railroad company.
Kate Shelley lived with her mother and three younger siblings on a farm. Their homestead was on the side of a hill with a view of two railroad bridges that spanned Honey Creek, just to the east of the Des Moines River.
Normally, Honey Creek was calm. But that night, a storm dropped heavy rains into streams and rivers that were already bank-full. Around midnight, the family was startled to hear two taps of an engine bell, followed by what Kate later recalled to be a "horrible crash". It was the sound of a locomotive, whose crew was checking for washouts, dropping into Honey Creek.
She put on an old jacket and straw hat, and with only a partially damaged lantern to light her path, Kate set out in the storm, traveling through dense woods to reach the bridge.
Two members of the four-man crew had drowned, but two others were still alive, clinging to nearby trees. Kate said she would go to the Moingona depot for help.
That meant crossing a 637-foot-long bridge over the Des Moines River, crawling on her hands and knees in the dark, onto spiked railroad ties spaced a full foot apart, while the storm continued to rage.
She made her way across the bridge and ran to the depot. She told of the bridge failure, and urged that a forthcoming passenger train be stopped. The two men were saved and all trains approaching the bridge were stopped.
The next time you cross the Kate Shelley Bridge in Boone County, now you'll remember the heroics of a 15-year-old girl, whose bravery saved lives on this date in 1881.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Teenage Heroine"
Today if a storm is in the distance, we can turn to a radio, television or computer to see how bad the weather will be. But on July 6th, 1881, no such devices existed, and a 15-year-old girl living near Moingona, Iowa risked her own life to save others, gaining national fame and lasting gratitude from a railroad company.
Kate Shelley lived with her mother and three younger siblings on a farm. Their homestead was on the side of a hill with a view of two railroad bridges that spanned Honey Creek, just to the east of the Des Moines River.
Normally, Honey Creek was calm. But that night, a storm dropped heavy rains into streams and rivers that were already bank-full. Around midnight, the family was startled to hear two taps of an engine bell, followed by what Kate later recalled to be a "horrible crash". It was the sound of a locomotive, whose crew was checking for washouts, dropping into Honey Creek.
She put on an old jacket and straw hat, and with only a partially damaged lantern to light her path, Kate set out in the storm, traveling through dense woods to reach the bridge.
Two members of the four-man crew had drowned, but two others were still alive, clinging to nearby trees. Kate said she would go to the Moingona depot for help.
That meant crossing a 637-foot-long bridge over the Des Moines River, crawling on her hands and knees in the dark, onto spiked railroad ties spaced a full foot apart, while the storm continued to rage.
She made her way across the bridge and ran to the depot. She told of the bridge failure, and urged that a forthcoming passenger train be stopped. The two men were saved and all trains approaching the bridge were stopped.
The next time you cross the Kate Shelley Bridge in Boone County, now you'll remember the heroics of a 15-year-old girl, whose bravery saved lives on this date in 1881.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, July 5, 2018
"The Voice of Nancy Drew"
For many young women in the 1920s and 1930s, role models were somewhat hard to find. After all, women only had the right to vote for about a decade at the time.
But a series of detective novels for young people featured a female character, Nancy Drew, who despite her young age solved mystery after mystery.
And despite her true identity being a secret for more than 50 years, the original author of the series was Ladora, Iowa native Mildred Wirt Benson, who was born Mildred Augustine on July 5th, 1905.
A born writer, at age 12, Millie sold her first story to St. Nicholas magazine. She earned her journalism degree at the University of Iowa in 1925, and two years later, was the first person to earn a masters degree in journalism there.
In 1929, she received a slim outline of an idea for a book, and for $125 and no royalties, she wrote the first Nancy Drew novel, "The Secret of the Old Clock". It was an immediate hit, featuring a smart, curious, independent and thoughtful character that soon became a role model for millions of girls.
Millie wrote 22 of the first 25 Nancy Drew books in the 1930s and 1940s, and then wrote another in 1953. But all the while, she kept her identity a secret...the author of all the books was listed as Carolyn Keene.
She worked for newspapers in Toledo, Ohio from 1944 until her death in 2002, just short of her 97th birthday.
In the last decade of her life, she was celebrated as the original author of the famous series, including being at the center of a national Nancy Drew conference at the University of Iowa.
The woman who gave life to teenage detective Nancy Drew...Mildred Wirt Benson...was born in Ladora on this date in 1905.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Voice of Nancy Drew"
For many young women in the 1920s and 1930s, role models were somewhat hard to find. After all, women only had the right to vote for about a decade at the time.
But a series of detective novels for young people featured a female character, Nancy Drew, who despite her young age solved mystery after mystery.
And despite her true identity being a secret for more than 50 years, the original author of the series was Ladora, Iowa native Mildred Wirt Benson, who was born Mildred Augustine on July 5th, 1905.
A born writer, at age 12, Millie sold her first story to St. Nicholas magazine. She earned her journalism degree at the University of Iowa in 1925, and two years later, was the first person to earn a masters degree in journalism there.
In 1929, she received a slim outline of an idea for a book, and for $125 and no royalties, she wrote the first Nancy Drew novel, "The Secret of the Old Clock". It was an immediate hit, featuring a smart, curious, independent and thoughtful character that soon became a role model for millions of girls.
Millie wrote 22 of the first 25 Nancy Drew books in the 1930s and 1940s, and then wrote another in 1953. But all the while, she kept her identity a secret...the author of all the books was listed as Carolyn Keene.
She worked for newspapers in Toledo, Ohio from 1944 until her death in 2002, just short of her 97th birthday.
In the last decade of her life, she was celebrated as the original author of the famous series, including being at the center of a national Nancy Drew conference at the University of Iowa.
The woman who gave life to teenage detective Nancy Drew...Mildred Wirt Benson...was born in Ladora on this date in 1905.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, July 4, 2018
"Liquor by the Drink"
Last month, we told you a bit about Iowa's history as a state with alcohol. After prohibition was lifted in 1934, Iowa sold liquor, but only through a series of state-run liquor stores. The first ones opened in Des Moines, Marshalltown, Mason City, Atlantic, and Oelwein in June of that year.
Customers had to carry log books, in which clerks would write down what they bought, how much, and when. Employees had the right to refuse to sell a bottle of alcohol to a customer whose log book appeared to be too full.
Those log books were required until July 4, 1963. That's when a state law took effect that also legalized liquor by the drink in our state.
Prior to that time, only beer could be consumed over the bar. Liquor was only available in private clubs.
It was a major issue in the 1962 campaign for governor. Democrat Harold Hughes (pictured above), himself a recovering alcoholic, advocated more liberal liquor laws, and after he was elected, the Iowa Legislature in 1963 passed a law that allowed liquor by the drink in bars. However, counties had the right of opting out of the law and remaining dry. That option remained in effect until 1972. And Sunday liquor sales were not allowed until 1973.
It didn't take long for that first legal drink in a bar to be served. Just a day after the law took effect, a restaurant in the lakes resort area of northwest Iowa served the first legal drink in the state in more than 40 years.
Over time, society and laws changed, and now liquor is available in grocery stores and convenience stores, and establishments can get licenses to serve liquor far more easily than in the past.
But the law allowing liquor to be sold by the drink for the first time since prohibition took effect on this date in 1963.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Liquor by the Drink"
Last month, we told you a bit about Iowa's history as a state with alcohol. After prohibition was lifted in 1934, Iowa sold liquor, but only through a series of state-run liquor stores. The first ones opened in Des Moines, Marshalltown, Mason City, Atlantic, and Oelwein in June of that year.
Customers had to carry log books, in which clerks would write down what they bought, how much, and when. Employees had the right to refuse to sell a bottle of alcohol to a customer whose log book appeared to be too full.
Those log books were required until July 4, 1963. That's when a state law took effect that also legalized liquor by the drink in our state.
Prior to that time, only beer could be consumed over the bar. Liquor was only available in private clubs.
It was a major issue in the 1962 campaign for governor. Democrat Harold Hughes (pictured above), himself a recovering alcoholic, advocated more liberal liquor laws, and after he was elected, the Iowa Legislature in 1963 passed a law that allowed liquor by the drink in bars. However, counties had the right of opting out of the law and remaining dry. That option remained in effect until 1972. And Sunday liquor sales were not allowed until 1973.
It didn't take long for that first legal drink in a bar to be served. Just a day after the law took effect, a restaurant in the lakes resort area of northwest Iowa served the first legal drink in the state in more than 40 years.
Over time, society and laws changed, and now liquor is available in grocery stores and convenience stores, and establishments can get licenses to serve liquor far more easily than in the past.
But the law allowing liquor to be sold by the drink for the first time since prohibition took effect on this date in 1963.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, July 3, 2018
"The Earth Shook"
When you think of earthquakes, Iowa normally does not come to mind. However, the land that is now the state of Iowa has had a few over time.
The area around Sioux City is actually more prone to earth tremors than many other parts of the state, due to the Missouri River and hilly terrain. The likelihood is still quite low, however.
On July 3rd, 1858, the Sioux City area was shaken by an earthquake. It was the first earthquake in Iowa documented by reliable historical records. The New Madrid, Missouri earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 may have been stronger, but the lack of good data makes it hard to accurately assess that incident.
The 1858 earthquake was followed relatively soon after by another moderately strong one, on October 9, 1872. That quake was felt by a 3,000 square mile area, including adjoining portions of the Dakotas.
Just five years later, on November 15, 1877, another earthquake was felt throughout Iowa and eastern Nebraska, and in parts of Missouri, Kansas, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. While the strongest effects were noted in Nebraska, large cracks in the walls of several buildings in Sioux City resulted from this shock. A second earthquake was reported 45 minutes later.
But newspaper reports described the tremors as of sufficient force to shake pictures and crockery from their places, when an earthquake struck Sioux City, on this date in 1858.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Earth Shook"
When you think of earthquakes, Iowa normally does not come to mind. However, the land that is now the state of Iowa has had a few over time.
The area around Sioux City is actually more prone to earth tremors than many other parts of the state, due to the Missouri River and hilly terrain. The likelihood is still quite low, however.
On July 3rd, 1858, the Sioux City area was shaken by an earthquake. It was the first earthquake in Iowa documented by reliable historical records. The New Madrid, Missouri earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 may have been stronger, but the lack of good data makes it hard to accurately assess that incident.
The 1858 earthquake was followed relatively soon after by another moderately strong one, on October 9, 1872. That quake was felt by a 3,000 square mile area, including adjoining portions of the Dakotas.
Just five years later, on November 15, 1877, another earthquake was felt throughout Iowa and eastern Nebraska, and in parts of Missouri, Kansas, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. While the strongest effects were noted in Nebraska, large cracks in the walls of several buildings in Sioux City resulted from this shock. A second earthquake was reported 45 minutes later.
But newspaper reports described the tremors as of sufficient force to shake pictures and crockery from their places, when an earthquake struck Sioux City, on this date in 1858.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, July 2, 2018
"The Historic Courthouse"
The first time court was held in Monroe County, shortly after Iowa became a state, it was convened in a log house at Clark's Point. Judge Charles Mason traveled to the site to handle a series of cases, as was the custom, over a period of days. The house had no floor, and the judge, lawyers, and court officials slept on the ground. There was no barn, so the horses were simply tied under the trees. One night during a severe storm, the horses were brought into the courtroom and stabled until morning. Locals like to say that the first court was therefore held in a barn.
Times changed, though, and ultimately Monroe County's third courthouse was dedicated on October 26th, 1903. It was a three-story sandstone building constructed at a cost of $100,000.
This courthouse in particular shaped the development of Albia. It was the first building to use stone and neo-classical style architecture, which influenced the buildings that were later added to the business district.
The building made great use of marble, from floors to counters. The Clerk of Court's office had a metal spiral stairway connecting to the courtroom on the third floor.
The building originally had a 1,000-pound metal bell made of copper and black tin. It was removed from the clock tower in 1970, and is now displayed on the east side of the courthouse park.
The unique design and materials used in the Monroe County Courthouse led to its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, on this date in 1981.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Historic Courthouse"
The first time court was held in Monroe County, shortly after Iowa became a state, it was convened in a log house at Clark's Point. Judge Charles Mason traveled to the site to handle a series of cases, as was the custom, over a period of days. The house had no floor, and the judge, lawyers, and court officials slept on the ground. There was no barn, so the horses were simply tied under the trees. One night during a severe storm, the horses were brought into the courtroom and stabled until morning. Locals like to say that the first court was therefore held in a barn.
Times changed, though, and ultimately Monroe County's third courthouse was dedicated on October 26th, 1903. It was a three-story sandstone building constructed at a cost of $100,000.
This courthouse in particular shaped the development of Albia. It was the first building to use stone and neo-classical style architecture, which influenced the buildings that were later added to the business district.
The building made great use of marble, from floors to counters. The Clerk of Court's office had a metal spiral stairway connecting to the courtroom on the third floor.
The building originally had a 1,000-pound metal bell made of copper and black tin. It was removed from the clock tower in 1970, and is now displayed on the east side of the courthouse park.
The unique design and materials used in the Monroe County Courthouse led to its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, on this date in 1981.
And that's Iowa Almanac for July 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.