1. In 1846, the Iowa Territory's capital was moved from Burlington to Iowa City. The change was made because Iowa City was more centrally located in the territory.

2. On September 12, 1876, a steamboat on the Mississippi River named the "America" exploded near Dubuque, Iowa. There were 200 people on board, and 166 of them died in the explosion or drowned in the river.

3. In 1899, the Iowa State Fair was held in Des Moines from September 12-15. This was the first time the fair was held in Des Moines, and it attracted over 100,000 visitors.

4. On September 12, 1918, during World War I, German prisoners of war were brought to a camp in Algona, Iowa. The prisoners were put to work helping with the harvest and doing other manual labor.

5. In 1946, the Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) began its fall semester on September 12. The college had just returned to its normal schedule after being disrupted by World War II.