📍Lake Darling State Park Brighton, Iowa

Have you heard of Bill Logan and the Hawkeye Fabulous Five? On Dec 30, 1934, legendary Iowa Hawkeye basketball star Bill Logan was born in Keokuk. An all-stater at Keokuk High, Logan was part of the Hawkeye “Fabulous Five,” which went to the NCAA Final Four in back-to-back seasons in 1955 and 1956.

Do you know the legend of Crocker’s Iowa Greyhounds? On December 30, 1861, Des Moines lawyer Marcellus Crocker was promoted to lead the Iowa Greyhounds.

Did you know important women’s rights advocate Amelia Jenks Bloomer spent her later years in Iowa? On December 30, 1894, American newspaper editor, women’s rights advocate, and namesake of the popular forerunner to pants “Bloomers,” Amelia Jenks Bloomer, passed away in Council Bluffs.

📍Cedar Rock State Park Quasqueton, Iowa

Do you remember the Alamo (Bowl)? On December 29, 2001, Nate Kaeding hit a 47-yard game-winning field goal with 44 seconds to play in the Alamo Bowl to lift the Iowa Hawkeyes to a bowl victory.

Have you ever heard of Iowa actress Claire Dodd? On December 29, 1908, Claire Dodd, a member of the Ziegfeld Follies and a famous film actress of the 1930s and 1940s, was born in Baxter. Over a whirlwind career spanning a dozen years, Dodd appeared in more than sixty films.

Do you know about the Iowa roots of Rockwell-Collins? On December 29, 1933, the Cedar Rapids Tribune reported on local radio manufacturer Collins Radio Company (forerunner to Rockwell Collins) providing technological support for the expedition of Richard E. Byrd’s expedition to the Arctic.

Even if you haven’t heard of JR Robinson, you’ve probably heard his drumming. On December 29, 1954, “the most recorded drummer in history,” John “JR” Robinson, was born in Creston. JR Robinson's drumsticks have touched more than 500 million records sold worldwide.

📍Kearny State Park Emmetsburg, Iowa

Did you know it took Iowa State 118 years of playing football to get its first bowl win? On December 28, 2000, Dan McCarney’s Iowa State Cyclones won the Insight.com Bowl.

Have you ever heard the true and valiant bells of Iowa State? On December 28, 1899, workers carefully lifted ten bronze bells from England into position atop a 110-foot campanile tower in the heart of Iowa State's campus.

Happy Birthday, Iowa! 🎂 On December 28, 1846, Iowa officially became the 29th state in the United States.

What do you know about Pizza Ranch’s origins? On December 28, 1981, the first Pizza Ranch opened in Hull. Started in northwest Iowa, the company grew into one of the Midwest’s most prolific pizza and chicken restaurants.

📍Lake Ahquabi State Park - Indianola, Iowa

What’s your favorite memory of Hawkeye Andre Tippett’s career? On December 27, 1959, legendary Hawkeye defensive end Andre Tippett was born. A consensus All-American in 1981, Tippet went on to a Pro Bowl NFL career after helping the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten title.

What do you know about the history of the Iowa Farm Bureau? On December 27, 1918, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation first met in Marshalltown.

Learn more of the story at: www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-s-...

📍Gull Point State Park - Milford, Iowa

Did you know Keokuk’s mayor served as a General in the Civil War? On December 26, 1866, Union Army General, Iowan elected to the US House of Representatives, and former mayor of Keokuk, Samuel Ryan Curtis, died.

Happy Birthday, Brandon Scherff! On December 26, 1991, legendary Hawkeye lineman Brandon Scherff was born in Denison. A standout at Denison High, Scherff went on to earn All-American honors at Iowa before going on to a Pro Bowl NFL career.

📍University of Northern Iowa - Cedar Falls, Iowa

Did a Soviet spy from Sioux City steal the secret of the atomic bomb and start the Cold War? On December 25, 1913, Manhattan Project infiltrator George Koval was born in Sioux City. Vital in relaying secrets to the USSR, Koval directly contributed to the success of the Soviet atomic bomb project.

Remembering Basketball Star Chris Gaines. On December 25, 2010, legendary Waterloo West High School basketball player Chris Gaines died of a heart attack at 42 years old. A standout scorer for the Wahawks, Gaines went on to become the all-time leading scorer at the University of Hawaii.

Do you remember reading or riding along with Don Kaul? On December 25, 1934, RAGBRAI cofounder and Des Moines Register journalist Donald Kaul was born. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1987 and 1999, Kaul left a long legacy of influencing how Iowans viewed their home state.

📍Mason City, Iowa

Was the Sioux City Mansion Raffle the greatest swindle in Iowa history? On December 24, 1900, a crowd gathered for the raffle of the century. The prize was a 21-room Sioux City mansion valued at $75,000 ($2,892,642.86 in 2025), built from South Dakota quartzite.

Do you remember actress Sharon Farrell? On December 24, 1940, actress Sharon Farrell was born in Sioux City. A ballerina with the American Ballet Theater Company, Farrell grew to national fame while appearing in a variety of movies and television shows.

Have you ever heard of educator and radio personality Edith Sunderlin? On December 24, 1901, Edith Marybell Sunderlin was born in Delmar, Iowa. The longtime Iowa State College professor of Child Development endeared herself to a generation of Iowa’s kids as the host of WOI’s “The Children’s Hour.”

📍Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park - Carlisle State Park

Did you know a fire once started in a Sioux City toy store two days before Christmas and threatened to engulf the city? On December 23, 1904, an inferno started at Pelletier Department Store in Sioux City and consumed two-and-a-half city blocks, causing $3 million in damages.

What’s your favorite memory at a zoo in Iowa? On December 23, 1963, the City of Des Moines signed an agreement to create the Des Moines Children’s Zoo (now Blank Park Zoo) on the south side of Iowa’s capital city.

Have you ever heard of Homer Horatio Seerley? On December 23, 1932, a critical early leader of the University of Northern Iowa, Homer Horatio Seerley, passed away.

Was the showdown between Jen Jensen and Lynne Lorenzen the greatest 6-on-6 game in Iowa’s history? On December 23, 1986, Iowa 6-on-6 basketball legends Lynne Lorenzen of no. 1-ranked Ventura and Jan Jensen of no. 2-ranked Elk Horn-Kimballton battled on the hardwood.

📍Palisades-Kepler State Park - Mt. Vernon, Iowa

What do you know about Waterloo’s Bosnian community? On December 22, 1996, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier front page focused on the story of Bosnian refugees locating to the Cedar Valley.

Today we take a moment to recognize the sacrifice of thee firefighters from Keokuk. On December 22, 1999, firefighters responded to a fire at a multifamily dwelling in Keokuk, which came in at 8:24 a.m. By the time the blaze subsided, the flames left six dead, including three firefighters.

📍Yellow River State Forest - Harper’s Ferry, Iowa

Have you ever heard of diplomat and politician George Ball? On December 21, 1909, United States Ambassador to the United Nations and politician George Ball was born in Des Moines.

Can you imagine navigating the depths of the Great Depression? On December 21, 1932, the third bank in Iowa Falls failed as Iowa entered the extreme depths of the Great Depression.

Have you ever heard of Iowa artist and author Carl Van Vechten? On December 21, 1964, photographer, author, and patron of the Harlem Renaissance Carl Van Vechten, originally of Cedar Rapids, passed away. He wrote extensively and created more than 15,000 photographic images during his lifetime.

Did you know a Hawkeye basketball coach once took his team to the Final Four in back-to-back years? On December 21, 1913, legendary Iowa Hawkeye basketball coach Frank “Bucky” O’Connor was born in Monroe.

📍Brucemore - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Have you ever heard of the “Keep the Girls at Ames” campaign? On December 20, 1912, a vote by the Iowa Board of Education to move most programs that enrolled women to the University of Iowa sparked a campaign known as “Keep the Girls in Ames.”

What do you know about the namesake of Kirkwood Community College? On December 20, 1813, Iowa Governor and US Senator from Iowa, Samuel Jordan Kirkwood, was born.

Do you know about Roto-Rooter’s Iowa roots? On December 20, 1964, Samuel Oscar Blanc of Des Moines, founder of Roto-Rooter, passed away after starting North America’s largest provider of plumbing, drain cleaning, and water cleanup services.

📍Meredith Willson Footbridge - Mason City, Iowa

Today we take a moment to remember Michelle Martinko. On December 19, 1979, an 18-year-old girl named Michelle Martinko vanished from the living world. Her body was discovered around 4:00 a.m. on December 20 in her family's tan 1972 Buick Electra.

Was the “Lafester Rhodes Game” the loudest night at Hilton in Cy-Hawk history? On December 19, 1987, seventeenth-ranked Iowa State beat twenty-third-ranked Iowa 102-100 in a men’s basketball matchup commonly known as “The Lafester Rhodes Game.”

Is Coralville the most unique town name in Iowa? On December 19, 1866, an Iowa City newspaper declared that “so far as our knowledge extends, there is no other town in the wide world of the same name (Coralville).”