1. In 1861, the Iowa State Senate passed a bill to establish a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River, which would later become known as the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

2. On April 29, 1892, John K. Lacey, an Iowa Congressman, introduced the Lacey Act, which was an early conservation law that prohibited the trade of wildlife, fish, and plants that had been illegally taken or transported across state lines.

3. In 1930, the Iowa State Capitol was completed, after 41 years of construction, at a cost of over $2.8 million. The building boasts a beautiful dome with a gilded exterior and an impressive interior rotunda.

4. On this day in 1957, Iowa Governor Leo Hoegh signed a bill that made Iowa the first state in the nation to allow women to serve on juries. This was a significant step forward for women's rights and paved the way for greater gender equality in the United States.

5. The Ames Laboratory, a research facility operated by Iowa State University, was officially opened on April 29, 1947. The laboratory has been at the forefront of research in materials science, including developing new alloys and exploring the potential of superconductivity.