1. On March 6, 1843, Iowa’s first governor, John Chambers, gave his first message to the Iowa Legislature. The speech addressed issues such as the state’s constitution, internal improvements, and tariffs.

2. In 1873, the state’s first public school for children with disabilities, the Iowa Institution for Feeble-Minded Children, opened in Glenwood.

3. On March 6, 1893, Iowa Governor Horace Boies signed a bill creating the Iowa Library Commission. The commission’s purpose was to promote and improve library services throughout the state.

4. In 1917, the Iowa Legislature passed a bill establishing a state park system. The first two state parks, Backbone and Ledges, were created later that year.

5. On March 6, 2008, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously struck down a law prohibiting same-sex marriage. The ruling made Iowa the first state in the Midwest and the third state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.