 Iowa is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the Union on December 28, 1846. The official name of the state is the "State of Iowa", and the U.S. Post Office abbreviation for the state is IA. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The state is named for the Native American Iowa people. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :Main article: History of Iowa. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Highlights: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - French explorers Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the first Europeans to visit Iowa. They described Iowa as lush, green, and fertile.
- Iowa has been home to approximately 17 different tribes. Today, only the Mesquaki tribe, living in Tama County, is left in Iowa .
- The first white settlers officially moved to Iowa in June 1833. Primarily, they were families from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia.
- Iowa became the 29th state in the union on December 28, 1846.
- The Chicago and North Western Railway reached Council Bluffs in 1867. Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus for the Union Pacific Railroad. The completion of five major railroads across Iowa brought major economic changes as well as travel opportunities.
- During the American Civil War, more than 75,000 Iowans participated in the war, 13,001 of whom died. A small battle fought at Athens, MO in 1861 resulted in a few shots landing in Croton, Iowa; a raid into Davis and Van Buren counties by Confederate guerrillas was stopped by Home Guards in October 1864. Iowa had a higher percentage of soldiers serve in the Civil War, per capita, than any other state in the Union, with nearly 60% of eligible males serving.
- The Iowa General Assembly passed a women's suffrage amendment in 1870.
- Iowa saw a large increase in farming of beef, corn, and pork during World War I, but farmers saw economic hardships after the war. These hardships were the result of the removal of war-time farm subsidies. Total recovery did not happen until the 1940s.
- Iowa had been a large supporter of alcohol prohibition.
- The Farm Crisis of the 1980's saw a major decline of family farms in Iowa and around the Midwest, and was marked by a sharp drop in the state's rural population.
- Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also produces refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm implements, and food products that are shipped around the world.
- Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol.
- Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, was born in West Branch, Iowa. He is also buried there.
- American film actor John Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa in 1907.
- Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, worked at Davenport, Iowa's radio station, WOC, as a sports announcer for University of Iowa games in 1932. In 1933 he became the chief sports announcer for WOC's sister station in Des Moines, WHO.
State: :This article discusses states as sovereign political entities. For other meanings, see state (disambiguation).... United States: :For other uses, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).... December 28: December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining....
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