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Copyright 2025 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 2025 by Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, November 30, 2025
"The Video Game Capital of the World"
During the summer of 1981, a man named Walter Day visited more than 100 video game arcades over four months, recording the high scores he found on each game.
After that tour, on November 10, he opened his own arcade in Ottumwa, naming it Twin Galaxies. On February 9 of the next year, his database of records from that summer 1981 tour was released publicly as the Twin Galaxies National Scoreboard.
Twin Galaxies became known as the official scoreboard, arranging contests between top players nationally. Twin Galaxies' first event in 1982 attracted international media attention for gathering the first teams of video-game stars.
Similar competitions were also conducted during the next two summers when Walter Day organized players in many states, including Iowa, to form teams and compete in high score contests for the Guinness Book of World Records.
On November 30, 1982, Ottumwa mayor Jerry Parker declared Ottumwa to be the "Video Game Capital of the World".
That claim was backed up by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, the Atari video game company, and the Amusement Game Manufacturers Association in a ceremony at Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa in early 1983.
In January 1983, Twin Galaxies organized the first significant video-game championship, to crown a world champion. This event was filmed in Ottumwa by ABC-TV's That's Incredible! and was aired on the night of February 21, 1983 nationwide.
Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day left the company in 2010 to pursue a career in music. But his work led to Ottumwa being dubbed the Video Game Capital of the World, on this date in 1982.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Video Game Capital of the World"
During the summer of 1981, a man named Walter Day visited more than 100 video game arcades over four months, recording the high scores he found on each game.
After that tour, on November 10, he opened his own arcade in Ottumwa, naming it Twin Galaxies. On February 9 of the next year, his database of records from that summer 1981 tour was released publicly as the Twin Galaxies National Scoreboard.
Twin Galaxies became known as the official scoreboard, arranging contests between top players nationally. Twin Galaxies' first event in 1982 attracted international media attention for gathering the first teams of video-game stars.
Similar competitions were also conducted during the next two summers when Walter Day organized players in many states, including Iowa, to form teams and compete in high score contests for the Guinness Book of World Records.
On November 30, 1982, Ottumwa mayor Jerry Parker declared Ottumwa to be the "Video Game Capital of the World".
That claim was backed up by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, the Atari video game company, and the Amusement Game Manufacturers Association in a ceremony at Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa in early 1983.
In January 1983, Twin Galaxies organized the first significant video-game championship, to crown a world champion. This event was filmed in Ottumwa by ABC-TV's That's Incredible! and was aired on the night of February 21, 1983 nationwide.
Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day left the company in 2010 to pursue a career in music. But his work led to Ottumwa being dubbed the Video Game Capital of the World, on this date in 1982.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, November 29, 2025
"A Legend Dies in Iowa"
Cary Grant was the perfect image of a 20th Century movie legend.
By November 29, 1986, the 82-year-old was enjoying intimate appearances before audiences across the country, playing clips from his films, telling stories from the stage, and answering questions from audience members. That was the plan for an appearance at the Adler Theater in Davenport that Saturday night.
The appearance was part of the annual Festival of Trees at the River Center in Davenport. A black tie reception was scheduled before the performance.
He went through an afternoon rehearsal at the theater, then started to feel ill. He went back to his suite at what was then the Blackhawk Hotel, thinking it was a stomach virus. During the pre-performance gala, it was announced that he had taken ill and would not perform as scheduled.
Before long, however, his condition worsened. Doctors arrived to find him coherent, but in some distress. He was rushed to a hospital around 9 p.m. but slipped into a coma on the way. He then suffered a final massive stroke, and was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m.
The Quad-City Times reported the death with a very simple front page headline--"A Legend Dies in Our Arms".
The debonair actor, whose credits included some of the greatest films of the era, Cary Grant...died just before giving a performance in Davenport, on this date in 1986.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 29th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Legend Dies in Iowa"
Cary Grant was the perfect image of a 20th Century movie legend.
By November 29, 1986, the 82-year-old was enjoying intimate appearances before audiences across the country, playing clips from his films, telling stories from the stage, and answering questions from audience members. That was the plan for an appearance at the Adler Theater in Davenport that Saturday night.
The appearance was part of the annual Festival of Trees at the River Center in Davenport. A black tie reception was scheduled before the performance.
He went through an afternoon rehearsal at the theater, then started to feel ill. He went back to his suite at what was then the Blackhawk Hotel, thinking it was a stomach virus. During the pre-performance gala, it was announced that he had taken ill and would not perform as scheduled.
Before long, however, his condition worsened. Doctors arrived to find him coherent, but in some distress. He was rushed to a hospital around 9 p.m. but slipped into a coma on the way. He then suffered a final massive stroke, and was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m.
The Quad-City Times reported the death with a very simple front page headline--"A Legend Dies in Our Arms".
The debonair actor, whose credits included some of the greatest films of the era, Cary Grant...died just before giving a performance in Davenport, on this date in 1986.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 29th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, November 28, 2025
"The Modern Style"
Journalism has been practiced in one form or another ever since people could tell stories; then developing a written language. But as a profession, journalism is a relatively new thing.
Iowa universities have been in the forefront of journalism education over the past century. On November 28, 1913, some Iowa journalism professors defended the evolution of the craft at the second-ever national academic conference on the topic.
A story on the front page of the Evening Times-Republican in Marshalltown told about it, titled "Modern Style in Journalism". Keep in mind that at that time, journalism was limited to newspapers, and its practitioners were almost exclusively males.
The article quoted Iowa State College professor F. W. Beckman as saying "the news sense, the ability to see what is new and its new meaning to the great mass of humanity, is necessary to men in every field of endeavor, but especially to men who write."
He further claimed the "news sense" allowed a writer to "see thru the mass of non-essentials to the essentials, thru dead rubbish to living facts, thru husks and shells to the kernel of truth."
He defended the journalistic style of reporting and writing evolving at the time as efficient, having been "hammered out in the heat and stress of newspaper work to meet the demands of the millions for something to compel their attention".
A Gallup poll released in 2016 showed that trust in American media was at its lowest point since 1972, with only a third of those surveyed saying they had a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the media. It’s not much better in the latest survey.
Perhaps, then, it's important for those who practice the craft to remember the words of Iowa State professor F. W. Beckman, who said journalists write "of the people and for them" with a "value that cannot be denied", when speaking at an academic conference on the topic on this date in 1913.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 28th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Modern Style"
Journalism has been practiced in one form or another ever since people could tell stories; then developing a written language. But as a profession, journalism is a relatively new thing.
Iowa universities have been in the forefront of journalism education over the past century. On November 28, 1913, some Iowa journalism professors defended the evolution of the craft at the second-ever national academic conference on the topic.
A story on the front page of the Evening Times-Republican in Marshalltown told about it, titled "Modern Style in Journalism". Keep in mind that at that time, journalism was limited to newspapers, and its practitioners were almost exclusively males.
The article quoted Iowa State College professor F. W. Beckman as saying "the news sense, the ability to see what is new and its new meaning to the great mass of humanity, is necessary to men in every field of endeavor, but especially to men who write."
He further claimed the "news sense" allowed a writer to "see thru the mass of non-essentials to the essentials, thru dead rubbish to living facts, thru husks and shells to the kernel of truth."
He defended the journalistic style of reporting and writing evolving at the time as efficient, having been "hammered out in the heat and stress of newspaper work to meet the demands of the millions for something to compel their attention".
A Gallup poll released in 2016 showed that trust in American media was at its lowest point since 1972, with only a third of those surveyed saying they had a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the media. It’s not much better in the latest survey.
Perhaps, then, it's important for those who practice the craft to remember the words of Iowa State professor F. W. Beckman, who said journalists write "of the people and for them" with a "value that cannot be denied", when speaking at an academic conference on the topic on this date in 1913.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 28th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, November 27, 2025
"A Life Centered on Faith"
Sarah Pollard was born in Bloomfield on November 27, 1862. You won't recognize her by that name, because early on, she decided she didn't like it, and instead went by Adelaide Pollard.
A deeply religious woman, by the time she was 40 years of age in 1902, Adelaide wanted to travel to Africa to become a missionary. But she could not raise the needed money.
Discouraged, she attended a prayer meeting one evening, and was inspired by the meditations that night. She went home and wrote a hymn, which millions have sung in the century since it was written.
Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Adelaide wrote more than 100 other songs, but since she seldom sought credit, we don't know how many for sure.
Just before World War I, she did reach Africa, but the fighting forced her to retreat to Scotland. She returned to the U.S. after the war and continued preaching until her death due to a ruptured appendix just before Christmas 1934, at the age of 72. She's buried in a cemetery in Fort Madison.
You may not recall her name, but you've no doubt sung her hymns. Adelaide Pollard, born in Iowa on this date in 1862.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Life Centered on Faith"
Sarah Pollard was born in Bloomfield on November 27, 1862. You won't recognize her by that name, because early on, she decided she didn't like it, and instead went by Adelaide Pollard.
A deeply religious woman, by the time she was 40 years of age in 1902, Adelaide wanted to travel to Africa to become a missionary. But she could not raise the needed money.
Discouraged, she attended a prayer meeting one evening, and was inspired by the meditations that night. She went home and wrote a hymn, which millions have sung in the century since it was written.
Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Adelaide wrote more than 100 other songs, but since she seldom sought credit, we don't know how many for sure.
Just before World War I, she did reach Africa, but the fighting forced her to retreat to Scotland. She returned to the U.S. after the war and continued preaching until her death due to a ruptured appendix just before Christmas 1934, at the age of 72. She's buried in a cemetery in Fort Madison.
You may not recall her name, but you've no doubt sung her hymns. Adelaide Pollard, born in Iowa on this date in 1862.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, November 26, 2025
"Rising From The Ashes"
When a venerable structure like the Turner Opera House in Elkader burns to the ground, as happened in 1902, the community can either spend a lot of time mourning the loss—or else focus on recovery.
Within four days of that fire, the community raised $10,000 for construction of a new opera house there. That would be $367,000 today. And less than a year later, on November 26, 1903, the new Elkader Opera House opened, featuring a musical by the great George M. Cohen, called “The Governor’s Son”. Special trains ran from McGregor and other towns along the Milwaukee rail line to bring audience members to the first show in the new facility.
Those first audience members were struck by the three-story structure’s square-front design with decorative brick detailing. Once inside, they marveled at the horseshoe balcony, a ruby glass chandelier, and a period stage curtain advertising shops from the town’s past.
The Elkader Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. More than a quarter million dollars was raised in recent times to restore the building and modernize access and facilities, and volunteers logged more than 22,000 hours to make the project happen.
In November 2003, the Opera House Players celebrated the centennial of the building’s opening—appropriately, with a production of “The Governor’s Son,” the musical which opened the Elkader Opera House only a year after fire destroyed the original one…rising from the ashes on this date, in 1903.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Rising From The Ashes"
When a venerable structure like the Turner Opera House in Elkader burns to the ground, as happened in 1902, the community can either spend a lot of time mourning the loss—or else focus on recovery.
Within four days of that fire, the community raised $10,000 for construction of a new opera house there. That would be $367,000 today. And less than a year later, on November 26, 1903, the new Elkader Opera House opened, featuring a musical by the great George M. Cohen, called “The Governor’s Son”. Special trains ran from McGregor and other towns along the Milwaukee rail line to bring audience members to the first show in the new facility.
Those first audience members were struck by the three-story structure’s square-front design with decorative brick detailing. Once inside, they marveled at the horseshoe balcony, a ruby glass chandelier, and a period stage curtain advertising shops from the town’s past.
The Elkader Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. More than a quarter million dollars was raised in recent times to restore the building and modernize access and facilities, and volunteers logged more than 22,000 hours to make the project happen.
In November 2003, the Opera House Players celebrated the centennial of the building’s opening—appropriately, with a production of “The Governor’s Son,” the musical which opened the Elkader Opera House only a year after fire destroyed the original one…rising from the ashes on this date, in 1903.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, November 25, 2025
"Saving The Cupola"
As was the case in many Iowa counties, a fierce fight developed over time over where the county seat of Butler County would be located. There was Clarksville and Butler Center, but ultimately Allison became the choice, in great part because of how the railroad lines ran.
Even after a courthouse was built there, over nearly a century, the citizens were torn about the building. Voters approved adding on to it a few times, and a few other times proposals to build new buildings were rejected.
Finally, in May 1973, voters approved a new courthouse in a vote that had to be delayed a month because of the historic April blizzard that year.
The new courthouse would cost just under a million dollars. It took a year and a half to build, and was opened on December 14, 1975 on a piece of ground just to the south of the old one.
But a few weeks before that, on November 25, 1975, the 94-year-old courthouse made news when an Iowa National Guard helicopter lifted the distinctive round cupola off the building, carefully placing it on the courthouse grounds. It was to be a county American Revolution Bicentennial project, and include a hall of fame of county residents.
In April 1976, the old courthouse was torn down, leaving its replacement standing on the courthouse grounds. But there was one reminder of the old building left. The cupola from the old courthouse, left to honor the old structure, was moved by helicopter to the ground on this date in 1975…50 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Saving The Cupola"
As was the case in many Iowa counties, a fierce fight developed over time over where the county seat of Butler County would be located. There was Clarksville and Butler Center, but ultimately Allison became the choice, in great part because of how the railroad lines ran.
Even after a courthouse was built there, over nearly a century, the citizens were torn about the building. Voters approved adding on to it a few times, and a few other times proposals to build new buildings were rejected.
Finally, in May 1973, voters approved a new courthouse in a vote that had to be delayed a month because of the historic April blizzard that year.
The new courthouse would cost just under a million dollars. It took a year and a half to build, and was opened on December 14, 1975 on a piece of ground just to the south of the old one.
But a few weeks before that, on November 25, 1975, the 94-year-old courthouse made news when an Iowa National Guard helicopter lifted the distinctive round cupola off the building, carefully placing it on the courthouse grounds. It was to be a county American Revolution Bicentennial project, and include a hall of fame of county residents.
In April 1976, the old courthouse was torn down, leaving its replacement standing on the courthouse grounds. But there was one reminder of the old building left. The cupola from the old courthouse, left to honor the old structure, was moved by helicopter to the ground on this date in 1975…50 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, November 24, 2025
"The Dance That Turned Tragic"
It was Thanksgiving eve 1965 in Keokuk, and about 75 persons were in the National Guard armory there for a gala square dance.
About four dozen were dancing in six squares, with another dozen sitting along the sidelines. More than a dozen children played in the basement of the building.
It was the weekly meeting of the Swing Ezy club, and with the holiday coming up, spirits were high.
Then came an explosion and flash fire that demolished the building in an instant.
The building was heated by natural gas, and when it ignited, the explosion blew out the walls and sent the roof high into the air.
A total of 21 people died as a result of the explosion or burns they received. More than a month later, another 12 were still hospitalized.
It was the top news story of the year in Iowa, and the greatest tragedy in Keokuk's history...when 21 people were killed in an explosion that destroyed the Keokuk National Guard armory...on this date in 1965…60 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Dance That Turned Tragic"
It was Thanksgiving eve 1965 in Keokuk, and about 75 persons were in the National Guard armory there for a gala square dance.
About four dozen were dancing in six squares, with another dozen sitting along the sidelines. More than a dozen children played in the basement of the building.
It was the weekly meeting of the Swing Ezy club, and with the holiday coming up, spirits were high.
Then came an explosion and flash fire that demolished the building in an instant.
The building was heated by natural gas, and when it ignited, the explosion blew out the walls and sent the roof high into the air.
A total of 21 people died as a result of the explosion or burns they received. More than a month later, another 12 were still hospitalized.
It was the top news story of the year in Iowa, and the greatest tragedy in Keokuk's history...when 21 people were killed in an explosion that destroyed the Keokuk National Guard armory...on this date in 1965…60 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, November 23, 2025
"The Day Without Football"
It was to be the game of the year. On Saturday, November 23, 1963, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were to play the Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa Stadium. It would be the last game of the Hawkeyes' season, and fourteen Iowa seniors were looking forward to ending their careers on a high note against a perennial power.
And then, everything changed.
From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official...President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago.
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy changed the world in many ways. In Iowa, there was uncertainty whether the football game the next day should be played or not.
The Notre Dame team had already flown into Iowa and was checking into a Coralville motel when the shooting occurred.
The Hawkeyes went through their final practice and were taken by bus to a Mount Vernon motel, where they typically stayed at that time the night before a home game.
A crowd of 55,000 was expected, each paying $5 for a ticket.
Iowa athletic director Forest Evashevski met with his Notre Dame counterpart and decided that the game should be played. That was the word Friday night.
Then just after midnight, after further consideration, the decision was made to not play the game. Players did not find out until the next morning.
No Big Ten games were played that day. NFL games were played that weekend, a decision commissioner Pete Rozelle said years later he regretted.
Notre Dame offered to play the game two weeks later, but Iowa declined since extending the season by those two weeks would interfere too much with class work.
Until the 2020 COVID outbreak, it was the only game in Iowa football history to not be played in the season it was scheduled, when the Hawkeyes game against Notre Dame was cancelled due to the assassination of President Kennedy, on this date in 1963.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Day Without Football"
It was to be the game of the year. On Saturday, November 23, 1963, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were to play the Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa Stadium. It would be the last game of the Hawkeyes' season, and fourteen Iowa seniors were looking forward to ending their careers on a high note against a perennial power.
And then, everything changed.
From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official...President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago.
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy changed the world in many ways. In Iowa, there was uncertainty whether the football game the next day should be played or not.
The Notre Dame team had already flown into Iowa and was checking into a Coralville motel when the shooting occurred.
The Hawkeyes went through their final practice and were taken by bus to a Mount Vernon motel, where they typically stayed at that time the night before a home game.
A crowd of 55,000 was expected, each paying $5 for a ticket.
Iowa athletic director Forest Evashevski met with his Notre Dame counterpart and decided that the game should be played. That was the word Friday night.
Then just after midnight, after further consideration, the decision was made to not play the game. Players did not find out until the next morning.
No Big Ten games were played that day. NFL games were played that weekend, a decision commissioner Pete Rozelle said years later he regretted.
Notre Dame offered to play the game two weeks later, but Iowa declined since extending the season by those two weeks would interfere too much with class work.
Until the 2020 COVID outbreak, it was the only game in Iowa football history to not be played in the season it was scheduled, when the Hawkeyes game against Notre Dame was cancelled due to the assassination of President Kennedy, on this date in 1963.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, November 22, 2025
"The Last of the Wringers"
Frederick Maytag's company in Newton was a world leader in development of washing machines. In fact, it was one of the few businesses to actually make a consistent profit during the Great Depression.
The first mass-produced washer was made in 1907. Called the Pastime, it was hand driven with a crank on top. There was a flywheel underneath to help with the load of cranking.
The first washer with a wringer added came in 1909. Called the Hired Girl, it could be either hand powered or driven by an outside power source. Electricity as a power source was added in 1911.
Over the next three-quarters of a century, Maytag washers advanced in technology with each new model. For example, an easy release wringer was added in 1921 for safety. Some models in the 1920s had gas engines, or could be outfitted with either electric or gas motors.
The last of the new models was introduced in 1955, but Maytag wringer washers were produced until November 22, 1983.
First introduced during World War II in 1945, Model E2L or the Master, featured a square aluminum tub, with either a gas or electric motor. And it became the model with the longest running production of any of Maytag's wringer washers.
For 76 years, Maytag wringer washers rolled off the production lines in Newton...but the very last one was made on this date in 1983.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 22nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Last of the Wringers"
Frederick Maytag's company in Newton was a world leader in development of washing machines. In fact, it was one of the few businesses to actually make a consistent profit during the Great Depression.
The first mass-produced washer was made in 1907. Called the Pastime, it was hand driven with a crank on top. There was a flywheel underneath to help with the load of cranking.
The first washer with a wringer added came in 1909. Called the Hired Girl, it could be either hand powered or driven by an outside power source. Electricity as a power source was added in 1911.
Over the next three-quarters of a century, Maytag washers advanced in technology with each new model. For example, an easy release wringer was added in 1921 for safety. Some models in the 1920s had gas engines, or could be outfitted with either electric or gas motors.
The last of the new models was introduced in 1955, but Maytag wringer washers were produced until November 22, 1983.
First introduced during World War II in 1945, Model E2L or the Master, featured a square aluminum tub, with either a gas or electric motor. And it became the model with the longest running production of any of Maytag's wringer washers.
For 76 years, Maytag wringer washers rolled off the production lines in Newton...but the very last one was made on this date in 1983.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 22nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, November 21, 2025
"A Governor Loses His Life"
William Beardsley was born in Beacon, in Mahaska County, on May 13, 1901. He established a career in the retail drug business, and also raised cattle and hogs on his farm near New Virginia.
He entered politics in 1933, serving eight years in the Iowa Senate and two years in the Iowa House.
It was during a return to public service in 1946 that he became opposed to the labor and education policies of a fellow Republican, Governor Robert Blue. Beardsley wound up challenging the incumbent in the 1948 primary and won his party's nomination. Iowans then elected him as the state’s 31st governor that fall.
During his time in office, the highway patrol was expanded, worker's compensation benefits were increased, and a World War II veteran's bonus was authorized. Beardsley was re-elected in 1950 and 1952, but opted not to seek a fourth term in 1954.
It was on November 21, 1954, that Gov. Bill Beardsley and his wife Charlotte traveled by car to Ames to visit one of their five children, who was a student at Iowa State University. On their way home that Sunday night, just 2 miles north of Des Moines on Iowa Highway 60, Governor Beardsley drove his car into the back of a truck. He was killed instantly, and his wife was seriously injured.
Lt. Gov. Leo Elthon drove through the night from his home in Fertile to Des Moines to take the oath of office early the next morning, serving the final 52 days of Beardsley's term.
His career in public service was well respected, but sadly most remember 53-year-old Gov. William Beardsley for being the only Iowa governor to die in office...in a car accident near Des Moines...on this date in 1954.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 21st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Governor Loses His Life"
William Beardsley was born in Beacon, in Mahaska County, on May 13, 1901. He established a career in the retail drug business, and also raised cattle and hogs on his farm near New Virginia.
He entered politics in 1933, serving eight years in the Iowa Senate and two years in the Iowa House.
It was during a return to public service in 1946 that he became opposed to the labor and education policies of a fellow Republican, Governor Robert Blue. Beardsley wound up challenging the incumbent in the 1948 primary and won his party's nomination. Iowans then elected him as the state’s 31st governor that fall.
During his time in office, the highway patrol was expanded, worker's compensation benefits were increased, and a World War II veteran's bonus was authorized. Beardsley was re-elected in 1950 and 1952, but opted not to seek a fourth term in 1954.
It was on November 21, 1954, that Gov. Bill Beardsley and his wife Charlotte traveled by car to Ames to visit one of their five children, who was a student at Iowa State University. On their way home that Sunday night, just 2 miles north of Des Moines on Iowa Highway 60, Governor Beardsley drove his car into the back of a truck. He was killed instantly, and his wife was seriously injured.
Lt. Gov. Leo Elthon drove through the night from his home in Fertile to Des Moines to take the oath of office early the next morning, serving the final 52 days of Beardsley's term.
His career in public service was well respected, but sadly most remember 53-year-old Gov. William Beardsley for being the only Iowa governor to die in office...in a car accident near Des Moines...on this date in 1954.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 21st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, November 20, 2025
"From Aunt Fanny, to Fran"
Frances Allison was born on November 20, 1907 in LaPorte City. Fran graduated from Coe College, and was a teacher. Her love of performing led her to WMT radio's Waterloo studios, where she became a regular on the air in the 1930s.
At the age of 30, she moved to network radio in Chicago, as a staff singer and personality on the NBC network. She became a regular on “The Breakfast Club” program, and for 25 years portrayed Aunt Fanny, a small-town gossip.
In the earliest days of television, in 1947, Burr Tillstrom was asked to put together a puppet show for children. He asked Fran Allison to appear alongside his creations, and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie was born.
The show aired throughout the 1950s on NBC, and returned for another decade in the late 60s and early 70s on CBS. Fran appeared in other television programs, featuring her singing talents, but she's best remembered for her time with a family of puppets.
Kukla, Fran and Ollie were even honored by having a U.S. postage stamp issued with their images on it in 2009, 20 years after Fran's death. She was laid to rest in Cedar Rapids.
The only human to appear alongside the Kuklapolitan Players, Fran Allison, was born in LaPorte City on this date in 1907.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"From Aunt Fanny, to Fran"
Frances Allison was born on November 20, 1907 in LaPorte City. Fran graduated from Coe College, and was a teacher. Her love of performing led her to WMT radio's Waterloo studios, where she became a regular on the air in the 1930s.
At the age of 30, she moved to network radio in Chicago, as a staff singer and personality on the NBC network. She became a regular on “The Breakfast Club” program, and for 25 years portrayed Aunt Fanny, a small-town gossip.
In the earliest days of television, in 1947, Burr Tillstrom was asked to put together a puppet show for children. He asked Fran Allison to appear alongside his creations, and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie was born.
The show aired throughout the 1950s on NBC, and returned for another decade in the late 60s and early 70s on CBS. Fran appeared in other television programs, featuring her singing talents, but she's best remembered for her time with a family of puppets.
Kukla, Fran and Ollie were even honored by having a U.S. postage stamp issued with their images on it in 2009, 20 years after Fran's death. She was laid to rest in Cedar Rapids.
The only human to appear alongside the Kuklapolitan Players, Fran Allison, was born in LaPorte City on this date in 1907.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, November 19, 2025
"They Ran for the Cornfields"
In the mid-1960s, Amish living near Hazleton in Buchanan County found themselves in the middle of a conflict between two school districts that were merging. Many in the smaller school district were opposed to the merger.
The Amish themselves wanted to be included in an area of the new district where one-room schools, which the Amish preferred, would still be operated. The Amish had also come under pressure from the state for failing to meet new teacher certification standards.
Some say the Amish were convinced by the larger school's superintendent to vote for the merger, with the promise that there would be one-room schools. The merger passed, thanks to the Amish vote.
But state inspectors visited the Amish schools, and imposed fines against the Amish for using uncertified teachers. And that led to a pivotal moment on November 19, 1965.
On that Friday morning, a yellow Oelwein school bus pulled up to the Amish school to take the children to a consolidated town school. Sobbing parents were arrested for noncompliance with Iowa school law. Frightened children fled their school, running for cover in nearby cornfields. The iconic photos of the scene were on the front pages of major newspapers across the country the next morning.
The governor intervened to calm the situation, and eventually, the state legislature changed the law, allowing religious exemptions from state school standards. And the conflict was a factor in the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Wisconsin v. Yoder, granting Amish and other groups religious exemptions from state-mandated schooling standards.
But the conflict between the Amish and their beliefs, and state officials who wanted to force children to attend school in town, came to a head near Hazelton, on this date in 1965…60 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"They Ran for the Cornfields"
In the mid-1960s, Amish living near Hazleton in Buchanan County found themselves in the middle of a conflict between two school districts that were merging. Many in the smaller school district were opposed to the merger.
The Amish themselves wanted to be included in an area of the new district where one-room schools, which the Amish preferred, would still be operated. The Amish had also come under pressure from the state for failing to meet new teacher certification standards.
Some say the Amish were convinced by the larger school's superintendent to vote for the merger, with the promise that there would be one-room schools. The merger passed, thanks to the Amish vote.
But state inspectors visited the Amish schools, and imposed fines against the Amish for using uncertified teachers. And that led to a pivotal moment on November 19, 1965.
On that Friday morning, a yellow Oelwein school bus pulled up to the Amish school to take the children to a consolidated town school. Sobbing parents were arrested for noncompliance with Iowa school law. Frightened children fled their school, running for cover in nearby cornfields. The iconic photos of the scene were on the front pages of major newspapers across the country the next morning.
The governor intervened to calm the situation, and eventually, the state legislature changed the law, allowing religious exemptions from state school standards. And the conflict was a factor in the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Wisconsin v. Yoder, granting Amish and other groups religious exemptions from state-mandated schooling standards.
But the conflict between the Amish and their beliefs, and state officials who wanted to force children to attend school in town, came to a head near Hazelton, on this date in 1965…60 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, November 18, 2025
"Strike Up The Band"
Charlie Barnhouse was a talented musician. He taught himself to play the cornet, and became a conductor and composer. By the late 1880s, he decided to leave his home in West Virginia and see where his musical talents would take him.
He wound up leading town bands in both Mt. Pleasant and Burlington. Along the way, he started a music publishing company in 1886, with the first selection being The Battle of Shiloh March. In December 1890, he made his final move, settling in Oskaloosa. His C.L. Barnhouse Company soon became prominent in the band world, thanks to his works as well as those by Karl L. King, Fred Jewell and Russell Alexander.
When Charlie died on November 18, 1929, his son, C.L. Barnhouse, Jr., better known as Lloyd, led the company into a new era, at the start of the school band movement. During World War II, the Barnhouse Company became a major supplier of music for military bands, as well.
The third generation of the family assumed management of the company in 1957, and the fourth generation took over in 1979.
The C.L. Barnhouse company is unique, for preserving a nearly complete archive of all publications, dating back to 1886. As a result, virtually no Barnhouse publication is out of print.
The founder of a new type of company more than a century ago that continues to thrive today, C.L. Barnhouse, died on this date in 1929.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Strike Up The Band"
Charlie Barnhouse was a talented musician. He taught himself to play the cornet, and became a conductor and composer. By the late 1880s, he decided to leave his home in West Virginia and see where his musical talents would take him.
He wound up leading town bands in both Mt. Pleasant and Burlington. Along the way, he started a music publishing company in 1886, with the first selection being The Battle of Shiloh March. In December 1890, he made his final move, settling in Oskaloosa. His C.L. Barnhouse Company soon became prominent in the band world, thanks to his works as well as those by Karl L. King, Fred Jewell and Russell Alexander.
When Charlie died on November 18, 1929, his son, C.L. Barnhouse, Jr., better known as Lloyd, led the company into a new era, at the start of the school band movement. During World War II, the Barnhouse Company became a major supplier of music for military bands, as well.
The third generation of the family assumed management of the company in 1957, and the fourth generation took over in 1979.
The C.L. Barnhouse company is unique, for preserving a nearly complete archive of all publications, dating back to 1886. As a result, virtually no Barnhouse publication is out of print.
The founder of a new type of company more than a century ago that continues to thrive today, C.L. Barnhouse, died on this date in 1929.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, November 17, 2025
"A Vicious Attack"
The Gitchie Manitou State Preserve is a 91-acre nature preserve in Lyon County, just northwest of Granite, Iowa and southeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The preserve was named for the creator spirit in Anishinaabe Indian tradition, the “great spirit”.
On November 17, 1973, five teenagers from Sioux Falls decided to go to Gitchie Manitou. The four boys and one girl planned to sit around an evening campfire, smoke a few marijuana joints, and play guitars.
But the night quickly turned deadly. Three brothers—Allen, James, and David Fryer—were looking for illumination to poach deer. They camp upon the five, sitting around their campfire, singing. The Fryer brothers decided to confront the teenagers and take their marijuana, posing as narcotics agents. They got shotguns from their truck and opened fire on the teens. All four males were killed. The female, 13-year-old Sandra Cheskey, was tied up and one of the Fryer brothers, claiming to be a police officer, took her to a nearby farmhouse and sexually assaulted her before driving her to her home early the next morning.
Twelve days later, Sandy Cheskey was with Lyon County Sheriff Craig Vinson, searching for the farmhouse. They found it, largely because of the distinctive red fuel tank Sandy remembered seeing in the yard. At the very same time, Allen Fryer drove by in the same truck used the night of the crime. Sandy Cheskey identified him on the spot, and he was arrested. His two brothers were arrested soon after.
Ultimately, all three Fryer brothers were convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Sandy Cheskey said she felt alone and ashamed about the incident for decades, even though she was a victim. Around the 40th anniversary of the crimes, she decided to tell her story publicly, in part because she said she did not want her grandchildren hearing the story from anyone else. Not long after, a book was released, telling her story.
The murder of four teenagers and sexual assault of a fifth…by three brothers…happened at the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve in Lyon County on this date in 1973.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Vicious Attack"
The Gitchie Manitou State Preserve is a 91-acre nature preserve in Lyon County, just northwest of Granite, Iowa and southeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The preserve was named for the creator spirit in Anishinaabe Indian tradition, the “great spirit”.
On November 17, 1973, five teenagers from Sioux Falls decided to go to Gitchie Manitou. The four boys and one girl planned to sit around an evening campfire, smoke a few marijuana joints, and play guitars.
But the night quickly turned deadly. Three brothers—Allen, James, and David Fryer—were looking for illumination to poach deer. They camp upon the five, sitting around their campfire, singing. The Fryer brothers decided to confront the teenagers and take their marijuana, posing as narcotics agents. They got shotguns from their truck and opened fire on the teens. All four males were killed. The female, 13-year-old Sandra Cheskey, was tied up and one of the Fryer brothers, claiming to be a police officer, took her to a nearby farmhouse and sexually assaulted her before driving her to her home early the next morning.
Twelve days later, Sandy Cheskey was with Lyon County Sheriff Craig Vinson, searching for the farmhouse. They found it, largely because of the distinctive red fuel tank Sandy remembered seeing in the yard. At the very same time, Allen Fryer drove by in the same truck used the night of the crime. Sandy Cheskey identified him on the spot, and he was arrested. His two brothers were arrested soon after.
Ultimately, all three Fryer brothers were convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Sandy Cheskey said she felt alone and ashamed about the incident for decades, even though she was a victim. Around the 40th anniversary of the crimes, she decided to tell her story publicly, in part because she said she did not want her grandchildren hearing the story from anyone else. Not long after, a book was released, telling her story.
The murder of four teenagers and sexual assault of a fifth…by three brothers…happened at the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve in Lyon County on this date in 1973.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, November 16, 2025
"The Grinnell 14"
It was the fall of 1961, and the protests that marked the decade were years away. But one group of Iowa college students set the example.
The 10 men and 4 women left Grinnell College by car on November 13 of that year, arriving in Washington, D.C. three days later. Their goal was to protest against atmospheric nuclear testing, seeking to influence the young president who was still in his first year in office.
Grinnell's student senate passed a resolution in support of the protestors. Around 160 students on campus fasted in solidarity while the group was in the nation’s capital.
They caused quite a stir, getting national news coverage on NBC's "Huntley Brinkley Report", and making headlines in international newspapers. They were welcomed into the White House to meet with officials; President Kennedy was away at the time.
They even went to the Soviet embassy to ask why nuclear testing was continuing.
And they set an example. Tom Hayden, later part of the Chicago 7, credited the Grinnell group with helping launch the broader 1960s student peace movement. The Grinnell 14 were followed by students from dozens of other schools, one after another, in a series of protests that lasted at least a year.
Less than two years after the protest, the U.S., Soviet Union, and United Kingdom signed a partial test ban treaty that ended the atmospheric tests.
Attention was given to the issue by a group of 14 Grinnell College students, who arrived for a week of protesting in Washington, D.C., on this date in 1961.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Grinnell 14"
It was the fall of 1961, and the protests that marked the decade were years away. But one group of Iowa college students set the example.
The 10 men and 4 women left Grinnell College by car on November 13 of that year, arriving in Washington, D.C. three days later. Their goal was to protest against atmospheric nuclear testing, seeking to influence the young president who was still in his first year in office.
Grinnell's student senate passed a resolution in support of the protestors. Around 160 students on campus fasted in solidarity while the group was in the nation’s capital.
They caused quite a stir, getting national news coverage on NBC's "Huntley Brinkley Report", and making headlines in international newspapers. They were welcomed into the White House to meet with officials; President Kennedy was away at the time.
They even went to the Soviet embassy to ask why nuclear testing was continuing.
And they set an example. Tom Hayden, later part of the Chicago 7, credited the Grinnell group with helping launch the broader 1960s student peace movement. The Grinnell 14 were followed by students from dozens of other schools, one after another, in a series of protests that lasted at least a year.
Less than two years after the protest, the U.S., Soviet Union, and United Kingdom signed a partial test ban treaty that ended the atmospheric tests.
Attention was given to the issue by a group of 14 Grinnell College students, who arrived for a week of protesting in Washington, D.C., on this date in 1961.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, November 15, 2025
"An Insurgent Senator"
Smith Brookhart, Sr. was well liked by Iowa voters, but not necessarily by his own party.
A graduate of Bloomfield High School, he taught school for a time before studying law and becoming an attorney in 1892, practicing in Washington, Iowa.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War and World War I, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was well known for his marksmanship with a rifle, and wound up serving as president of the National Rifle Association from 1921 to 1925.
Brookhart started a political career, strongly supporting Prohibition. After a failed attempt for the U.S. Senate in 1920, Brookhart was elected to fill a vacant seat in the chamber in 1922. Two years later, when running for a full term, he appeared to have defeated his Democrat challenger, Daniel Steck. But when Steck challenged the results, the state Republican Party sided with the Democrat, accusing Brookhart of disloyalty to the Republican presidential ticket because he supported Progressive candidate Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin.
Brookhart was removed from his seat by the Iowa legislature, but he immediately ran for Iowa's other U.S. Senate seat, and upended incumbent Albert Cummins in the primary, avenging his loss to Cummins in 1920. He was returned to the Senate by voters, and continued his independent reputation, criticizing Republican presidents and big business.
Brookhart lost his bid for re-election in 1932, losing in the primary to nurseryman and broadcaster Henry Field.
He became a special advisor to the federal government on Soviet trade, becoming an early advocate for U.S. recognition of the Soviet Union. He then practiced law in Washington, D.C., before moving to Arizona for health reasons.
Voters elected him to the U.S. Senate twice, but he was never a favorite of party regulars. Senator Smith W. Brookhart, Sr. -- who died on this date in 1944.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 15th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"An Insurgent Senator"
Smith Brookhart, Sr. was well liked by Iowa voters, but not necessarily by his own party.
A graduate of Bloomfield High School, he taught school for a time before studying law and becoming an attorney in 1892, practicing in Washington, Iowa.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War and World War I, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was well known for his marksmanship with a rifle, and wound up serving as president of the National Rifle Association from 1921 to 1925.
Brookhart started a political career, strongly supporting Prohibition. After a failed attempt for the U.S. Senate in 1920, Brookhart was elected to fill a vacant seat in the chamber in 1922. Two years later, when running for a full term, he appeared to have defeated his Democrat challenger, Daniel Steck. But when Steck challenged the results, the state Republican Party sided with the Democrat, accusing Brookhart of disloyalty to the Republican presidential ticket because he supported Progressive candidate Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin.
Brookhart was removed from his seat by the Iowa legislature, but he immediately ran for Iowa's other U.S. Senate seat, and upended incumbent Albert Cummins in the primary, avenging his loss to Cummins in 1920. He was returned to the Senate by voters, and continued his independent reputation, criticizing Republican presidents and big business.
Brookhart lost his bid for re-election in 1932, losing in the primary to nurseryman and broadcaster Henry Field.
He became a special advisor to the federal government on Soviet trade, becoming an early advocate for U.S. recognition of the Soviet Union. He then practiced law in Washington, D.C., before moving to Arizona for health reasons.
Voters elected him to the U.S. Senate twice, but he was never a favorite of party regulars. Senator Smith W. Brookhart, Sr. -- who died on this date in 1944.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 15th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, November 14, 2025
"Evasive Action"
We've told you before that the USS Iowa, built in 1940, was known as the Battleship of Presidents during its 50 years of service to America. Due to its big guns, heavy armor, fast speed, longevity and modernization, it was known as the "world's greatest naval ship" at the time.
But on November 14, 1943, the Iowa almost was hit by a torpedo fired by an American destroyer. And the course of history could have been drastically changed.
The Iowa was carrying President Franklin Roosevelt and his joint chiefs to a secret meeting with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, known to history as the Tehran Conference.
At FDR's request, the USS Iowa conducted an anti-aircraft drill that morning, to demonstrate her defensive capabilities to the commander in chief, a former Navy man himself. Escort ships also participated, including the destroyer William D. Porter.
The warship was performing a torpedo drill when the #3 torpedo was accidentally discharged from its tube, headed directly toward the USS Iowa. After failing to get the Iowa crew's attention with its blinker light, the Porter crew broke radio silence to sound the warning. The Iowa turned hard to the right to avoid the torpedo, which exploded in the wake of the battleship.
Roosevelt had learned of the incoming torpedo...and asked the Secret Service to move his wheelchair to the side of the battleship for a better view.
It was the only evasive action the USS Iowa ever had to take during World War II, and it was to avoid an incoming torpedo from an American destroyer...with the President of the United States on board...on this date in 1943.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 14th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Evasive Action"
We've told you before that the USS Iowa, built in 1940, was known as the Battleship of Presidents during its 50 years of service to America. Due to its big guns, heavy armor, fast speed, longevity and modernization, it was known as the "world's greatest naval ship" at the time.
But on November 14, 1943, the Iowa almost was hit by a torpedo fired by an American destroyer. And the course of history could have been drastically changed.
The Iowa was carrying President Franklin Roosevelt and his joint chiefs to a secret meeting with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, known to history as the Tehran Conference.
At FDR's request, the USS Iowa conducted an anti-aircraft drill that morning, to demonstrate her defensive capabilities to the commander in chief, a former Navy man himself. Escort ships also participated, including the destroyer William D. Porter.
The warship was performing a torpedo drill when the #3 torpedo was accidentally discharged from its tube, headed directly toward the USS Iowa. After failing to get the Iowa crew's attention with its blinker light, the Porter crew broke radio silence to sound the warning. The Iowa turned hard to the right to avoid the torpedo, which exploded in the wake of the battleship.
Roosevelt had learned of the incoming torpedo...and asked the Secret Service to move his wheelchair to the side of the battleship for a better view.
It was the only evasive action the USS Iowa ever had to take during World War II, and it was to avoid an incoming torpedo from an American destroyer...with the President of the United States on board...on this date in 1943.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 14th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, November 13, 2025
"Taking on the Press"
It was never a secret that President Richard Nixon and the news media did not get along. At the height of the Vietnam War, protests were held across the country, and the media covered those protests. On November 13, 1969, the Administration decided to fight back.
Vice President Spiro Agnew was set to speak to the Midwestern Regional Republican Conference in Des Moines. He took advantage of the occasion to criticize the news media, in a speech written by future presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.
“The American people would rightly not tolerate this concentration of power in Government. Is it not fair and relevant to question its concentration in the hands of a tiny, and closed fraternity of privileged men elected by no one and enjoying a monopoly sanctioned and licensed by Government? The views of a -- the majority of this fraternity do not -- and I repeat, not -- represent the views of America.”
“Now I want to make myself perfectly clear: I'm not asking for Government censorship or any other kind of censorship. I am asking whether a form of censorship already exists when the news that 40 million Americans receive each night is determined by a handful of men responsible only to their corporate employers and is filtered through a handful of commentators who admit to their own set of biases.”
This was merely the first in a series of speeches. In a later one, Agnew called the media pundits “nattering nabobs of negativism”. And of course, Agnew himself had legal troubles that later forced him from office.
But the Nixon Administration’s public criticism of the news media, through Vice President Spiro Agnew, started in Des Moines on this date in 1969.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Taking on the Press"
It was never a secret that President Richard Nixon and the news media did not get along. At the height of the Vietnam War, protests were held across the country, and the media covered those protests. On November 13, 1969, the Administration decided to fight back.
Vice President Spiro Agnew was set to speak to the Midwestern Regional Republican Conference in Des Moines. He took advantage of the occasion to criticize the news media, in a speech written by future presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.
“The American people would rightly not tolerate this concentration of power in Government. Is it not fair and relevant to question its concentration in the hands of a tiny, and closed fraternity of privileged men elected by no one and enjoying a monopoly sanctioned and licensed by Government? The views of a -- the majority of this fraternity do not -- and I repeat, not -- represent the views of America.”
“Now I want to make myself perfectly clear: I'm not asking for Government censorship or any other kind of censorship. I am asking whether a form of censorship already exists when the news that 40 million Americans receive each night is determined by a handful of men responsible only to their corporate employers and is filtered through a handful of commentators who admit to their own set of biases.”
This was merely the first in a series of speeches. In a later one, Agnew called the media pundits “nattering nabobs of negativism”. And of course, Agnew himself had legal troubles that later forced him from office.
But the Nixon Administration’s public criticism of the news media, through Vice President Spiro Agnew, started in Des Moines on this date in 1969.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, November 12, 2025
"The First Legislature"
The land west of the Mississippi River, including what is now Iowa, was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Iowa was originally part of the Wisconsin Territory, but ultimately, the parcel was divided. Some wanted to call the new territory Washington, after our first president. Others wanted to name it Jefferson, after the president who bought the land.
Imagine…instead of our state being Iowa, we were actually fairly close to living in the state of Washington, or the state of Jefferson. But instead, the name given the area by Albert M. Lea was used. Iowa.
On June 12, 1838, President Martin Van Buren signed the bill which created the Iowa Territory. It went into effect on July 4, Independence Day. The president appointed Robert Lucas as governor. He had previous experience as governor of Ohio. The president also appointed three justices for a territorial supreme court.
The people of the new territory were to elect their own legislature, and on November 12, 1838, the first Iowa territorial legislature began meeting, two months after the first election. Governor Lucas decided Burlington would be the capital of the new territory, until the legislature selected another location.
That first legislature settled various orders of business, but one of the first was to establish a new city in Johnson County, named Iowa City, to be the capitol. The cornerstone for the capitol building was set in 1840, but it took a long time for the stone capitol to be built. The legislature did meet in Iowa City in 1841, but in a temporary frame building; they moved into the stone capitol the next year.
Today, our legislature meets annually, from January until typically April or May. But the first legislative session, for the Iowa Territory, was on this date in 1838.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The First Legislature"
The land west of the Mississippi River, including what is now Iowa, was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Iowa was originally part of the Wisconsin Territory, but ultimately, the parcel was divided. Some wanted to call the new territory Washington, after our first president. Others wanted to name it Jefferson, after the president who bought the land.
Imagine…instead of our state being Iowa, we were actually fairly close to living in the state of Washington, or the state of Jefferson. But instead, the name given the area by Albert M. Lea was used. Iowa.
On June 12, 1838, President Martin Van Buren signed the bill which created the Iowa Territory. It went into effect on July 4, Independence Day. The president appointed Robert Lucas as governor. He had previous experience as governor of Ohio. The president also appointed three justices for a territorial supreme court.
The people of the new territory were to elect their own legislature, and on November 12, 1838, the first Iowa territorial legislature began meeting, two months after the first election. Governor Lucas decided Burlington would be the capital of the new territory, until the legislature selected another location.
That first legislature settled various orders of business, but one of the first was to establish a new city in Johnson County, named Iowa City, to be the capitol. The cornerstone for the capitol building was set in 1840, but it took a long time for the stone capitol to be built. The legislature did meet in Iowa City in 1841, but in a temporary frame building; they moved into the stone capitol the next year.
Today, our legislature meets annually, from January until typically April or May. But the first legislative session, for the Iowa Territory, was on this date in 1838.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, November 11, 2025
"The Armistice Day Blizzard"
The fall of 1940 was warm and uneventful. Hunters were waiting for the normal cold fronts to move in, so the birds they were targeting would move south.
But they didn’t want, nor expect, what hit on November 11.
Weather forecasting was nothing like today, so the weather systems that converged on Iowa and the Midwest were a surprise. One system was moving east from the Rocky Mountains. A Canadian cold air mass was sliding down from the north, while warm moist air came up from the south.
The combination was deadly, resulting in a thousand mile wide path of destruction, becoming the most famous and disastrous blizzard in American history.
The barometric pressure dropped to an all-time record low in Charles City. The temperature dropped from the 60s to single digits in a matter of a few hours.
The storm dropped more than two feet of snow, killed thousands of cattle, and destroyed a million Thanksgiving turkeys. All tolled in the Midwest, 160 people died.
Hunters in Iowa were especially at risk, because without warning, they were trapped out in the wild. Thousands of ducks flew overhead, but the hunt was difficult in the hurricane force winds. And many hunters were so focused on their shooting, they did not pay enough attention to their own safety, and were lucky to escape with their lives.
Even decades later, the lucky ones, now in their late 80s and older, still think about being out hunting during the greatest blizzard in American history, the Armistice Day Blizzard, on this date in 1940…85 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Armistice Day Blizzard"
The fall of 1940 was warm and uneventful. Hunters were waiting for the normal cold fronts to move in, so the birds they were targeting would move south.
But they didn’t want, nor expect, what hit on November 11.
Weather forecasting was nothing like today, so the weather systems that converged on Iowa and the Midwest were a surprise. One system was moving east from the Rocky Mountains. A Canadian cold air mass was sliding down from the north, while warm moist air came up from the south.
The combination was deadly, resulting in a thousand mile wide path of destruction, becoming the most famous and disastrous blizzard in American history.
The barometric pressure dropped to an all-time record low in Charles City. The temperature dropped from the 60s to single digits in a matter of a few hours.
The storm dropped more than two feet of snow, killed thousands of cattle, and destroyed a million Thanksgiving turkeys. All tolled in the Midwest, 160 people died.
Hunters in Iowa were especially at risk, because without warning, they were trapped out in the wild. Thousands of ducks flew overhead, but the hunt was difficult in the hurricane force winds. And many hunters were so focused on their shooting, they did not pay enough attention to their own safety, and were lucky to escape with their lives.
Even decades later, the lucky ones, now in their late 80s and older, still think about being out hunting during the greatest blizzard in American history, the Armistice Day Blizzard, on this date in 1940…85 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, November 10, 2025
"Little House on the Iowa Prairie"
Generations have enjoyed the books and television program inspired by the writing of Laura Ingalls Wilder. There have been various Iowa angles in the stories, including when Laura's older sister Mary went blind and attended school in Vinton for a time.
Not talked about in the Little House books was the time the Ingalls family spent in Burr Oak, Iowa. Charles Ingalls—Pa—helped run a hotel there for a year. It was during that year, on May 23, 1877, that Charles and Caroline Ingalls welcomed their fifth and final child into the world, a girl they name Grace Pearl Ingalls.
Grace moved from Iowa when she was an infant, and ultimately the family settled in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Like her mother and sister Laura, Grace also became a school teacher, near DeSmet, South Dakota. In later years, Grace became her sister Mary's caretaker.
There's another Iowa angle to note. Laura's daughter, Rose, also became a writer. In fact, she wrote the first biography of Herbert Hoover, before he became president. Rose donated her papers and those of her mother to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, where today, scholars travel to study her works.
Laura Ingalls Wilder's youngest sister, Grace Pearl Ingalls Dow, born in Iowa, died on this date in 1941.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Little House on the Iowa Prairie"
Generations have enjoyed the books and television program inspired by the writing of Laura Ingalls Wilder. There have been various Iowa angles in the stories, including when Laura's older sister Mary went blind and attended school in Vinton for a time.
Not talked about in the Little House books was the time the Ingalls family spent in Burr Oak, Iowa. Charles Ingalls—Pa—helped run a hotel there for a year. It was during that year, on May 23, 1877, that Charles and Caroline Ingalls welcomed their fifth and final child into the world, a girl they name Grace Pearl Ingalls.
Grace moved from Iowa when she was an infant, and ultimately the family settled in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Like her mother and sister Laura, Grace also became a school teacher, near DeSmet, South Dakota. In later years, Grace became her sister Mary's caretaker.
There's another Iowa angle to note. Laura's daughter, Rose, also became a writer. In fact, she wrote the first biography of Herbert Hoover, before he became president. Rose donated her papers and those of her mother to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, where today, scholars travel to study her works.
Laura Ingalls Wilder's youngest sister, Grace Pearl Ingalls Dow, born in Iowa, died on this date in 1941.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, November 09, 2025
"Floyd of Rosedale"
By the time of the Iowa Caucuses early in a presidential election year, we Iowans have already seen candidates for close to two years.
Elections didn't used to last this long. And in the early 1900s, it wasn't surprising to seenew political parties pop up. After all, the Republicans themselves had only been around for 50 years.
George Edwin Taylor was an African-American who was born in 1857 in Arkansas. His father was a slave, and he and his mother, who was a free black, fled the state to Illinois when George was only 2 years of age. He made his way to Wisconsin, where he became a journalist and labor activist. By 1891, George Taylor was in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he published a weekly newspaper called the Negro Solicitor, and served as a local justice of the peace.
At first he was a Republican, but then became a Democrat; in fact, he was president of what was called the Negro Bureau within the national Democratic party.
But he became disenchanted with both major parties in that post-Civil War era, and in 1904, George Taylor joined the National Negro Liberty Party and became its candidate for president.
It was not a very successful run. Jim Crow laws kept blacks from voting across the country, much less being on the ballot. It's believed that Taylor received 65,000 votes nationwide, but records are sketchy.
After the election, he returned to Iowa, but moved to Florida for health reasons by 1910. He also returned to the Democratic party, calling himself an independent first, Democrat second, and always black.
George Taylor knew he would lose that presidential election, but called it a duty to his race regardless of the outcome. The election was held while he was living in Oskaloosa, as George Taylor become the first African-American to run for the presidency, when citizens voted on this date in 1904.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Floyd of Rosedale"
By the time of the Iowa Caucuses early in a presidential election year, we Iowans have already seen candidates for close to two years.
Elections didn't used to last this long. And in the early 1900s, it wasn't surprising to seenew political parties pop up. After all, the Republicans themselves had only been around for 50 years.
George Edwin Taylor was an African-American who was born in 1857 in Arkansas. His father was a slave, and he and his mother, who was a free black, fled the state to Illinois when George was only 2 years of age. He made his way to Wisconsin, where he became a journalist and labor activist. By 1891, George Taylor was in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he published a weekly newspaper called the Negro Solicitor, and served as a local justice of the peace.
At first he was a Republican, but then became a Democrat; in fact, he was president of what was called the Negro Bureau within the national Democratic party.
But he became disenchanted with both major parties in that post-Civil War era, and in 1904, George Taylor joined the National Negro Liberty Party and became its candidate for president.
It was not a very successful run. Jim Crow laws kept blacks from voting across the country, much less being on the ballot. It's believed that Taylor received 65,000 votes nationwide, but records are sketchy.
After the election, he returned to Iowa, but moved to Florida for health reasons by 1910. He also returned to the Democratic party, calling himself an independent first, Democrat second, and always black.
George Taylor knew he would lose that presidential election, but called it a duty to his race regardless of the outcome. The election was held while he was living in Oskaloosa, as George Taylor become the first African-American to run for the presidency, when citizens voted on this date in 1904.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, November 08, 2025
"An Iowan for President"
By the time of the Iowa Caucuses early in a presidential election year, we Iowans have already seen candidates for close to two years.
Elections didn't used to last this long. And in the early 1900s, it wasn't surprising to seenew political parties pop up. After all, the Republicans themselves had only been around for 50 years.
George Edwin Taylor was an African-American who was born in 1857 in Arkansas. His father was a slave, and he and his mother, who was a free black, fled the state to Illinois when George was only 2 years of age. He made his way to Wisconsin, where he became a journalist and labor activist. By 1891, George Taylor was in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he published a weekly newspaper called the Negro Solicitor, and served as a local justice of the peace.
At first he was a Republican, but then became a Democrat; in fact, he was president of what was called the Negro Bureau within the national Democratic party.
But he became disenchanted with both major parties in that post-Civil War era, and in 1904, George Taylor joined the National Negro Liberty Party and became its candidate for president.
It was not a very successful run. Jim Crow laws kept blacks from voting across the country, much less being on the ballot. It's believed that Taylor received 65,000 votes nationwide, but records are sketchy.
After the election, he returned to Iowa, but moved to Florida for health reasons by 1910. He also returned to the Democratic party, calling himself an independent first, Democrat second, and always black.
George Taylor knew he would lose that presidential election, but called it a duty to his race regardless of the outcome. The election was held while he was living in Oskaloosa, as George Taylor become the first African-American to run for the presidency, when citizens voted on this date in 1904.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 8th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"An Iowan for President"
By the time of the Iowa Caucuses early in a presidential election year, we Iowans have already seen candidates for close to two years.
Elections didn't used to last this long. And in the early 1900s, it wasn't surprising to seenew political parties pop up. After all, the Republicans themselves had only been around for 50 years.
George Edwin Taylor was an African-American who was born in 1857 in Arkansas. His father was a slave, and he and his mother, who was a free black, fled the state to Illinois when George was only 2 years of age. He made his way to Wisconsin, where he became a journalist and labor activist. By 1891, George Taylor was in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he published a weekly newspaper called the Negro Solicitor, and served as a local justice of the peace.
At first he was a Republican, but then became a Democrat; in fact, he was president of what was called the Negro Bureau within the national Democratic party.
But he became disenchanted with both major parties in that post-Civil War era, and in 1904, George Taylor joined the National Negro Liberty Party and became its candidate for president.
It was not a very successful run. Jim Crow laws kept blacks from voting across the country, much less being on the ballot. It's believed that Taylor received 65,000 votes nationwide, but records are sketchy.
After the election, he returned to Iowa, but moved to Florida for health reasons by 1910. He also returned to the Democratic party, calling himself an independent first, Democrat second, and always black.
George Taylor knew he would lose that presidential election, but called it a duty to his race regardless of the outcome. The election was held while he was living in Oskaloosa, as George Taylor become the first African-American to run for the presidency, when citizens voted on this date in 1904.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 8th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, November 07, 2025
"Test Taking"
High school students who are getting ready for college spend weeks preparing for standardized testing. It used to be colleges had their own individual entrance exams, which was cumbersome for those applying to multiple colleges.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, was developed in 1901 as a way to streamline the process, but it emphasized cognitive reasoning. Leave it to an Iowan to use Midwest common sense to come up with an alternative, focused on practical knowledge.
The University of Iowa had held an annual tournament for academics, called the Iowa Academic Meet. In 1929, UI professor Everett Franklin Lindquist began overseeing the meet, which got the nickname "Brain Derby" among the 1,000 students who participated each year.
After looking at data from that program, E.F. Lindquist was able to create new strategies when it came to designing standardized testing. He used them in his work for the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for 6th through 8th graders, and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development for high school students. One of his ideas was to provide separate answer sheets and scoring keys, as well as computerized scoring devices, to increase efficiency.
In order to provide a better college admission test, Lindquist co-founded the American College Testing Program in the summer of 1959. It started strong, with 75,460 students taking the first ACT test on November 7, 1959. It had four parts--English, mathematics, social studies, and natural studies--and lasted three hours, with a maximum composite score of 36. It soon gained in popularity over the SAT because not only could it more accurately predict college performance, it helped identify student strengths and weaknesses.
Still used today as a primary way of measuring student aptitude for college, the first ACT test--developed by University of Iowa professor E.F. Lindquist--was given on this date in 1959.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 7th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Test Taking"
High school students who are getting ready for college spend weeks preparing for standardized testing. It used to be colleges had their own individual entrance exams, which was cumbersome for those applying to multiple colleges.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, was developed in 1901 as a way to streamline the process, but it emphasized cognitive reasoning. Leave it to an Iowan to use Midwest common sense to come up with an alternative, focused on practical knowledge.
The University of Iowa had held an annual tournament for academics, called the Iowa Academic Meet. In 1929, UI professor Everett Franklin Lindquist began overseeing the meet, which got the nickname "Brain Derby" among the 1,000 students who participated each year.
After looking at data from that program, E.F. Lindquist was able to create new strategies when it came to designing standardized testing. He used them in his work for the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for 6th through 8th graders, and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development for high school students. One of his ideas was to provide separate answer sheets and scoring keys, as well as computerized scoring devices, to increase efficiency.
In order to provide a better college admission test, Lindquist co-founded the American College Testing Program in the summer of 1959. It started strong, with 75,460 students taking the first ACT test on November 7, 1959. It had four parts--English, mathematics, social studies, and natural studies--and lasted three hours, with a maximum composite score of 36. It soon gained in popularity over the SAT because not only could it more accurately predict college performance, it helped identify student strengths and weaknesses.
Still used today as a primary way of measuring student aptitude for college, the first ACT test--developed by University of Iowa professor E.F. Lindquist--was given on this date in 1959.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 7th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, November 06, 2025
"The Baseball Evangelist"
They say more than a million people accepted Christ as a direct result of his preaching. But early on, there was not much to suggest that William Ashley Sunday would be one of the best known evangelists of the early 1900s.
He was born in Ames in 1862. He never knew his father, who died during the Civil War. His mother tried to keep the family together, but ultimately Billy Sunday spent part of his childhood in various homes for orphans of soldiers.
After high school, he was a locomotive firefighter for the railroad and played baseball in Marshalltown, leading his amateur team to a state title.
Marshalltown native and baseball hall of famer Cap Anson saw him play and arranged for Sunday to get a tryout with the Chicago National League ball club. He made the team, and soon proved to be the fastest runner in the whole league.
In 1886, he joined a group of young people on their way to Chicago’s Pacific Garden Mission. After about a half-dozen meetings, he converted. In 1890, he gave up a $350 per week baseball contract to make only a thousand dollars a year working for the YMCA and touring the country, spreading the gospel.
He was known for pounding the pulpit, moving around the room while preaching, waving his arms and enthusiastically delivering his message.
He preached for 39 years, before dying of a heart attack in Chicago on November 6, 1935. He was less than two weeks away from his 73rd birthday.
Iowa-born Billy Sunday, pro athlete and preacher, died on this date in 1935…90 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Baseball Evangelist"
They say more than a million people accepted Christ as a direct result of his preaching. But early on, there was not much to suggest that William Ashley Sunday would be one of the best known evangelists of the early 1900s.
He was born in Ames in 1862. He never knew his father, who died during the Civil War. His mother tried to keep the family together, but ultimately Billy Sunday spent part of his childhood in various homes for orphans of soldiers.
After high school, he was a locomotive firefighter for the railroad and played baseball in Marshalltown, leading his amateur team to a state title.
Marshalltown native and baseball hall of famer Cap Anson saw him play and arranged for Sunday to get a tryout with the Chicago National League ball club. He made the team, and soon proved to be the fastest runner in the whole league.
In 1886, he joined a group of young people on their way to Chicago’s Pacific Garden Mission. After about a half-dozen meetings, he converted. In 1890, he gave up a $350 per week baseball contract to make only a thousand dollars a year working for the YMCA and touring the country, spreading the gospel.
He was known for pounding the pulpit, moving around the room while preaching, waving his arms and enthusiastically delivering his message.
He preached for 39 years, before dying of a heart attack in Chicago on November 6, 1935. He was less than two weeks away from his 73rd birthday.
Iowa-born Billy Sunday, pro athlete and preacher, died on this date in 1935…90 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, November 05, 2025
"Changing Its Name"
There are a number of items on an election day ballot. There are obviously votes for candidates for public office, and often voters are asked to render judgment on a taxation or bond issue.
Rarely, though, are they asked to change the name of their city.
But that was the case in the Greene county town of New Rippey on November 5, 1957.
There had been a village by the name of Rippey. Then, a new settlement was organized nearby, and took the name New Rippey.
But by 1957, the original Rippey was just a memory, having ceased to be long before. Besides, people who did refer to it called it Old Rippey, even though that was not its official name.
New Rippey was actually called Rippey by most people, since it was the only one left. The only time it was ever called New Rippey was in legal descriptions or judicial use.
The only way to change the city's name was through the will of the voters. Why bother? Because there was some fear that if someone called it Rippey in one place, and New Rippey in another, there would be confusion in legal documents.
So on November 5, 1957, the citizens of New Rippey went to the polls to vote on a variety of municipal issues, including whether to officially call themselves Rippey.
The measure passed. And the name was changed.
Many of us know Rippey as the place where a mid-winter bicycle ride is held, the Bike Ride to Rippey, better known by its acronym, BRR. Imagine if the town was still called New Rippey...the acronym would not be nearly as clever.
Thanks to the will of a majority of voters, New Rippey became Rippey, on this date in 1957.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Changing Its Name"
There are a number of items on an election day ballot. There are obviously votes for candidates for public office, and often voters are asked to render judgment on a taxation or bond issue.
Rarely, though, are they asked to change the name of their city.
But that was the case in the Greene county town of New Rippey on November 5, 1957.
There had been a village by the name of Rippey. Then, a new settlement was organized nearby, and took the name New Rippey.
But by 1957, the original Rippey was just a memory, having ceased to be long before. Besides, people who did refer to it called it Old Rippey, even though that was not its official name.
New Rippey was actually called Rippey by most people, since it was the only one left. The only time it was ever called New Rippey was in legal descriptions or judicial use.
The only way to change the city's name was through the will of the voters. Why bother? Because there was some fear that if someone called it Rippey in one place, and New Rippey in another, there would be confusion in legal documents.
So on November 5, 1957, the citizens of New Rippey went to the polls to vote on a variety of municipal issues, including whether to officially call themselves Rippey.
The measure passed. And the name was changed.
Many of us know Rippey as the place where a mid-winter bicycle ride is held, the Bike Ride to Rippey, better known by its acronym, BRR. Imagine if the town was still called New Rippey...the acronym would not be nearly as clever.
Thanks to the will of a majority of voters, New Rippey became Rippey, on this date in 1957.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, November 04, 2025
"Taken Hostage"
Jesup native Katy Koob became a teacher. But she had always been fascinated by the work of Edward R. Murrow and his reporting from Britain during World War II. That ultimately led to a second career as a foreign service officer. And that led to becoming a piece of history.
In the summer of 1979, the 42-year-old became director of the Iran-American Society, a non-profit group established by the U.S. government to build educational and community relationships between the U.S. and Iran. She had only been on the job for four months, when on November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students supporting the revolution took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking embassy workers hostage. While her office was two miles from the Embassy, she too was soon taken hostage.
For 444 days, 52 Americans were held by the student group. A rescue effort in the spring of 1980 was unsuccessful and led to the deaths of eight American servicemen.
The hostage crisis dominated the presidency of Jimmy Carter and was clearly a factor in his landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in November of 1980. It was only when Reagan took the oath of office, literally, that the hostages were released by Iran into U.S. custody shortly after 12 noon on January 20, 1981.
Amazingly, all were safe, and all were able to walk onto the plane to freedom.
Kathryn Koob returned to the foreign service, serving in Austria, Germany and Australia, ultimately retiring in 1996 and moving back to Iowa.
Iowa native Kathryn Koob was one of only two females taken hostage, along with 50 others, in Iran on this date in 1979.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Taken Hostage"
Jesup native Katy Koob became a teacher. But she had always been fascinated by the work of Edward R. Murrow and his reporting from Britain during World War II. That ultimately led to a second career as a foreign service officer. And that led to becoming a piece of history.
In the summer of 1979, the 42-year-old became director of the Iran-American Society, a non-profit group established by the U.S. government to build educational and community relationships between the U.S. and Iran. She had only been on the job for four months, when on November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students supporting the revolution took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking embassy workers hostage. While her office was two miles from the Embassy, she too was soon taken hostage.
For 444 days, 52 Americans were held by the student group. A rescue effort in the spring of 1980 was unsuccessful and led to the deaths of eight American servicemen.
The hostage crisis dominated the presidency of Jimmy Carter and was clearly a factor in his landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in November of 1980. It was only when Reagan took the oath of office, literally, that the hostages were released by Iran into U.S. custody shortly after 12 noon on January 20, 1981.
Amazingly, all were safe, and all were able to walk onto the plane to freedom.
Kathryn Koob returned to the foreign service, serving in Austria, Germany and Australia, ultimately retiring in 1996 and moving back to Iowa.
Iowa native Kathryn Koob was one of only two females taken hostage, along with 50 others, in Iran on this date in 1979.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, November 03, 2025
"Iowa's First Newspaper"
The land that is now Iowa was originally part of the Wisconsin Territory. In 1838, the parcel of land was divided, and the Iowa Territory was formed, with a capital located at Burlington. Burlington was actually the last capital of the larger Wisconsin Territory, and in 1837, James Clarke and Cyrus Jacobs founded the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette there. After the land became Iowa, they changed the name of their publication on November 3, 1838 to the Iowa Territorial Gazette, becoming the Iowa territory’s first newspaper.
Clarke went on to become the third and last governor of the Iowa Territory. A county in southern Iowa is named in his honor. His partner, Jacobs, was killed in a duel just three days before the Iowa Territorial Gazette published its first issue.
Not long after, a rival paper was started, called the Iowa Patriot, encouraged by David Rorer, the man who won the duel with Cyrus Jacobs. The paper’s name was changed to the Hawk Eye in honor of Chief Black Hawk. That paper became the driving force to have “Hawkeye” adopted as our state’s nickname.
Ultimately, the Gazette and Hawk Eye both thrived in Burlington, long after Iowa became a state and its capital moved from the city. But the Depression took its toll, and a Galesburg man, O.N. Custer, purchased the papers and merged them into The Hawk Eye Gazette, the name it held until 1960, when the name was shortened to The Hawk Eye.
The first newspaper in the Iowa Territory, the Iowa Territorial Gazette, now the Hawk Eye, was published in Burlington on this date in 1838.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Iowa's First Newspaper"
The land that is now Iowa was originally part of the Wisconsin Territory. In 1838, the parcel of land was divided, and the Iowa Territory was formed, with a capital located at Burlington. Burlington was actually the last capital of the larger Wisconsin Territory, and in 1837, James Clarke and Cyrus Jacobs founded the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette there. After the land became Iowa, they changed the name of their publication on November 3, 1838 to the Iowa Territorial Gazette, becoming the Iowa territory’s first newspaper.
Clarke went on to become the third and last governor of the Iowa Territory. A county in southern Iowa is named in his honor. His partner, Jacobs, was killed in a duel just three days before the Iowa Territorial Gazette published its first issue.
Not long after, a rival paper was started, called the Iowa Patriot, encouraged by David Rorer, the man who won the duel with Cyrus Jacobs. The paper’s name was changed to the Hawk Eye in honor of Chief Black Hawk. That paper became the driving force to have “Hawkeye” adopted as our state’s nickname.
Ultimately, the Gazette and Hawk Eye both thrived in Burlington, long after Iowa became a state and its capital moved from the city. But the Depression took its toll, and a Galesburg man, O.N. Custer, purchased the papers and merged them into The Hawk Eye Gazette, the name it held until 1960, when the name was shortened to The Hawk Eye.
The first newspaper in the Iowa Territory, the Iowa Territorial Gazette, now the Hawk Eye, was published in Burlington on this date in 1838.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, November 02, 2025
"Keep Serving Others"
You’ve heard how Shenandoah seed salesmen Earl May and Henry Field used radio to market their products to a large national audience in the early days of broadcasting.
They weren’t the only ones, however.
On this date in 1925, a new station in Clarinda in Page County took to the air, owned by the A. A. Berry Seed Company. A. A. Berry had founded the company there in 1899 after a career writing about agriculture for Wallace’s Farmer, the Prairie Farmer, and the Clarinda Herald.
The new station was assigned the call letters KSO, which the Berry Seed Company said stood for “Keep Serving Others”. The station signed on with a power of 500 watts at 1240 kilocycles. The studio was at the Berry Seed Company building at Eighth and Willow, with the towers for the transmitting antenna attached to the north and south ends of the building.
Two years later, the station moved to 1320 on the radio dial; a year after that, as part of a national reassignment of frequencies, KSO moved to 1380 with a power increase to 1,000 watts; however, the station had to share the frequency with a LaCrosse, Wisconsin station and soon was forced back to 500 watts.
In the summer of 1931, the Iowa Broadcasting Company purchased KSO; Iowa Broadcasting was owned by the Cowles brothers, who owned The Des Moines Register and were adding radio stations to their holdings. A year after the purchase, KSO was moved from its home in Clarinda to Des Moines, where it became the NBC Blue network affiliate for the city.
Ultimately, KSO landed on the 1460 frequency, where it became popular in the early days of rock and roll, and later as a powerful country music station, one of the few in AM stereo.
The KSO call letters were retired in 1989. But the original KSO radio, owned by a seed company and broadcasting from Clarinda, went on the air on this date in 1925…100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Keep Serving Others"
You’ve heard how Shenandoah seed salesmen Earl May and Henry Field used radio to market their products to a large national audience in the early days of broadcasting.
They weren’t the only ones, however.
On this date in 1925, a new station in Clarinda in Page County took to the air, owned by the A. A. Berry Seed Company. A. A. Berry had founded the company there in 1899 after a career writing about agriculture for Wallace’s Farmer, the Prairie Farmer, and the Clarinda Herald.
The new station was assigned the call letters KSO, which the Berry Seed Company said stood for “Keep Serving Others”. The station signed on with a power of 500 watts at 1240 kilocycles. The studio was at the Berry Seed Company building at Eighth and Willow, with the towers for the transmitting antenna attached to the north and south ends of the building.
Two years later, the station moved to 1320 on the radio dial; a year after that, as part of a national reassignment of frequencies, KSO moved to 1380 with a power increase to 1,000 watts; however, the station had to share the frequency with a LaCrosse, Wisconsin station and soon was forced back to 500 watts.
In the summer of 1931, the Iowa Broadcasting Company purchased KSO; Iowa Broadcasting was owned by the Cowles brothers, who owned The Des Moines Register and were adding radio stations to their holdings. A year after the purchase, KSO was moved from its home in Clarinda to Des Moines, where it became the NBC Blue network affiliate for the city.
Ultimately, KSO landed on the 1460 frequency, where it became popular in the early days of rock and roll, and later as a powerful country music station, one of the few in AM stereo.
The KSO call letters were retired in 1989. But the original KSO radio, owned by a seed company and broadcasting from Clarinda, went on the air on this date in 1925…100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, November 01, 2025
"Murder on Campus"
You may find it hard to believe that it was three decades ago...on November 1, 1991...that a disgrunted graduate student at the University of Iowa took revenge, killing four faculty members and one student, seriously wounding another student, and taking his own life. That's because for many, it seems like only yesterday.
That Friday afternoon was a bit chilly, and there was snow in the air in Iowa City. Then as now, Friday afternoons were often a time on campus for meetings and getting ready for the weekend.
Gang Lu was a 28-year-old who came to Iowa City from China and received his doctoral degree from the University the previous spring. However, he was angry because his dissertation did not win a prestigious campus award, and blamed his lack of employment after graduation in part on that.
He apparently planned his actions for a period of months. Finally, on that November afternoon, he attended a physics research group meeting in a conference room of Van Allen Hall. Shortly after the meeting began, Lu shot and killed three people—Prof. Christoph Goertz, Prof. Robert Smith, and graduate student Linhua Shan. He then went to the office of the department chair, Prof. Dwight Nicholson, and killed him.
Not satisfied, he then walked three blocks to Jessup Hall, killing associate vice president for Academic Affairs T. Anne Cleary and seriously wounding student employee Miya Rodolfo-Sioson.
Gang Lu then shot himself in the head, dying shortly after police arrived.
The president of the university at the time, Hunter Rawlings, was also on Lu's hit list...but he was in Ohio for the Hawkeye football game the next day.
The tragic killing that shook the campus and the state happened on this date in 1991.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 1st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Murder on Campus"
You may find it hard to believe that it was three decades ago...on November 1, 1991...that a disgrunted graduate student at the University of Iowa took revenge, killing four faculty members and one student, seriously wounding another student, and taking his own life. That's because for many, it seems like only yesterday.
That Friday afternoon was a bit chilly, and there was snow in the air in Iowa City. Then as now, Friday afternoons were often a time on campus for meetings and getting ready for the weekend.
Gang Lu was a 28-year-old who came to Iowa City from China and received his doctoral degree from the University the previous spring. However, he was angry because his dissertation did not win a prestigious campus award, and blamed his lack of employment after graduation in part on that.
He apparently planned his actions for a period of months. Finally, on that November afternoon, he attended a physics research group meeting in a conference room of Van Allen Hall. Shortly after the meeting began, Lu shot and killed three people—Prof. Christoph Goertz, Prof. Robert Smith, and graduate student Linhua Shan. He then went to the office of the department chair, Prof. Dwight Nicholson, and killed him.
Not satisfied, he then walked three blocks to Jessup Hall, killing associate vice president for Academic Affairs T. Anne Cleary and seriously wounding student employee Miya Rodolfo-Sioson.
Gang Lu then shot himself in the head, dying shortly after police arrived.
The president of the university at the time, Hunter Rawlings, was also on Lu's hit list...but he was in Ohio for the Hawkeye football game the next day.
The tragic killing that shook the campus and the state happened on this date in 1991.
And that's Iowa Almanac for November 1st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
