"Iowa Almanac" is a copyrighted production of Stein Enterprises, L.L.C.
All Rights Reserved.
No use of the material is allowed without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Copyright 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 Tuesday, September 30, 2025
"A Radio Pioneer"
Merlin Hall Aylesworth was born in Cedar Rapids on July 19, 1886. At that time, radio was far from even being invented. But Merlin Aylesworth would wind up playing a pivotal role in the development of the industry.
Following graduation from the University of Denver, he practiced law in Fort Collins, Colorado until 1914; that’s when he became chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. That led to a vice presidency of the Utah Power and Light Company, then managing director of the National Electric Light Association. And that’s where radio comes into play.
Many utilities started their own radio stations as another reason for people—especially in rural areas—to get “hooked up to the juice”…but radio soon became its own industry.
In the middle 1920s, though, radio station regulation was limited and stations were popping up everywhere with very little organization or structure. There were some loose affiliations of stations for sharing of programs; they were called “chains,” often referred to by the name of the largest station in the group.
The Radio Corporation of America—RCA—was in the business of making and selling radios, so having vibrant radio stations was in the company’s interest. On September 13, 1926, RCA announced the formation of the National Broadcasting Company to consolidate a few key chains and expand further across the country. The man selected to be the first president of NBC was Merlin Aylesworth.
The new network officially took to the air with a four hour broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time on November 15, 1926. Aylesworth characterized the event as a program “which will live long in their memories as an occasion marking another milestone in the history of radio broadcasting.” The show featured such diverse talents as Metropolitan Opera stars and humorist Will Rogers. That first NBC program was carried by 22 eastern and Midwestern radio stations, as far west as Kansas City. Transmission to connect the radio stations came from 3,600 miles of telephone wire, reaching some 10 million listeners.
Aylesworth pushed for growth of the new industry; within a year, NBC had doubled in size to 48 stations, leading to further expansion of NBC into two networks—Red and Blue—and for a time, a west coast collection of stations as well, called the Orange Network.
But Aylesworth never stayed too long at one job. After 10 years building NBC, he moved to the RKO motion picture company; then later, to the Scripps-Howard Newspapers.
The first president of NBC, Cedar Rapids native Merlin Hall Aylesworth, died at the age of 66 on this date in 1952.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Radio Pioneer"
Merlin Hall Aylesworth was born in Cedar Rapids on July 19, 1886. At that time, radio was far from even being invented. But Merlin Aylesworth would wind up playing a pivotal role in the development of the industry.
Following graduation from the University of Denver, he practiced law in Fort Collins, Colorado until 1914; that’s when he became chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. That led to a vice presidency of the Utah Power and Light Company, then managing director of the National Electric Light Association. And that’s where radio comes into play.
Many utilities started their own radio stations as another reason for people—especially in rural areas—to get “hooked up to the juice”…but radio soon became its own industry.
In the middle 1920s, though, radio station regulation was limited and stations were popping up everywhere with very little organization or structure. There were some loose affiliations of stations for sharing of programs; they were called “chains,” often referred to by the name of the largest station in the group.
The Radio Corporation of America—RCA—was in the business of making and selling radios, so having vibrant radio stations was in the company’s interest. On September 13, 1926, RCA announced the formation of the National Broadcasting Company to consolidate a few key chains and expand further across the country. The man selected to be the first president of NBC was Merlin Aylesworth.
The new network officially took to the air with a four hour broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time on November 15, 1926. Aylesworth characterized the event as a program “which will live long in their memories as an occasion marking another milestone in the history of radio broadcasting.” The show featured such diverse talents as Metropolitan Opera stars and humorist Will Rogers. That first NBC program was carried by 22 eastern and Midwestern radio stations, as far west as Kansas City. Transmission to connect the radio stations came from 3,600 miles of telephone wire, reaching some 10 million listeners.
Aylesworth pushed for growth of the new industry; within a year, NBC had doubled in size to 48 stations, leading to further expansion of NBC into two networks—Red and Blue—and for a time, a west coast collection of stations as well, called the Orange Network.
But Aylesworth never stayed too long at one job. After 10 years building NBC, he moved to the RKO motion picture company; then later, to the Scripps-Howard Newspapers.
The first president of NBC, Cedar Rapids native Merlin Hall Aylesworth, died at the age of 66 on this date in 1952.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 30th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, September 29, 2025
"The Man from I.O.W.A."
A new television show premiered on NBC in the fall of 1964. It was called the Man from UNCLE, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as two secret agents working for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement–the acronym was UNCLE. Each week they battled an international crime syndicate.
The program was created by Norman Felton, a University of Iowa graduate with bachelor's and master’s degrees in Fine Arts. From the earliest days of television, Felton wrote scripts for the new medium. He was in charge of the legendary Playhouse 90 program, and his company produced other well-known shows such as Dr. Kildare.
The second episode of the Man from UNCLE aired on September 29, 1964. To honor his educational background, the episode was titled “The Iowa-Scuba Affair”. In the show, character Napoleon Solo traveled to Iowa, which was the site of a secret U.S. Air Force base. The plot focused on a group which wanted to hijack a secret U.S. plane as part of a plan to overthrow a South American nation.
The year after that episode aired, the English-born Felton established a playwriting fellowship at the University of Iowa, the place where he met his wife while a student in 1940. Later, he donated papers associated with his career to the university, as well.
Television playwright and producer Norman Felton wrote his adopted home state of Iowa into the script for a new hit TV series, the Man from UNCLE, which aired on this date in 1964.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 29th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Man from I.O.W.A."
A new television show premiered on NBC in the fall of 1964. It was called the Man from UNCLE, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as two secret agents working for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement–the acronym was UNCLE. Each week they battled an international crime syndicate.
The program was created by Norman Felton, a University of Iowa graduate with bachelor's and master’s degrees in Fine Arts. From the earliest days of television, Felton wrote scripts for the new medium. He was in charge of the legendary Playhouse 90 program, and his company produced other well-known shows such as Dr. Kildare.
The second episode of the Man from UNCLE aired on September 29, 1964. To honor his educational background, the episode was titled “The Iowa-Scuba Affair”. In the show, character Napoleon Solo traveled to Iowa, which was the site of a secret U.S. Air Force base. The plot focused on a group which wanted to hijack a secret U.S. plane as part of a plan to overthrow a South American nation.
The year after that episode aired, the English-born Felton established a playwriting fellowship at the University of Iowa, the place where he met his wife while a student in 1940. Later, he donated papers associated with his career to the university, as well.
Television playwright and producer Norman Felton wrote his adopted home state of Iowa into the script for a new hit TV series, the Man from UNCLE, which aired on this date in 1964.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 29th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, September 28, 2025
"A Hospital Under Quarantine"
The influenza pandemic made its way to Iowa in the fall of 1918. The base hospital at Camp Dodge was quarantined on September 28 of that year...only two days later, the entire camp located near Des Moines was quarantined, due to 500 influenza cases being reported there.
The first three deaths due to flu were reported at Camp Dodge on October 1. The number of nurses on duty there doubled to nearly 600 by the middle of the month.
The hospital commander told the Red Cross that agency would have to handle the growing emergency, since the War Department was not ready for such a rapid spread of the deadly disease.
Everyone was required to wear a gauze mask, but yet the disease spread. By early October, Camp Dodge facilities were used to treat more than 3,000 ill personnel.
In an effort to stop the disease, the state health commissioner banned all indoor funerals for influenza victims, and in Des Moines, school officials barred children from attending school if they lived in a house with anyone who had influenza. Soon, the city issued a general quarantine, closing all schools, theaters, pool halls, and other public places.
The disease peaked that fall with more than 21,000 cases reported, but it was still prevalent throughout the state into the next spring.
The first major sign of trouble was at Camp Dodge, which led to a quarantine of the base hospital on this date in 1918.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 28th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Hospital Under Quarantine"
The influenza pandemic made its way to Iowa in the fall of 1918. The base hospital at Camp Dodge was quarantined on September 28 of that year...only two days later, the entire camp located near Des Moines was quarantined, due to 500 influenza cases being reported there.
The first three deaths due to flu were reported at Camp Dodge on October 1. The number of nurses on duty there doubled to nearly 600 by the middle of the month.
The hospital commander told the Red Cross that agency would have to handle the growing emergency, since the War Department was not ready for such a rapid spread of the deadly disease.
Everyone was required to wear a gauze mask, but yet the disease spread. By early October, Camp Dodge facilities were used to treat more than 3,000 ill personnel.
In an effort to stop the disease, the state health commissioner banned all indoor funerals for influenza victims, and in Des Moines, school officials barred children from attending school if they lived in a house with anyone who had influenza. Soon, the city issued a general quarantine, closing all schools, theaters, pool halls, and other public places.
The disease peaked that fall with more than 21,000 cases reported, but it was still prevalent throughout the state into the next spring.
The first major sign of trouble was at Camp Dodge, which led to a quarantine of the base hospital on this date in 1918.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 28th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, September 27, 2025
"An EMMY Winner"
On September 27, 1927, Hugh and Corlyss Thompson of Des Moines welcomed a daughter into the world. They named her Sada Carolyn.
The family moved to New Jersey, where Sada spent many of her years growing up. She had a flair for the stage, and after graduating from high school in 1945, Sada earned a bachelor of fine arts in theater degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. She worked regularly in regional theater in the 1950s. By 1956, she made her television debut in a Goodyear Television Playhouseproduction, and her Broadway debut in the 1959 musical Juno.
She was a true star of the Broadway stage, earning a Tony award and being named to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2005.
But many know her from her television work. She starred as the matriarch of the Lawrence family on the ABC drama called Family from 1976 to 1980, and in 1978, won the EMMY® award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her portrayal of Kate Lawrence. The program brought Meredith Baxter and Kristy McNichol to prominence.
What is not often known is that her career might have taken a different path. She was cast as one of Archie and Edith Bunker's neighbors in All in the Family -- but she was replaced after just one episode, when she and show creator Norman Lear disagreed about how the character was to be portrayed.
All in all Sada Thompson was nominated for nine Emmy awards...and enjoyed a 61-year marriage to husband Donald Stewart, which ended only with her death from lung disease in 2011.
EMMY® and TONY® award winning actress Sada Thompson, born in Des Moines on this date in 1927.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"An EMMY Winner"
On September 27, 1927, Hugh and Corlyss Thompson of Des Moines welcomed a daughter into the world. They named her Sada Carolyn.
The family moved to New Jersey, where Sada spent many of her years growing up. She had a flair for the stage, and after graduating from high school in 1945, Sada earned a bachelor of fine arts in theater degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. She worked regularly in regional theater in the 1950s. By 1956, she made her television debut in a Goodyear Television Playhouseproduction, and her Broadway debut in the 1959 musical Juno.
She was a true star of the Broadway stage, earning a Tony award and being named to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2005.
But many know her from her television work. She starred as the matriarch of the Lawrence family on the ABC drama called Family from 1976 to 1980, and in 1978, won the EMMY® award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her portrayal of Kate Lawrence. The program brought Meredith Baxter and Kristy McNichol to prominence.
What is not often known is that her career might have taken a different path. She was cast as one of Archie and Edith Bunker's neighbors in All in the Family -- but she was replaced after just one episode, when she and show creator Norman Lear disagreed about how the character was to be portrayed.
All in all Sada Thompson was nominated for nine Emmy awards...and enjoyed a 61-year marriage to husband Donald Stewart, which ended only with her death from lung disease in 2011.
EMMY® and TONY® award winning actress Sada Thompson, born in Des Moines on this date in 1927.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 27th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, September 26, 2025
"Always An Actress"
From the time she was born in Marshalltown on September 26, 1946, Mary Beth Supinger knew she was an actress. She once told an interviewer that the first play she ever saw was put on by children in her neighborhood. She then realized that the people she saw on television and in movies were actors, and once she knew that, she understood that she didn't want to be an actress some day...she was an actress.
Her older next door neighbor and baby-sitter was Jean Seberg, who herself would become a world-renowned actress.
She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1968 and studied at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She was married for a time to actor William Hurt, and became known professionally as Mary Beth Hurt.
She made her New York stage debut in 1974 and has been nominated for three Tony Awards.
Her film debut was in Woody Allen's dramatic film "Interiors" as the middle sister. She also played Helen Holm Garp in "The World According to Garp" and was featured in director Martin Scorsese's film "The Age of Innocence".
She even played Jean Seberg, through voice-over, in a 1995 documentary about her fellow Marshalltown native.
She is still acting, with her most recent film, “Change in the Air”, released in 2018. She once said she'd never been cast as a mistress. Instead, as the girl men marry, not the one they have affairs with.
Always an actress, Mary Beth Supinger Hurt was born in Marshalltown on this date in 1946.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Always An Actress"
From the time she was born in Marshalltown on September 26, 1946, Mary Beth Supinger knew she was an actress. She once told an interviewer that the first play she ever saw was put on by children in her neighborhood. She then realized that the people she saw on television and in movies were actors, and once she knew that, she understood that she didn't want to be an actress some day...she was an actress.
Her older next door neighbor and baby-sitter was Jean Seberg, who herself would become a world-renowned actress.
She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1968 and studied at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She was married for a time to actor William Hurt, and became known professionally as Mary Beth Hurt.
She made her New York stage debut in 1974 and has been nominated for three Tony Awards.
Her film debut was in Woody Allen's dramatic film "Interiors" as the middle sister. She also played Helen Holm Garp in "The World According to Garp" and was featured in director Martin Scorsese's film "The Age of Innocence".
She even played Jean Seberg, through voice-over, in a 1995 documentary about her fellow Marshalltown native.
She is still acting, with her most recent film, “Change in the Air”, released in 2018. She once said she'd never been cast as a mistress. Instead, as the girl men marry, not the one they have affairs with.
Always an actress, Mary Beth Supinger Hurt was born in Marshalltown on this date in 1946.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 26th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, September 25, 2025
"The Last Spitballer"
When Urban Clarence Faber was a child in Cascade, Iowa, his father managed a tavern and ran the Hotel Faber in their hometown. Young Faber, known to all as Red, was athletic, and by the age of 16, was getting $2 just to pitch in Sunday afternoon baseball games in Dubuque.
Red Faber pitched in the major leagues for 20 seasons, all with the Chicago White Sox. Yes, that included the infamous Black Sox team in 1919, but Red was not involved in game-fixing; he missed the World Series due to injury and the influenza epidemic.
At one point, in 1917, he started and won three games in two days…and later that year, in the World Series, he received pitching decisions in four games, a record which stands to this day. Oh, and he won three of them.
He won 254 games total in the big leagues, despite playing for some poor White Sox teams in the 1920s. At the time of his retirement in 1933, he was the last legal spitball pitcher in the American League. He was 45 years of age when he retired, and still holds the White Sox franchise record for most games pitched.
Faber helped found Baseball Anonymous, a charitable organization that helped former players who had run into financial or physical problems.
Red Faber of Cascade, Iowa, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964, a dozen years before he died, on this date, in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Last Spitballer"
When Urban Clarence Faber was a child in Cascade, Iowa, his father managed a tavern and ran the Hotel Faber in their hometown. Young Faber, known to all as Red, was athletic, and by the age of 16, was getting $2 just to pitch in Sunday afternoon baseball games in Dubuque.
Red Faber pitched in the major leagues for 20 seasons, all with the Chicago White Sox. Yes, that included the infamous Black Sox team in 1919, but Red was not involved in game-fixing; he missed the World Series due to injury and the influenza epidemic.
At one point, in 1917, he started and won three games in two days…and later that year, in the World Series, he received pitching decisions in four games, a record which stands to this day. Oh, and he won three of them.
He won 254 games total in the big leagues, despite playing for some poor White Sox teams in the 1920s. At the time of his retirement in 1933, he was the last legal spitball pitcher in the American League. He was 45 years of age when he retired, and still holds the White Sox franchise record for most games pitched.
Faber helped found Baseball Anonymous, a charitable organization that helped former players who had run into financial or physical problems.
Red Faber of Cascade, Iowa, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964, a dozen years before he died, on this date, in 1976.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 25th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, September 24, 2025
"An Iowan Makes Television History"
People in Dakota City, Iowa said he got his strong vocabulary from his mother, who taught him to read before he started school. Harry Reasoner used those skills throughout his life, beginning his journalism career while a high school student in Minneapolis.
He started in radio after the second world war and soon moved to the new field of television. Reasoner was one of the early faces on the screen, who helped invent television news.
On September 24, 1968, his was the first voice heard on a new program, one which would revolutionize television.
Good Evening. This is 60 Minutes. It’s a kind of a magazine for television.
Once the program found a home on the Sunday night CBS schedule, 60 Minutes became the top rated program of any kind in the country and invented the television magazine show format. Reasoner was restless, though, and left CBS News in 1970 for the chance to co-anchor the ABC Evening News.
That later made him part of history again, on October 4, 1976.
Our major story tonight is that agriculture secretary Earl Butz has paid the price for telling an obscene racial joke on a commercial airline flight. Secretary Butz resigned today. Closer to home, I have a new colleague to welcome…Barbara? Thank you, Harry…
Reasoner’s new co-anchor was Barbara Walters, the first female anchor of a TV evening newscast.
Reasoner later returned to CBS and 60 Minutes.
That’s the news. I’m Harry Reasoner. Good night.
Iowa native Harry Reasoner co-anchored the first 60 Minutes broadcast on CBS, on this date in 1968.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"An Iowan Makes Television History"
People in Dakota City, Iowa said he got his strong vocabulary from his mother, who taught him to read before he started school. Harry Reasoner used those skills throughout his life, beginning his journalism career while a high school student in Minneapolis.
He started in radio after the second world war and soon moved to the new field of television. Reasoner was one of the early faces on the screen, who helped invent television news.
On September 24, 1968, his was the first voice heard on a new program, one which would revolutionize television.
Good Evening. This is 60 Minutes. It’s a kind of a magazine for television.
Once the program found a home on the Sunday night CBS schedule, 60 Minutes became the top rated program of any kind in the country and invented the television magazine show format. Reasoner was restless, though, and left CBS News in 1970 for the chance to co-anchor the ABC Evening News.
That later made him part of history again, on October 4, 1976.
Our major story tonight is that agriculture secretary Earl Butz has paid the price for telling an obscene racial joke on a commercial airline flight. Secretary Butz resigned today. Closer to home, I have a new colleague to welcome…Barbara? Thank you, Harry…
Reasoner’s new co-anchor was Barbara Walters, the first female anchor of a TV evening newscast.
Reasoner later returned to CBS and 60 Minutes.
That’s the news. I’m Harry Reasoner. Good night.
Iowa native Harry Reasoner co-anchored the first 60 Minutes broadcast on CBS, on this date in 1968.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 24th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, September 23, 2025
"Live from the Field"
Earl Peak was glad to have talented employees working for his Marshall Electric Company. Chauncey Hoover and Merle Easter could invent whatever devices and methods that were needed. That included building a broadcasting transmitter.
Soon experimental radio broadcasts were coming from the company's building at the corner of 16th and Main Streets in Marshalltown, which was then on the edge of town.
Then as now, high school sporting events were popular with audiences. But the only way to put them on the radio was for someone at the game to use a telephone and describe the action to an announcer in the studio, who then spoke into a microphone in a form of hearsay play-by-play.
The Marshall Electric staff could hear the crowd cheering at Marshalltown Bobcat football games, since Franklin Field was just three blocks away. And that gave them an idea.
At Peak's encouragement, Hoover and Easter made a microphone cable that was more than three blocks long, running it out the window of the studio down the street to the field. That was unique; so unique that on September 23, 1922, what became KFJB radio broadcast the first high school football game, live from the field, in the country.
In fact, it was a double header, and central Iowans heard it live...America's first, live from the field, high school football broadcast, from Marshalltown's Franklin Field, on this date in 1922.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Live from the Field"
Earl Peak was glad to have talented employees working for his Marshall Electric Company. Chauncey Hoover and Merle Easter could invent whatever devices and methods that were needed. That included building a broadcasting transmitter.
Soon experimental radio broadcasts were coming from the company's building at the corner of 16th and Main Streets in Marshalltown, which was then on the edge of town.
Then as now, high school sporting events were popular with audiences. But the only way to put them on the radio was for someone at the game to use a telephone and describe the action to an announcer in the studio, who then spoke into a microphone in a form of hearsay play-by-play.
The Marshall Electric staff could hear the crowd cheering at Marshalltown Bobcat football games, since Franklin Field was just three blocks away. And that gave them an idea.
At Peak's encouragement, Hoover and Easter made a microphone cable that was more than three blocks long, running it out the window of the studio down the street to the field. That was unique; so unique that on September 23, 1922, what became KFJB radio broadcast the first high school football game, live from the field, in the country.
In fact, it was a double header, and central Iowans heard it live...America's first, live from the field, high school football broadcast, from Marshalltown's Franklin Field, on this date in 1922.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 23rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, September 22, 2025
"The Secretary is Impeached"
William Worth Belknap was born on September 22, 1829 in Newburgh, New York. He moved to Iowa and opened a law practice. He then turned to politics, and was elected as a state representative in Iowa in 1857.
When the Civil War broke out, he joined the Union Army, distinguishing himself in battle. He was then appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to serve as the country’s 30th Secretary of War.
While his tenure was marked by positive things, such as preserving photographer Mathew Brady’s images of the Civil War, and helping victims of the 1871 Chicago fire, there was scandal.
In 1876, it was learned that he had been receiving kickback payments from a ship contractor. That explained the lavish lifestyle he lived in Washington. He resigned his position shortly before the U.S. House was to vote on impeaching him for “basely prostituting his high office to his lust for private gain.” President Grant accepted the resignation, but the House impeached him anyway.
That led to a trial in the Senate, but Belknap was acquitted because a large number of Senators believed they did not have jurisdiction to put a private citizen on trial, and after resigning, Belknap was just that…a private citizen.
The former Iowa legislator and distinguished war hero, who became the first cabinet secretary ever impeached…William Belknap, was born on this date in 1829.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 22nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Secretary is Impeached"
William Worth Belknap was born on September 22, 1829 in Newburgh, New York. He moved to Iowa and opened a law practice. He then turned to politics, and was elected as a state representative in Iowa in 1857.
When the Civil War broke out, he joined the Union Army, distinguishing himself in battle. He was then appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to serve as the country’s 30th Secretary of War.
While his tenure was marked by positive things, such as preserving photographer Mathew Brady’s images of the Civil War, and helping victims of the 1871 Chicago fire, there was scandal.
In 1876, it was learned that he had been receiving kickback payments from a ship contractor. That explained the lavish lifestyle he lived in Washington. He resigned his position shortly before the U.S. House was to vote on impeaching him for “basely prostituting his high office to his lust for private gain.” President Grant accepted the resignation, but the House impeached him anyway.
That led to a trial in the Senate, but Belknap was acquitted because a large number of Senators believed they did not have jurisdiction to put a private citizen on trial, and after resigning, Belknap was just that…a private citizen.
The former Iowa legislator and distinguished war hero, who became the first cabinet secretary ever impeached…William Belknap, was born on this date in 1829.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 22nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, September 21, 2025
"Iowa's Cow War"
Bovine tuberculosis was a problem in Iowa during the Great Depression. In 1929, the state legislature passed a law requiring all dairy and breeding cows to be tested for the disease.
But many Iowa farmers did not trust the tests, and fought the law. In 1930, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the tests were Constitutional.
The owner of Muscatine radio station KTNT, Norman Baker, criticized medical professionals, politicians, universities, and farming magazines on the air, causing farmers to rebel in Cedar County. More than a thousand protestors showed up at a Tipton-area farm to block testing there in the spring of 1931. And things got worse from there, leading to the Iowa Cow War.
People signed petitions, held rallies, and blocked officials from entering their farms for testing. When one farmer was arrested and placed in jail, a mob freed him.
On September 21, 1931, when state officials left the county courthouse at noon, protestors followed them to Jacob Lenker’s farm. Some 400 farmers were there, throwing mud and rocks at the officers, and slashing their vehicle tires. Tear gas was used against the farmers, without much effect. The next day, Gov. Dan Turner invoked martial law, with 1,800 National Guard troops setting up base camp at the Tipton fairgrounds.
After that, most farmers gave in, due to armed soldiers accompanying the veterinarians, who gave injections to some 5,000 cattle per day in the area for a full week. Only a small number were actually infected.
By the way, officials saw no cows on the Lenker farm; that’s because Jacob Lenker sold his 21 cattle to a Muscatine County farmer before they got there.
An armed standoff over testing cattle for tuberculosis, the Iowa Cow War, started in Cedar County on this date in 1931.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 21st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Iowa's Cow War"
Bovine tuberculosis was a problem in Iowa during the Great Depression. In 1929, the state legislature passed a law requiring all dairy and breeding cows to be tested for the disease.
But many Iowa farmers did not trust the tests, and fought the law. In 1930, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the tests were Constitutional.
The owner of Muscatine radio station KTNT, Norman Baker, criticized medical professionals, politicians, universities, and farming magazines on the air, causing farmers to rebel in Cedar County. More than a thousand protestors showed up at a Tipton-area farm to block testing there in the spring of 1931. And things got worse from there, leading to the Iowa Cow War.
People signed petitions, held rallies, and blocked officials from entering their farms for testing. When one farmer was arrested and placed in jail, a mob freed him.
On September 21, 1931, when state officials left the county courthouse at noon, protestors followed them to Jacob Lenker’s farm. Some 400 farmers were there, throwing mud and rocks at the officers, and slashing their vehicle tires. Tear gas was used against the farmers, without much effect. The next day, Gov. Dan Turner invoked martial law, with 1,800 National Guard troops setting up base camp at the Tipton fairgrounds.
After that, most farmers gave in, due to armed soldiers accompanying the veterinarians, who gave injections to some 5,000 cattle per day in the area for a full week. Only a small number were actually infected.
By the way, officials saw no cows on the Lenker farm; that’s because Jacob Lenker sold his 21 cattle to a Muscatine County farmer before they got there.
An armed standoff over testing cattle for tuberculosis, the Iowa Cow War, started in Cedar County on this date in 1931.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 21st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, September 20, 2025
"A New Place to Play"
The Iowa State University football program has a long history. The legendary Pop Warner was one of the early coaches. And starting in 1914, the team that became known as the Cyclones played in Clyde Williams Field, named after the man who coached the team from 1907 through 1912, and was later Iowa State's athletic director.
But by the 1970s, Williams Field had seen better days, and in 1973, ground was broken for a new stadium to be built on the south end of campus. The structure was completed in just less than two years, and opened on September 20, 1975, when Coach Earle Bruce's team defeated Air Force 17-12.
The original stadium had a capacity of 42,500, but quickly grew to 46,000 the next season when end zone bleachers were constructed.
And it's continued to grow, with the two largest crowds in stadium history coming in successive weeks in 2015...61,500 for games against the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. It's the third-largest stadium in the Big 12 Conference, and the third-newest in the conference.
The stadium cost $7.6 million to build, which would be the same as $33.4 million today.
The facility was originally called Cyclone Stadium and the playing surface was called Jack Trice Field, in honor of the African-American player who died following injuries sustained in a game at Minnesota in 1923. The stadium itself has carried Trice's name since 1997, and it remains the only stadium in FBS Division I named for an African-American.
The Cyclone football team has played in 19 post-season bowl games...but 17 of those have come since they began calling their current facility home. A facility then known as Cyclone Stadium, which opened with a win over Air Force, on this date in 1975…50 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A New Place to Play"
The Iowa State University football program has a long history. The legendary Pop Warner was one of the early coaches. And starting in 1914, the team that became known as the Cyclones played in Clyde Williams Field, named after the man who coached the team from 1907 through 1912, and was later Iowa State's athletic director.
But by the 1970s, Williams Field had seen better days, and in 1973, ground was broken for a new stadium to be built on the south end of campus. The structure was completed in just less than two years, and opened on September 20, 1975, when Coach Earle Bruce's team defeated Air Force 17-12.
The original stadium had a capacity of 42,500, but quickly grew to 46,000 the next season when end zone bleachers were constructed.
And it's continued to grow, with the two largest crowds in stadium history coming in successive weeks in 2015...61,500 for games against the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. It's the third-largest stadium in the Big 12 Conference, and the third-newest in the conference.
The stadium cost $7.6 million to build, which would be the same as $33.4 million today.
The facility was originally called Cyclone Stadium and the playing surface was called Jack Trice Field, in honor of the African-American player who died following injuries sustained in a game at Minnesota in 1923. The stadium itself has carried Trice's name since 1997, and it remains the only stadium in FBS Division I named for an African-American.
The Cyclone football team has played in 19 post-season bowl games...but 17 of those have come since they began calling their current facility home. A facility then known as Cyclone Stadium, which opened with a win over Air Force, on this date in 1975…50 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 20th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, September 19, 2025
"Reopening the University"
Many mark the birthdate of the University of Iowa as February 25, 1847...the date when the first General Assembly passed a law establishing a "state university" in Iowa City, then the state's capital.
But Iowa has had a unique history, and more than one state constitution. Each time a new constitution was adopted, changes in state government structure came about, and those affected what we now call higher education.
The original State University of Iowa suffered from being in the same city as the state's government, which tended to micromanage things. For a time, there were branches of the University in Fairfield and Dubuque which were on an equal footing with regard to funding as the Iowa City campus.
All the while, the State University of Iowa held classes, but the governing board of trustees was ineffective and changed its members too often.
Another new state constitution went into effect in the fall of 1857...the third and final one our state has had. The document specifically placed the state capitol in Des Moines, and the state university in Iowa City. A new Board of Trustees decided to close the university that was in existence until proper funding could be obtained, and until buildings could be remodeled. That included the Old Capitol building, which had been vacated by the state government not long before.
The university was closed for two years. In the summer of 1860, a full faculty was appointed and the university reopened that fall. It's remained open ever since.
The first classes may have been held in prior years, but classes began for good at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City when it reopened on this date, in 1860…165 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Reopening the University"
Many mark the birthdate of the University of Iowa as February 25, 1847...the date when the first General Assembly passed a law establishing a "state university" in Iowa City, then the state's capital.
But Iowa has had a unique history, and more than one state constitution. Each time a new constitution was adopted, changes in state government structure came about, and those affected what we now call higher education.
The original State University of Iowa suffered from being in the same city as the state's government, which tended to micromanage things. For a time, there were branches of the University in Fairfield and Dubuque which were on an equal footing with regard to funding as the Iowa City campus.
All the while, the State University of Iowa held classes, but the governing board of trustees was ineffective and changed its members too often.
Another new state constitution went into effect in the fall of 1857...the third and final one our state has had. The document specifically placed the state capitol in Des Moines, and the state university in Iowa City. A new Board of Trustees decided to close the university that was in existence until proper funding could be obtained, and until buildings could be remodeled. That included the Old Capitol building, which had been vacated by the state government not long before.
The university was closed for two years. In the summer of 1860, a full faculty was appointed and the university reopened that fall. It's remained open ever since.
The first classes may have been held in prior years, but classes began for good at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City when it reopened on this date, in 1860…165 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 19th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, September 18, 2025
"A President Comes Back to the Heartland"
I'll come back any time you ask me, especially when I'm met by 10 acres of people; now you figure out how many that is.
As it turns out, about 100,000 people filled the 10-acre area around the stage to hear President Harry S. Truman on September 18, 1948.
The scene was the annual National Plowing Matches, held that year near Dexter, Iowa.
Truman was in a tough election fight, and many presumed Republican Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York would win. Truman toured the country by train in a whistle stop campaign, taking on the Republican-led 80th Congress, which he dubbed the "do nothing" Congress.
During his appearance in Iowa, the president took a jab at the opposition party. He first noted that times had changed greatly in agriculture from when he worked in the fields as a boy; now machines automatically did what a man and a horse used to do.
I don't want to turn the clock back, I don't want to go back to that horse and buggy age, although some of our Republican friends do.
In one of history's great political comebacks, on November 2, Truman won election for a full term as president against three major challengers, including Iowa's Henry A. Wallace.
Truman wound up carrying the state of Iowa in that 1948 election, no doubt in part due to when the president spoke to 100,000 people at the National Plowing Matches in Dexter, on this date, in 1948.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A President Comes Back to the Heartland"
I'll come back any time you ask me, especially when I'm met by 10 acres of people; now you figure out how many that is.
As it turns out, about 100,000 people filled the 10-acre area around the stage to hear President Harry S. Truman on September 18, 1948.
The scene was the annual National Plowing Matches, held that year near Dexter, Iowa.
Truman was in a tough election fight, and many presumed Republican Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York would win. Truman toured the country by train in a whistle stop campaign, taking on the Republican-led 80th Congress, which he dubbed the "do nothing" Congress.
During his appearance in Iowa, the president took a jab at the opposition party. He first noted that times had changed greatly in agriculture from when he worked in the fields as a boy; now machines automatically did what a man and a horse used to do.
I don't want to turn the clock back, I don't want to go back to that horse and buggy age, although some of our Republican friends do.
In one of history's great political comebacks, on November 2, Truman won election for a full term as president against three major challengers, including Iowa's Henry A. Wallace.
Truman wound up carrying the state of Iowa in that 1948 election, no doubt in part due to when the president spoke to 100,000 people at the National Plowing Matches in Dexter, on this date, in 1948.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 18th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, September 17, 2025
"A Darling of A Park"
Jay Norwood Darling was born in Michigan in 1876, but he quickly became an Iowan. He spent much of his childhood in Sioux City, and returned there after graduating from college in Wisconsin. He became a reporter for the Sioux City Journal, but his hobby of sketching quickly overshadowed his reporting, and Darling became the paper’s editorial cartoonist.
He signed his work “Ding”…shortening his last name of Darling, by using the first letter, D, and the last three, i-n-g.
His work soon became well known and in 1906 he joined The Des Moines Register & Leader and provided artwork for that newspaper’s front page. He tried working for New York newspapers twice, but each time “Ding” Darling soon returned to Des Moines, where his cartoons graced the front page of the Register until 1950. Along the way, his work was syndicated nationally and he won two Pulitzer Prizes for his editorial cartoons, in 1924 and 1943.
But Darling was at heart a conservationist. In the 1930s, he was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to a federal commission on wildlife restoration, which is when he came up with the idea of the federal duck stamp program to raise funds for wildlife preservation, and even designed the first stamp himself. Roosevelt then appointed him as the head of what is today the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
On September 17, 1950, Lake Darling State Park was dedicated in his name near Brighton, Iowa. “Ding” Darling himself “set the gate”—the ceremony by which the valve on a spillway is closed, completing the water impoundment process to create the lake. Lake Darling State Park is made up of more than 1,400 acres, including a 300-acre lake with 18 miles of shoreline. Camping, hiking, boating and fishing are popular activities there today.
And that’s not the only recognition you’ll find for “Ding’s” conservation efforts. The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge was named for him in 1967on Sanibel Island, Florida, where he had a winter home.
Many know “Ding” Darling as an award-winning editorial cartoonist. But it was his work in conservation that led to the dedication of Lake Darling State Park in his name, on this date, in 1950…75 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A Darling of A Park"
Jay Norwood Darling was born in Michigan in 1876, but he quickly became an Iowan. He spent much of his childhood in Sioux City, and returned there after graduating from college in Wisconsin. He became a reporter for the Sioux City Journal, but his hobby of sketching quickly overshadowed his reporting, and Darling became the paper’s editorial cartoonist.
He signed his work “Ding”…shortening his last name of Darling, by using the first letter, D, and the last three, i-n-g.
His work soon became well known and in 1906 he joined The Des Moines Register & Leader and provided artwork for that newspaper’s front page. He tried working for New York newspapers twice, but each time “Ding” Darling soon returned to Des Moines, where his cartoons graced the front page of the Register until 1950. Along the way, his work was syndicated nationally and he won two Pulitzer Prizes for his editorial cartoons, in 1924 and 1943.
But Darling was at heart a conservationist. In the 1930s, he was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to a federal commission on wildlife restoration, which is when he came up with the idea of the federal duck stamp program to raise funds for wildlife preservation, and even designed the first stamp himself. Roosevelt then appointed him as the head of what is today the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
On September 17, 1950, Lake Darling State Park was dedicated in his name near Brighton, Iowa. “Ding” Darling himself “set the gate”—the ceremony by which the valve on a spillway is closed, completing the water impoundment process to create the lake. Lake Darling State Park is made up of more than 1,400 acres, including a 300-acre lake with 18 miles of shoreline. Camping, hiking, boating and fishing are popular activities there today.
And that’s not the only recognition you’ll find for “Ding’s” conservation efforts. The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge was named for him in 1967on Sanibel Island, Florida, where he had a winter home.
Many know “Ding” Darling as an award-winning editorial cartoonist. But it was his work in conservation that led to the dedication of Lake Darling State Park in his name, on this date, in 1950…75 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 17th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, September 16, 2025
"A City of Literature"
The University of Iowa Writers' Workshop was founded nearly 90 years ago, and has been home to thousands of talented writers. Its graduates include 17 Pulitzer Prize winners and eight recent U.S. Poets Laureate.
That pioneering program in the teaching of creative writing led to dozens of creative programs within the university and the Iowa City community. One of the more recent is tied to UNESCO‒the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
On September 16, 2008, the city and the university unveiled their joint proposal to designate Iowa City as one of the world's few Cities of Literature. It was shipped to the UNESCO office in Paris for consideration.
Why Iowa City? Many say it's been a haven as well as a proving ground for writers, and the synergy between the writers and the institutions that have grown from them have created an unique identity for the city.
Two months later, word came that UNESCO had designated Iowa City as the world's third City of Literature, joining Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia. Since then, 52 other cities have earned the designation, including Dublin, Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Norwich, England; and Krakow, Poland. The only other U.S. city is Seattle, Washington.
The designation makes Iowa City part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, to promote innovative growth and shared experiences worldwide. A successful application, submitted on hand-made paper with original calligraphy, for Iowa City to become a world City of Literature was submitted on this date, in 2008.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"A City of Literature"
The University of Iowa Writers' Workshop was founded nearly 90 years ago, and has been home to thousands of talented writers. Its graduates include 17 Pulitzer Prize winners and eight recent U.S. Poets Laureate.
That pioneering program in the teaching of creative writing led to dozens of creative programs within the university and the Iowa City community. One of the more recent is tied to UNESCO‒the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
On September 16, 2008, the city and the university unveiled their joint proposal to designate Iowa City as one of the world's few Cities of Literature. It was shipped to the UNESCO office in Paris for consideration.
Why Iowa City? Many say it's been a haven as well as a proving ground for writers, and the synergy between the writers and the institutions that have grown from them have created an unique identity for the city.
Two months later, word came that UNESCO had designated Iowa City as the world's third City of Literature, joining Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia. Since then, 52 other cities have earned the designation, including Dublin, Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Norwich, England; and Krakow, Poland. The only other U.S. city is Seattle, Washington.
The designation makes Iowa City part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, to promote innovative growth and shared experiences worldwide. A successful application, submitted on hand-made paper with original calligraphy, for Iowa City to become a world City of Literature was submitted on this date, in 2008.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 16th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, September 15, 2025
"Raising the American Flag"
It was shortly before 9 p.m. on September 15, 1996. A woman looked out her kitchen window in Waverly and noticed a green light approaching from the northeast. About a minute later, the light had descended to an altitude consistent with that of a helicopter, and hovered over the Red Fox Inn, about a mile away from her apartment. She also noticed that the color of the object had changed to red and white.
The woman, her daughter, and the daughter's friend got in a car for a trip to a local convenience store. The object appeared to follow them, becoming parallel to their car after they had traveled only three blocks. When they stopped at a stop light, the object stopped. When they moved forward, the object moved forward, keeping pace less than 50 feet behind and 20 feet above them.
By the time they had gotten to the store, the object was gone. They were too frightened to get out of the car, so they returned to the apartment. Soon after, they looked out the window--and there was the same glowing object again, this time hovering over the apartment.
The woman went inside to call police, while her two daughters and three neighbor children watched as the object turned white in color, with two large lights at the bottom...almost like eyes, they said. It was as big as a house.
For about five minutes, the object hovered 20 to 30 feet over the two-story apartment building. Then it flashed out of sight. Police arrived soon after, but they could not explain it.
Was it something from outer space? We don't know, but the multi-colored disc, about 40 feet across, dominated the clear evening sky in Waverly on this date, in 1996.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 15th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Raising the American Flag"
It was shortly before 9 p.m. on September 15, 1996. A woman looked out her kitchen window in Waverly and noticed a green light approaching from the northeast. About a minute later, the light had descended to an altitude consistent with that of a helicopter, and hovered over the Red Fox Inn, about a mile away from her apartment. She also noticed that the color of the object had changed to red and white.
The woman, her daughter, and the daughter's friend got in a car for a trip to a local convenience store. The object appeared to follow them, becoming parallel to their car after they had traveled only three blocks. When they stopped at a stop light, the object stopped. When they moved forward, the object moved forward, keeping pace less than 50 feet behind and 20 feet above them.
By the time they had gotten to the store, the object was gone. They were too frightened to get out of the car, so they returned to the apartment. Soon after, they looked out the window--and there was the same glowing object again, this time hovering over the apartment.
The woman went inside to call police, while her two daughters and three neighbor children watched as the object turned white in color, with two large lights at the bottom...almost like eyes, they said. It was as big as a house.
For about five minutes, the object hovered 20 to 30 feet over the two-story apartment building. Then it flashed out of sight. Police arrived soon after, but they could not explain it.
Was it something from outer space? We don't know, but the multi-colored disc, about 40 feet across, dominated the clear evening sky in Waverly on this date, in 1996.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 15th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, September 14, 2025
"Raising the American Flag"
In 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and became a separate country. It became one of the United States in 1845, just a year before Iowa was admitted into the union.
In early 1846, war broke out over where the border was between Mexico and Texas. American history books call it the Mexican War, but Mexican history books refer to it as the U.S. Invasion. Congress declared war on Mexico in May of that year, and the U.S. doubled the size of its Army fighting force.
We've told you before about some of the soldiers who volunteered from the Iowa Territory to serve. Today, the story of Company K from Fort Madison, which was mustered for duty a year into the war. They joined Major General Winfield Scott's 13,000-man army, and participated in the American victory at the Battle of Cerro Gordo in April of 1847. Scott's army fought its way to Mexico City, losing 40 percent of its men along the way to combat and disease, including the Iowa company commander, Captain Edwin Guthrie.
On September 14, 1847, General Scott's army captured the capitol of Mexico City. That's when Iowan Benjamin S. Roberts of Fort Madison made history. He was serving with the U.S. Mounted Rifle Regiment at the time. Benjamin Roberts personally removed the Mexican flag that was flying over the National Palace, and replaced it with the American flag.
The sure sign of military conquest...hoisting your country's flag in place of your enemy's. And when the U.S. army captured the Mexican capital, it was Iowa's Benjamin Roberts who flew Old Glory over the Mexican National Palace, on this date, in 1847.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 14th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Raising the American Flag"
In 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and became a separate country. It became one of the United States in 1845, just a year before Iowa was admitted into the union.
In early 1846, war broke out over where the border was between Mexico and Texas. American history books call it the Mexican War, but Mexican history books refer to it as the U.S. Invasion. Congress declared war on Mexico in May of that year, and the U.S. doubled the size of its Army fighting force.
We've told you before about some of the soldiers who volunteered from the Iowa Territory to serve. Today, the story of Company K from Fort Madison, which was mustered for duty a year into the war. They joined Major General Winfield Scott's 13,000-man army, and participated in the American victory at the Battle of Cerro Gordo in April of 1847. Scott's army fought its way to Mexico City, losing 40 percent of its men along the way to combat and disease, including the Iowa company commander, Captain Edwin Guthrie.
On September 14, 1847, General Scott's army captured the capitol of Mexico City. That's when Iowan Benjamin S. Roberts of Fort Madison made history. He was serving with the U.S. Mounted Rifle Regiment at the time. Benjamin Roberts personally removed the Mexican flag that was flying over the National Palace, and replaced it with the American flag.
The sure sign of military conquest...hoisting your country's flag in place of your enemy's. And when the U.S. army captured the Mexican capital, it was Iowa's Benjamin Roberts who flew Old Glory over the Mexican National Palace, on this date, in 1847.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 14th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, September 13, 2025
"So That Others May See"
Back in the early 1950s, Ruth Fisher was having problems seeing clearly. An ophthalmologist at the University of Iowa concluded that her best hope was a corneal transplant. But there was a problem...a successful operation had to be conducted within 36 hours of receiving a donor cornea, and by law at the time, those had to come from outside the state.
It took weeks before a donor could be found in Buffalo, New York...and three more months before another donor was found so surgery could be done on her other eye.
Doctors saw a need for a new system, so during a speech to the 1954 state convention of Iowa Lions Clubs, Dr. Alson Braley of the University of Iowa convinced the Lions to expand their well-known sight conservation program. Those in attendance quickly agreed.
Lions from across Iowa contacted lawmakers and got state law amended to allow Iowans to will body parts to a medical school or eye bank. On September 13, 1955, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank was established with an office in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. The first staff member and executive director--Ruth Fisher, who served in the post until 1983.
From humble beginnings, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank has called a 14,000-square foot space at the UI Bioventures Center home since 2013. And thousands have been helped thanks to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, which opened on this date in 1955…70 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"So That Others May See"
Back in the early 1950s, Ruth Fisher was having problems seeing clearly. An ophthalmologist at the University of Iowa concluded that her best hope was a corneal transplant. But there was a problem...a successful operation had to be conducted within 36 hours of receiving a donor cornea, and by law at the time, those had to come from outside the state.
It took weeks before a donor could be found in Buffalo, New York...and three more months before another donor was found so surgery could be done on her other eye.
Doctors saw a need for a new system, so during a speech to the 1954 state convention of Iowa Lions Clubs, Dr. Alson Braley of the University of Iowa convinced the Lions to expand their well-known sight conservation program. Those in attendance quickly agreed.
Lions from across Iowa contacted lawmakers and got state law amended to allow Iowans to will body parts to a medical school or eye bank. On September 13, 1955, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank was established with an office in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. The first staff member and executive director--Ruth Fisher, who served in the post until 1983.
From humble beginnings, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank has called a 14,000-square foot space at the UI Bioventures Center home since 2013. And thousands have been helped thanks to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, which opened on this date in 1955…70 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 13th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, September 12, 2025
"The Most Beautiful Theater in Iowa"
Dr. Philip Wieting, a dentist, moved with his wife from Worcester, N.Y. to the Tama County town of Toledo in the spring of 1867. Wieting branched out into the mercantile and abstract businesses, and with his father-in-law, co-founded the Toledo City Bank in 1878.
Around the turn of the century, the Wietings returned to New York, this time establishing residence in Syracuse. There, Wieting became involved in manufacturing and, according to sources, "amassed quite a fortune".
After Philip Wieting's death in 1906, Ella Wieting decided to honor her husband by establishing memorial "opera house" theatres in the three towns where they had "lived happily and participated widely in civic affairs"--Philip's hometown of Worcester, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y., and Toledo, Iowa.
The Toledo theater was built in less than a year. An advertisement promoting the grand opening called the Wieting Opera House "the most beautiful theater in the state of Iowa".
On September 12, 1912, the Wieting Theater opened with a performance of Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" featuring more than 100 musicians. Ella Wieting was present on opening night to hand the deed to the property over to local officials. The Toledo Chronicle reported that "Mrs. Wieting was dressed in the gown which her husband gave her just before his death and which she had worn only once since, and that was at the opening of the opera house in Worcester."
Citizens of Toledo rallied to restore the Wietingin time for its centennial a decade ago. It cost $20,000 to build in 1912, but $1.4 million to renovate a century later.
The Wieting Theater still proudly stands as an anchor of the city's downtown district, befitting its place as one of five structures in Toledo to be on the National Register of Historic Places. And the first performance was held there on this date in 1912.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Most Beautiful Theater in Iowa"
Dr. Philip Wieting, a dentist, moved with his wife from Worcester, N.Y. to the Tama County town of Toledo in the spring of 1867. Wieting branched out into the mercantile and abstract businesses, and with his father-in-law, co-founded the Toledo City Bank in 1878.
Around the turn of the century, the Wietings returned to New York, this time establishing residence in Syracuse. There, Wieting became involved in manufacturing and, according to sources, "amassed quite a fortune".
After Philip Wieting's death in 1906, Ella Wieting decided to honor her husband by establishing memorial "opera house" theatres in the three towns where they had "lived happily and participated widely in civic affairs"--Philip's hometown of Worcester, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y., and Toledo, Iowa.
The Toledo theater was built in less than a year. An advertisement promoting the grand opening called the Wieting Opera House "the most beautiful theater in the state of Iowa".
On September 12, 1912, the Wieting Theater opened with a performance of Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" featuring more than 100 musicians. Ella Wieting was present on opening night to hand the deed to the property over to local officials. The Toledo Chronicle reported that "Mrs. Wieting was dressed in the gown which her husband gave her just before his death and which she had worn only once since, and that was at the opening of the opera house in Worcester."
Citizens of Toledo rallied to restore the Wietingin time for its centennial a decade ago. It cost $20,000 to build in 1912, but $1.4 million to renovate a century later.
The Wieting Theater still proudly stands as an anchor of the city's downtown district, befitting its place as one of five structures in Toledo to be on the National Register of Historic Places. And the first performance was held there on this date in 1912.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 12th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, September 11, 2025
"Lindbergh Against The War"
September 11, 2001, ultimately led to the U.S. fighting wars on two fronts. Literally 60 years before the terrorist attacks on America, on September 11, 1941, one of the world’s most famous citizens was in Des Moines, warning about intervening in the conflict which became the second World War.
Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly a plane across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1927. He gained immediate fame worldwide, and even 14 years after his accomplishment, his opinions were respected across the country.
Lindbergh became involved with the America First Committee, which advocated staying out of what was then a European conflict. His Des Moines speech on the topic, however, led many to be outraged. He claimed there were three groups pushing the U.S. into war—the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt Administration. He said the greatest danger to our country was Jewish influence in motion pictures, the press, radio, and government.
We are on the verge of a war in which the only victor would be chaos and prostration.
We are on the verge of a war for which we are still unprepared, and for which no one has offered a feasible plan for victory--a war which cannot be won without sending our soldiers across the ocean to fight, and to force a landing on a hostile coast against armies stronger than our own.
The famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was roundly criticized for that speech, advocating isolationism in the face of World War II…a speech delivered in Des Moines on this date in 1941.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Lindbergh Against The War"
September 11, 2001, ultimately led to the U.S. fighting wars on two fronts. Literally 60 years before the terrorist attacks on America, on September 11, 1941, one of the world’s most famous citizens was in Des Moines, warning about intervening in the conflict which became the second World War.
Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly a plane across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1927. He gained immediate fame worldwide, and even 14 years after his accomplishment, his opinions were respected across the country.
Lindbergh became involved with the America First Committee, which advocated staying out of what was then a European conflict. His Des Moines speech on the topic, however, led many to be outraged. He claimed there were three groups pushing the U.S. into war—the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt Administration. He said the greatest danger to our country was Jewish influence in motion pictures, the press, radio, and government.
We are on the verge of a war in which the only victor would be chaos and prostration.
We are on the verge of a war for which we are still unprepared, and for which no one has offered a feasible plan for victory--a war which cannot be won without sending our soldiers across the ocean to fight, and to force a landing on a hostile coast against armies stronger than our own.
The famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was roundly criticized for that speech, advocating isolationism in the face of World War II…a speech delivered in Des Moines on this date in 1941.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 11th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, September 10, 2025
"Winning Olympic Gold"
Doreen Wilber first became interested in archery in 1957 when one of her husband’s customers paid his auto repair bill with a bow and set of arrows. But it soon became clear she was a natural.
She had amazing concentration, and was physically strong. No professional coach, no commercial sponsor…but Doreen did not lose a single tournament at the state level for 10 years.
She shot on the international level from 1968 to 1974 and established 10 new records, along the way becoming the first woman to shoot over 1200 in international competition.
On September 10, 1972, she won the gold medal in the women’s section of the first modern Olympic archery competition…and she did so at the age of 42.
She was inducted into nine halls of fame, including the Sports Illustrated Athletes of the Century. She died of Alzheimer’s Disease in her hometown of Jefferson in 2008. She was memorialized with a life-sized bronze statue in the center of town three years later.
The Iowa woman with outstanding sportsmanship, Doreen Wilber, won Olympic gold in archery on this date in 1972.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Winning Olympic Gold"
Doreen Wilber first became interested in archery in 1957 when one of her husband’s customers paid his auto repair bill with a bow and set of arrows. But it soon became clear she was a natural.
She had amazing concentration, and was physically strong. No professional coach, no commercial sponsor…but Doreen did not lose a single tournament at the state level for 10 years.
She shot on the international level from 1968 to 1974 and established 10 new records, along the way becoming the first woman to shoot over 1200 in international competition.
On September 10, 1972, she won the gold medal in the women’s section of the first modern Olympic archery competition…and she did so at the age of 42.
She was inducted into nine halls of fame, including the Sports Illustrated Athletes of the Century. She died of Alzheimer’s Disease in her hometown of Jefferson in 2008. She was memorialized with a life-sized bronze statue in the center of town three years later.
The Iowa woman with outstanding sportsmanship, Doreen Wilber, won Olympic gold in archery on this date in 1972.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 10th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, September 09, 2025
"Riding the Rails"
Today, the city of Ames and Iowa State University are integrated to the point it’s hard to tell where one starts and the other stops. Back in 1890, though, the Iowa Agricultural College campus, as it was then known, was separate from the town of Ames, and the only transportation linking the two was a stagecoach line.
In an effort to bridge this distance, there was great interest in connecting the town and campus with a railway. On September 9, 1890, the Ames Street Railway Company began soliciting subscriptions to pay for the two-mile rail line.
By the next spring, grading for the line was underway, and testing was done on Independence Day 1891, with regular service beginning soon after.
The rail car carrying passengers itself was called the Dinkey. Ultimately the roster of cars used included three passenger cars and a multipurpose flat car. The flat car was used to carry freight and baggage, complete with stakes, set-in pockets, and ropes to keep suitcases from falling off.
The Dinkey operated to connect the campus with the town until 1907, when it was retired. The equipment was stored at the Chicago &NorthWestern facility in Boone, until it was scrapped in 1917 to provide material for World War I.
The train is remembered fondly today, with a beer named in its honor at a local brew pub for a time. The fundraising effort for Ames’ in-town train, the Dinkey, began on this date, in 1890…135 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Riding the Rails"
Today, the city of Ames and Iowa State University are integrated to the point it’s hard to tell where one starts and the other stops. Back in 1890, though, the Iowa Agricultural College campus, as it was then known, was separate from the town of Ames, and the only transportation linking the two was a stagecoach line.
In an effort to bridge this distance, there was great interest in connecting the town and campus with a railway. On September 9, 1890, the Ames Street Railway Company began soliciting subscriptions to pay for the two-mile rail line.
By the next spring, grading for the line was underway, and testing was done on Independence Day 1891, with regular service beginning soon after.
The rail car carrying passengers itself was called the Dinkey. Ultimately the roster of cars used included three passenger cars and a multipurpose flat car. The flat car was used to carry freight and baggage, complete with stakes, set-in pockets, and ropes to keep suitcases from falling off.
The Dinkey operated to connect the campus with the town until 1907, when it was retired. The equipment was stored at the Chicago &NorthWestern facility in Boone, until it was scrapped in 1917 to provide material for World War I.
The train is remembered fondly today, with a beer named in its honor at a local brew pub for a time. The fundraising effort for Ames’ in-town train, the Dinkey, began on this date, in 1890…135 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 9th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, September 08, 2025
"Air Mail Delivery"
The magic of airplanes in the early part of the 1900s captivated Americans. To be able to see men and womenfly machines long distances was amazing.
Soon, practical uses for this advancement were developed, including for commercial air freight and mail.
The Iowa City airport was the first in the state to be used on the Chicago to Omaha commercial air freight route. The first consignment was reported on January 8, 1920, when 400 pounds of mail made its way to Omaha, along with the meat for a banquet in honor of General John Pershing. On the return trip, the plane carried a hog for a banquet in Chicago.
The transcontinental air mail service route was completed later that same year, extending westward through Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, and Reno, on its way to San Francisco.
At that time, travel was only during the daylight, and the mail was delivered by military pilots.
On September 8, 1920, the first sack of air mail, delivered by a military pilot, arrived in Des Moines, part of the new transcontinental route.
Today we send electronic messages in seconds. But the wonders of air mail were still new when the first sack of mail was delivered in Des Moines, on this date, in 1920…105 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 8th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Air Mail Delivery"
The magic of airplanes in the early part of the 1900s captivated Americans. To be able to see men and womenfly machines long distances was amazing.
Soon, practical uses for this advancement were developed, including for commercial air freight and mail.
The Iowa City airport was the first in the state to be used on the Chicago to Omaha commercial air freight route. The first consignment was reported on January 8, 1920, when 400 pounds of mail made its way to Omaha, along with the meat for a banquet in honor of General John Pershing. On the return trip, the plane carried a hog for a banquet in Chicago.
The transcontinental air mail service route was completed later that same year, extending westward through Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, and Reno, on its way to San Francisco.
At that time, travel was only during the daylight, and the mail was delivered by military pilots.
On September 8, 1920, the first sack of air mail, delivered by a military pilot, arrived in Des Moines, part of the new transcontinental route.
Today we send electronic messages in seconds. But the wonders of air mail were still new when the first sack of mail was delivered in Des Moines, on this date, in 1920…105 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 8th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Sunday, September 07, 2025
"Shot In The Heart"
Some think it was Myrtle Cook’s words that ultimately got her killed.
On September 7, 1925, she was sitting near the window of her home in Vinton, rehearsing her speech to an upcoming Women’s Christian Temperance Union meeting. Myrtle was active in the fight against alcohol, making public the names of those she suspected of bootlegging. As a result, she had made enemies. Her house had been egged, and she feared she might be harmed.
Myrtle’s mother in law was upstairs, occasionally hearing the speech over the thunderstorm in progress at the time. She then heard what she thought was thunder, then silence. She went downstairs and found Myrtle had been shot in the heart, the bullet coming through the open window. She was dead within an hour.
In addition to her membership in the WCTU, Myrtle was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. In fact, the preacher at her funeral wore white Klan robes, and a cross was set on fire in the cemetery in her honor. Given all that, the murder and funeral made news across the country.
The identity of her killer, though, is still a mystery. Was it Myrtle’s estranged husband, or someone who hated her political views? We still don’t know.
51-year-old Klan member and temperance activist Myrtle Cook was killed in her home in Vinton, with a single shot to the heart, on this date, in 1925…100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 7th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Shot In The Heart"
Some think it was Myrtle Cook’s words that ultimately got her killed.
On September 7, 1925, she was sitting near the window of her home in Vinton, rehearsing her speech to an upcoming Women’s Christian Temperance Union meeting. Myrtle was active in the fight against alcohol, making public the names of those she suspected of bootlegging. As a result, she had made enemies. Her house had been egged, and she feared she might be harmed.
Myrtle’s mother in law was upstairs, occasionally hearing the speech over the thunderstorm in progress at the time. She then heard what she thought was thunder, then silence. She went downstairs and found Myrtle had been shot in the heart, the bullet coming through the open window. She was dead within an hour.
In addition to her membership in the WCTU, Myrtle was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. In fact, the preacher at her funeral wore white Klan robes, and a cross was set on fire in the cemetery in her honor. Given all that, the murder and funeral made news across the country.
The identity of her killer, though, is still a mystery. Was it Myrtle’s estranged husband, or someone who hated her political views? We still don’t know.
51-year-old Klan member and temperance activist Myrtle Cook was killed in her home in Vinton, with a single shot to the heart, on this date, in 1925…100 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 7th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Saturday, September 06, 2025
"The Padre of Hollywood"
If you're a movie fan, you may recall the 1934 film "It Happened One Night" and the pivotal scene where would-be bride Claudette Colbert leaves her fiancé at the altar of their garden wedding to run away with Clark Gable.
The man preparing to officiate at the ceremony was Iowa native Neal Dodd. He was a popular choice to play such a role, since he was in real life an Anglican priest.
He first appeared in a film in 1920, the same year he became the founding secretary of the Motion Picture Relief Fund. He was the first clergyman to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild. You may recall him from roles in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," where he played the Senate chaplain, and his last role in 1951, as a priest in "Here Comes the Groom."
He officiated at 300 weddings on film, and more than 700 in real life...including performing the wedding ceremony for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. He also served as a technical advisor on religious material for several films.
Father Dodd donated all his acting fees to charity. Much of it went to the church he founded with a Christmas Eve mass in 1918, St. Mary of the Angels Anglican Church in Los Angeles. He died in 1966 at age 86; his ashes are interred at the church he built.
He became known as the Padre of Hollywood for the number of roles he played, officiating at weddings. Father Neal Dodd, born in Fort Madison, on this date in 1879.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Padre of Hollywood"
If you're a movie fan, you may recall the 1934 film "It Happened One Night" and the pivotal scene where would-be bride Claudette Colbert leaves her fiancé at the altar of their garden wedding to run away with Clark Gable.
The man preparing to officiate at the ceremony was Iowa native Neal Dodd. He was a popular choice to play such a role, since he was in real life an Anglican priest.
He first appeared in a film in 1920, the same year he became the founding secretary of the Motion Picture Relief Fund. He was the first clergyman to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild. You may recall him from roles in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," where he played the Senate chaplain, and his last role in 1951, as a priest in "Here Comes the Groom."
He officiated at 300 weddings on film, and more than 700 in real life...including performing the wedding ceremony for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. He also served as a technical advisor on religious material for several films.
Father Dodd donated all his acting fees to charity. Much of it went to the church he founded with a Christmas Eve mass in 1918, St. Mary of the Angels Anglican Church in Los Angeles. He died in 1966 at age 86; his ashes are interred at the church he built.
He became known as the Padre of Hollywood for the number of roles he played, officiating at weddings. Father Neal Dodd, born in Fort Madison, on this date in 1879.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 6th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Friday, September 05, 2025
"The Computer Gateway"
On September 5, 1985, a company was founded in Sioux City, called the TIPC Network. TIPC was a reference to “Texas Instruments Personal Computer,” and the new company created software and peripherals for that company’s computers. The founders were Ted Waitt and Mike Hammond. The two met when Hammond trained Waitt as a new employee at a Des Moines computer store.
To get the business going, Ted Waitt took out a $10,000 loan secured by his grandmother; the new business occupied the empty upper floor of Waitt’s father’s cattle brokerage. Within a few months, Ted’s brother Norman Waitt joined as the company’s financial adviser. That year, 1986, the company began selling its own hand-assembled computers as an experiment; by the end of the year, the company changed its name to Gateway 2000.
Producing machines that were compatible with IBM personal computers, Gateway 2000 offered a complete PC system with dual 5.25-inch floppy drives, ample RAM, a color monitor, and a keyboard—for $1,995 via mail order. That product led to the company’s revenues jumping from $1.5 million in 1987 to $12 million in 1988.
That led the company to move from the family ranch to the Livestock Exchange Building in downtown Sioux City, then to North Sioux City, South Dakota to take advantage of that state having no income tax. And along the way, a distinctive marketing approach took root—the computers arrived in white boxes with black spots, reminiscent of Holstein cows, a nod to the company’s location in the Midwest.
A burst of expansion followed in the 1990s, during which Gateway dropped the “2000” from its name. At its peak, in 2001, Gateway held 7.6 percent of the U.S. market, fourth behind Dell, Compaq, and HP.
Price wars and industry consolidation led Gateway to be acquired by Acer in 2007. The Gateway brand disappeared from the marketplace within a year.
But loyal customers who remembered the company and its focus on quality and value led Acer to bring the Gateway brand back in 2020, sold exclusively through Walmart.
From humble beginnings in rural Iowa to becoming one of the leading computer manufacturers in the world…Gateway 2000 was founded in Sioux City on this date in 1985…40 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Computer Gateway"
On September 5, 1985, a company was founded in Sioux City, called the TIPC Network. TIPC was a reference to “Texas Instruments Personal Computer,” and the new company created software and peripherals for that company’s computers. The founders were Ted Waitt and Mike Hammond. The two met when Hammond trained Waitt as a new employee at a Des Moines computer store.
To get the business going, Ted Waitt took out a $10,000 loan secured by his grandmother; the new business occupied the empty upper floor of Waitt’s father’s cattle brokerage. Within a few months, Ted’s brother Norman Waitt joined as the company’s financial adviser. That year, 1986, the company began selling its own hand-assembled computers as an experiment; by the end of the year, the company changed its name to Gateway 2000.
Producing machines that were compatible with IBM personal computers, Gateway 2000 offered a complete PC system with dual 5.25-inch floppy drives, ample RAM, a color monitor, and a keyboard—for $1,995 via mail order. That product led to the company’s revenues jumping from $1.5 million in 1987 to $12 million in 1988.
That led the company to move from the family ranch to the Livestock Exchange Building in downtown Sioux City, then to North Sioux City, South Dakota to take advantage of that state having no income tax. And along the way, a distinctive marketing approach took root—the computers arrived in white boxes with black spots, reminiscent of Holstein cows, a nod to the company’s location in the Midwest.
A burst of expansion followed in the 1990s, during which Gateway dropped the “2000” from its name. At its peak, in 2001, Gateway held 7.6 percent of the U.S. market, fourth behind Dell, Compaq, and HP.
Price wars and industry consolidation led Gateway to be acquired by Acer in 2007. The Gateway brand disappeared from the marketplace within a year.
But loyal customers who remembered the company and its focus on quality and value led Acer to bring the Gateway brand back in 2020, sold exclusively through Walmart.
From humble beginnings in rural Iowa to becoming one of the leading computer manufacturers in the world…Gateway 2000 was founded in Sioux City on this date in 1985…40 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 5th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Thursday, September 04, 2025
"Sketching Our Times"
During his five-decade-long career, cartoonist Paul Conrad provided comment on 11 presidential administrations. His work for the Los Angeles Times even landed him on President Nixon’s enemies list during the aftermath of Watergate.
He and his twin brother James were born in Cedar Rapids on June 27, 1924. He was actually left-handed, but forced by teachers to use his right hand, not uncommon at the time. He first showed a flair for art by drawing on the bathroom wall of his elementary school in Des Moines. His role model was the legendary Des Moines Register editorial cartoonist Ding Darling.
After service in World War II, Conrad enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1946 and started drawing cartoons for The Daily Iowan. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next 14 years at the Denver Post. He earned his first Pulitzer Prize in 1964, and his work was syndicated across the country.
He moved to the Los Angeles Times in 1964 and offered cartoon commentary on the important political events of the time, picking up another two Pulitzers during his 30 years there.
When Paul Conrad died in California at the age of 86, he was universally regarded as one of the finest political cartoonists of the century. Iowa-born Paul Conrad died on this date in 2010...115 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Sketching Our Times"
During his five-decade-long career, cartoonist Paul Conrad provided comment on 11 presidential administrations. His work for the Los Angeles Times even landed him on President Nixon’s enemies list during the aftermath of Watergate.
He and his twin brother James were born in Cedar Rapids on June 27, 1924. He was actually left-handed, but forced by teachers to use his right hand, not uncommon at the time. He first showed a flair for art by drawing on the bathroom wall of his elementary school in Des Moines. His role model was the legendary Des Moines Register editorial cartoonist Ding Darling.
After service in World War II, Conrad enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1946 and started drawing cartoons for The Daily Iowan. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next 14 years at the Denver Post. He earned his first Pulitzer Prize in 1964, and his work was syndicated across the country.
He moved to the Los Angeles Times in 1964 and offered cartoon commentary on the important political events of the time, picking up another two Pulitzers during his 30 years there.
When Paul Conrad died in California at the age of 86, he was universally regarded as one of the finest political cartoonists of the century. Iowa-born Paul Conrad died on this date in 2010...115 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 4th...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Wednesday, September 03, 2025
"The Candidates Meet in Des Moines"
Campaigns for president can often be contentious affairs; we in Iowa certainly see that up close every four years.
On September 3, 1936, a unique meeting of the two major party nominees occurred in Des Moines.
The summer of 1936 saw continued economic stress in America. In the Midwest, that was coupled by crippling drought.
A conference was held in Des Moines, attended by governors from states most affected by the drought, including Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the sessions, held at the state capitol building in Des Moines. That included a meeting with his presidential rival, Kansas Gov. Alf Landon. The two shook hands for the media cameras and exchanged pleasantries before a lunch and the afternoon drought relief conference.
A poll released that very day showed Landon’s lead over Roosevelt in rural areas widening. But as the November election approached, the tables turned nationally, and FDR won in a landslide, only losing Maine and Vermont.
The two rivals for president, Franklin Roosevelt and Alf Landon, met in Des Moines to talk about drought relief, on this date, in 1936.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Candidates Meet in Des Moines"
Campaigns for president can often be contentious affairs; we in Iowa certainly see that up close every four years.
On September 3, 1936, a unique meeting of the two major party nominees occurred in Des Moines.
The summer of 1936 saw continued economic stress in America. In the Midwest, that was coupled by crippling drought.
A conference was held in Des Moines, attended by governors from states most affected by the drought, including Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the sessions, held at the state capitol building in Des Moines. That included a meeting with his presidential rival, Kansas Gov. Alf Landon. The two shook hands for the media cameras and exchanged pleasantries before a lunch and the afternoon drought relief conference.
A poll released that very day showed Landon’s lead over Roosevelt in rural areas widening. But as the November election approached, the tables turned nationally, and FDR won in a landslide, only losing Maine and Vermont.
The two rivals for president, Franklin Roosevelt and Alf Landon, met in Des Moines to talk about drought relief, on this date, in 1936.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 3rd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Tuesday, September 02, 2025
"The Ballpark Gets A New Name"
Garner W. Taylor became sports editor of the Des Moines Register in 1914. He was still on the job 51 years later, when he died of a heart attack at the age of 78 in 1965.
During that time, he shaped Iowans' impressions of sports. Generations recall The Big Peach sports section in the paper, and his regular column, "Sittin' in With the Athletes".
Prior to working at the Register, he was secretary to the baseball team in St. Joseph, Missouri and earned the nickname "Sec"...which he used the rest of his career. And it was that interest in baseball that is behind today's story.
He strongly believed that a city the size of Des Moines should have a strong minor league baseball team, and pushed for the effort in his columns. In 1947, a new ballpark was built to house the Des Moines Bruins of the Western League. It was called Pioneer Memorial Stadium. The Bruins were in town for 12 years, followed by a three-year stint by the Des Moines Demons of the Three-I League.
After the Demons' first season, on September 2, 1959, the ballpark got a new name--Sec Taylor Stadium, in honor of the newspaperman who supported Iowa sports so strongly.
The ballpark has a corporate name now, but the field where the Iowa Cubs play is still named for him.
Pioneer Memorial Stadium, the minor league baseball stadium in Des Moines, was renamed Sec Taylor Stadium, on this date, in 1959.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"The Ballpark Gets A New Name"
Garner W. Taylor became sports editor of the Des Moines Register in 1914. He was still on the job 51 years later, when he died of a heart attack at the age of 78 in 1965.
During that time, he shaped Iowans' impressions of sports. Generations recall The Big Peach sports section in the paper, and his regular column, "Sittin' in With the Athletes".
Prior to working at the Register, he was secretary to the baseball team in St. Joseph, Missouri and earned the nickname "Sec"...which he used the rest of his career. And it was that interest in baseball that is behind today's story.
He strongly believed that a city the size of Des Moines should have a strong minor league baseball team, and pushed for the effort in his columns. In 1947, a new ballpark was built to house the Des Moines Bruins of the Western League. It was called Pioneer Memorial Stadium. The Bruins were in town for 12 years, followed by a three-year stint by the Des Moines Demons of the Three-I League.
After the Demons' first season, on September 2, 1959, the ballpark got a new name--Sec Taylor Stadium, in honor of the newspaperman who supported Iowa sports so strongly.
The ballpark has a corporate name now, but the field where the Iowa Cubs play is still named for him.
Pioneer Memorial Stadium, the minor league baseball stadium in Des Moines, was renamed Sec Taylor Stadium, on this date, in 1959.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 2nd...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
Iowa Almanac for Monday, September 01, 2025
"Opening A Home"
In 1881, Western College moved from Shueyville to Toledo. The college was established by the United Brethren in Christ, and made the move to the Tama County town because Toledo residents pledged $20,000 in support for the financially troubled college. The campus grew to include 16 acres in the center of town.
In 1902, with finances still an issue, Western College announced it would change its name in honor of anyone who would donate $50,000 to start an endowment fund. Major Leander Clark of Toledo said he would make the donation, provided the college fund another $100,000 to go with it. They did, in large part because of a $50,000 donation by Andrew Carnegie. So in 1906, Western College became Leander Clark College.
But despite those endowed funds, the college still went bankrupt barely a decade later, and in 1919, it merged with Coe College.
As for the college campus in Toledo, that was acquired by the State of Iowa, and on September 1, 1920, what had been Leander Clark College became the State Juvenile Home, operated by the Iowa Department of Social Services. Over the time it was open, students there attended Herbert Hoover High School, named for Iowa’s only native-born president.
After the college that had been there went bankrupt, the State Juvenile Home in Toledo opened, on this date, in 1920...105 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 1st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
"Opening A Home"
In 1881, Western College moved from Shueyville to Toledo. The college was established by the United Brethren in Christ, and made the move to the Tama County town because Toledo residents pledged $20,000 in support for the financially troubled college. The campus grew to include 16 acres in the center of town.
In 1902, with finances still an issue, Western College announced it would change its name in honor of anyone who would donate $50,000 to start an endowment fund. Major Leander Clark of Toledo said he would make the donation, provided the college fund another $100,000 to go with it. They did, in large part because of a $50,000 donation by Andrew Carnegie. So in 1906, Western College became Leander Clark College.
But despite those endowed funds, the college still went bankrupt barely a decade later, and in 1919, it merged with Coe College.
As for the college campus in Toledo, that was acquired by the State of Iowa, and on September 1, 1920, what had been Leander Clark College became the State Juvenile Home, operated by the Iowa Department of Social Services. Over the time it was open, students there attended Herbert Hoover High School, named for Iowa’s only native-born president.
After the college that had been there went bankrupt, the State Juvenile Home in Toledo opened, on this date, in 1920...105 years ago today.
And that's Iowa Almanac for September 1st...Listen to the extended audio version of today's story by clicking on the audio player above.
