1. In 1848, the Iowa Territory was organized with its capital in Iowa City. Iowa became a state two years later on December 28, 1846.

2. On September 19, 1864, a group of Sioux Indians attacked a wagon train near Hereford, Iowa, killing three soldiers and three civilians.

3. In 1906, Iowa Governor Albert B. Cummins became the first governor of a U.S. state to use the initiative and referendum process when he called a special session of the Iowa General Assembly to propose an amendment to the state constitution. The amendment allowed citizens to initiate legislation and referendums.

4. On September 19, 1910, the first flight in Iowa took place in Council Bluffs. Pilot Arch Hoxsey flew a Wright biplane for four minutes and reached an altitude of 200 feet.

5. In 1942, the first B-24 Liberator bomber rolled off the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company plant in Des Moines, Iowa. The plant produced more than 5,000 bombers during World War II.