Iowa, the 29th state of the U.S.A., has a rich history dating back to 13,000 years ago.The first people to have lived in Iowa are said to belong to Native American tribes, including Illini, Ioway, Otoe, and Missouria. In 1682, Iowa was claimed by French explorers.Spain also claimed its right over Iowa and fought many battles with France, with the land title continuously shifting between the two countries over 100 years. When France had control over Iowa, they called it French Louisiana. Whenever Spain claimed the land, they called it Spanish Louisiana.In 1803, the U.S.A. bought the Iowa region through the Louisiana Purchase. However, it was only on December 28, 1846, that Iowa was admitted to the Union as the 29th state of the U.S.A. Iowa City was first Iowa’s capital before it was shifted to the current state capital Des Moines in 1857. Des Moines is also the most populated city in Iowa.The History Of IowaIowa has a long history where the control of the land changed a few hands.The Native American tribes who first inhabited Iowa hunted buffaloes for a living. They also relied on crops such as corn and beans.A French fur trader named Louis Joliet and a Jesuit missionary named Jacques Marquette were the first European travelers to visit Iowa in 1673. However, history does not credit anyone as the founder of Iowa.In 1682, French traveler Robert de La Salle helped France claim rights over Iowa. However, France and Spain kept fighting a civil war to take control over Iowa, and the ownership over the region kept shifting between the two nations.Dubuque was the first permanent settlement in Iowa. It was set up by Julien Dubuque in 1788. The Dubuque County is named after him.In 1803, the U.S. paid $15 million to France to buy the Louisiana Territory and gain rights over Iowa. The deal was part of the Louisiana Purchase.The then president of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson, sent travelers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition to Iowa. Sergeant Charles Floyd, one of the well-known members of the troop, died due to appendicitis.Based on some positive reviews from Lewis-Clark, Iowa saw more European settlers inhabiting there and pushing the Native American tribes to the Indian territory.In 1832, the Sauk tribe, led by their chief Black Hawk, fought the Battle of Bad Axe with the U.S. Army to take control of Iowa but eventually lost it, and they were pushed out of the region.In 1838, the territory of Iowa was launched. Eight years later, on December 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state of the U.S.Legends claim Iowa is named after the original Native American people who were called Ioway, meaning ’the sleepy ones’.Iowa is also called the Hawkeye State, reportedly named after a Native American leader called Black Hawk.However, it is also claimed that Iowa’s nickname Hawkeye State comes from a character called Hawkeye, who featured in James Fenimore Cooper’s book, ‘The Last of the Mohicans.’ Iowa And Its PeoplePeople living in Iowa are called Iowans.The state of Iowa is known to have a population of over three million people, with 60% living in urban regions.A midwestern state, Iowa shares its borders with six other U.S. states. They are Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin.One of the important facts about Iowa is that it is estimated to have farmland covering 92% of its total area, yet surprisingly, more Iowans live in urban areas.Every year, thousands of Iowans come together to ride on their bikes across the state from west to east as part of the seven-day expedition named Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa.One of the important historical facts about Iowa is that more than 76,000 Iowans out of a total population of 600,000 took part during the American Civil War, marking the highest number of participants from any state.Iowa produces more corn annually than any other state in the U.S. Hence, it is also called the Corn State. The production of corn is the major contributor to Iowa’s economy.About 99% of people living in Iowa can read and write, and the state of Iowa boasts of the highest literary rate in the whole of the U.S.The entire state of Iowa is estimated to have more than 25 million hogs and pigs on its farmlands. There are eight times more hogs and pigs than the total human population in Iowa.The eastern goldfinch is the Iowa state bird. The state flower is the wild prairie rose, while the state tree is the bur oak.Iowa has various reptiles such as yellow mud turtles and western hognose snakes, and animals such as red foxes and white-tailed deer.Famous Personalities From IowaIowa state is home to many celebrities, from politicians to actors to authors.President Herbert Hoover, the 31st head of the U.S, was born in Iowa. His house in Iowa, where he spent his childhood, has now been turned into a national museum.Cedar Rapids, the second-largest city in Iowa, is home to actors such as Ashton Kutcher and Elijah Wood. However, Wood moved out of Cedar Rapids at a young age to pursue his acting career.Mildred Wirt Benson, who wrote under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene in the Nancy Drew stories, was also born in Iowa.Johnny Carson, popularly known as the host of The Tonight Show, was born in the southwest of Iowa and lived in the state until he was eight years old.Actor and filmmaker John Wayne was also born in Iowa. During his days in Iowa, he wrote for a student newspaper.William Frederick ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, the popular American showman, was born in Scott County, Le Claire, Iowa territory.Lori Susan ‘Lolo’ Jones, the American bobsledder and hurdler, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1982.Iowa-born Arabella Mansfield was the first female lawyer in the U.S. after Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled that females should be permitted to practice law. Did You Know…Iowa starts with two vowels, I and O, making it the only state in the U.S. with such a name.Iowa’s state abbreviation is IA and not IO as otherwise, it could be easily mistaken for the number 10.Star Trek Commander Captain James T. Kirk will be born in Riverside in eastern Iowa in 2228 and already has a memorial named after him.The scenic campus of Cornell College in Mount Vernon has been listed in the National Register for Historic Places. It is one of the two colleges in the U.S. to be put on this list.Iowa is the only state that is surrounded and bordered by two parallel rivers running from north to south. Mississippi River is on the eastern border, while the Missouri River is on the western border.Iowan Otto Frederick Rohwedder was the first to invent the bread-slicing machine.Dave Armbruster, who served as coach of Iowa State University swim team for three decades, developed the butterfly swim stroke.Iowan professor John Vincent Atanasoff and his student Clifford Berry are credited for making the first electronic digital computer. It had a total weight of over 700 lb (317.5 kg).Le Mars in Iowa is called the ice-cream capital of the world as it houses Wells Enterprise Inc., which runs the popular Blue Bunny Ice Cream parlor.Iowa city, including southern Iowa, central Iowa, and northeastern Iowa, has been designated as the UNESCO City of Literature in the US, mainly due to the University of Iowa and its buzzing literature community.Iowa state has an island city named Sabula that was formed due to a dam project in 1938.Iowa state has the distinction of holding the first caucus in the presidential race that has been held since 1972.Two Olympic gold medalists in gymnastics - Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas - were trained by Des Moines coach Liang Chow.Western Iowa has a national monument but no national park. Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota is the closest they have.The Iowa 80 Truckstop in Iowa is the world’s largest truck stop, featuring eateries, fast food joints, and a vintage truck museum.In Iowa, the highest point is Hawkeye Point with an elevation of 1,670 ft (509 m), while the lowest point is the Mississippi River with 480 ft (146 m).Madison County in present-day Iowa once had 19 covered bridges, but there are only six such bridges now.Bones of the woolly mammoth can still be found in Mahaska County. These animals were common in this county during the Ice Age.Fort Madison, located in the upper Mississippi region, is where the first US military fort was located.
Iowa, the 29th state of the U.S.A., has a rich history dating back to 13,000 years ago.
