1. In the state of Iowa, it is illegal for a mustached man to kiss a woman in public. Shorn face PDA only please.
2. Iowa is home to the National Hobo Convention (no, that’s not a typo), which takes place every year in Britt in celebration of the American traveler.
3. Riverside, Iowa enjoys the unique status of being the future birthplace of one James Tiberius Kirk, Captain of the starship USS Enterprise. Not only does this city get to bask in future glory, it also boasts being the home of the present Trekfest. As Kirk says, “No, I am from Iowa. I only work in outer space.”
4. John Wayne A.K.A. “The Duke,” who was born in Winterset, Iowa, once aspired to be a sports journalist. He wrote for his high school newspaper under the byline “M.M.M.” Cinema lovers around the world can rejoice that this is one fellow who did quit his day job.
5. The largest strawberry in the world isn’t edible—it’s fiberglass. And it sits in, of course, Strawberry Point, just a few miles away from Backbone State Park, Iowa’s oldest state park.
6. The best thing since sliced bread is sure to be invented in Iowa, since that’s also where sliced bread itself was created!
7. Iowa is home to the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The Grotto of the Redemption, a religious monument in West Bend, is considered to be the world’s most complete man-made collection of minerals, fossils, and shells, the value of which is estimated to be more than $4.3 million.
8. The world’s largest bullhead fish is a statue 12 feet long and sits at Crystal Lake, where there swim hundreds of real life bullheads feeding at the bottom just waiting to be caught.
9. Kurt Vonnegut used to teach at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
10. When a boy in Iowan Chris Nelson’s candy store couldn’t decide whether to spend his money on ice cream or a chocolate bar, an idea spawned. One year later Nelson, working with Russell Stover to create the “Eskimo Pie.”
11. Hogs outnumber humans four to one in Iowa, and with approximately 3 million people living in the state, you would think the bovines are hogging all the space. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
12. And speaking of hogs of a different breed, Iowa ranks third in the nation for the highest motorcycle ownership. That amounts to 18 people for every hog.
13. You don’t have to be 18 to vote in Iowa; as long as you are at least 16 and a half years old you can vote for the president of the United States at the Iowa Straw Poll, held in election cycle years in Ames.
14. U.S. House Representative Michele Bachmann, born in Waterloo, Iowa, reportedly applied for, and received, Swiss citizenship a few years ago. After receiving criticism for this, she wrote to the Swiss consulate and asked them to withdraw her Swiss citizenship. Umm, OK.
15. Iowa is home to the most crooked street in the world—Snake Alley in Burlington. The street was designed to link the downtown area with the shopping district. Because of the angle and sharp turns, it is restricted to one-way traffic only—downhill.
16. Pufferbillys are not imaginary creatures from a saturday morning cartoon, they are actually what Iowans in Boone call the small steam trains used in Australian coal mines. Boone is major railroad town and as such, it shows its love for all things steam with its annual Pufferbilly Days Festival.
17. RAGBRAI is not a name for a ladies undergarment that needs be thrown away, it’s a week-long bike touring event held every year. It’s the oldest and largest touring event of its kind. The acronym “RAGBRAI” stands for Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa and the 8,500 riders who participate are selected by a random lottery.
18. Iowa’s state flower, the wild rose, may just save your life one day. It has been around for 35 million years and has long been used in ancient medicinal treatments. Its petals and rose hips are nutrient rich in Vitamins C, E and K, all of which produce strong antioxidant effects and strengthen the immune system. The more you know…
19. May the Norsk be with you, at the annual Nordic Fest held in Decorah, which boasts Scandinavian fun for the whole family. One of the featured highlights of the event includes performances by the Decorah Nordic Dancers who start their illustrious career in third grade.
20. Nearly every single person (99 percent!) in Iowa can read—and with impressive numbers like that, Iowa easily has the highest literacy rate in the nation.
21. Iowa lays claim to the world’s largest wooden nickel, which sits, spanning 12 feet across, in an Iowa City farm field.
22. In the world of roadside attractions, there’s odd, and then there’s creepy. And the two-butted lamb at the Jackson County Historical Society in Maquoketa definitely falls under the latter category. It is literally a stuffed lamb with not one but deux derrieres.
23. An asteroid or possibly a comet struck Earth near Mansfield a whopping 74 million years ago. The crater it created is hidden below the surface and stretches 24 miles in diameter.
24. The largest cave in Iowa is Coldwater Cave which spans 16 miles. It has one natural underwater entrance at the base of a 100-foot cliff.
25. Kalona is home to several Amish groups, including the Beachy Amish Mennonite, who settled there in the 1920s. They are distinctive from other Amish groups in that they are permitted access to filtered Internet, the men wear ready to wear clothing, and they are allowed to own personal vehicles.
26. Heartthrob Ashton Kutcher, born in Cedar Rapids, has a fraternal twin brother who had a heart transplant when the boys were young.
27. Iowa is the only state whose name starts with two vowels.
28. Iowa actually has an island—Sabula—which has 576 inhabitants and is a popular summer beach destination for Chicagoans.
29. According to the Myth of Okoboji’s Blue Waters, the blue waters of the West Okoboji Lake are only one of three blue water lakes in the world—this is actually false.
30. The East Okoboji River, the state’s longest, is a glacial pothole dating back 13,000 years to the most recent ice age.
31. The fatal plane crash that killed Buddy Holly occurred near Mason City.
32. The Kevin Costner flick “Field of Dreams” was set in Dubuque.
33. The ice cream capital of the world is right here in Le Mars, home to Wells Dairy (most well-known for its line of Blue Bunny sweets).
34. The international World Food Prize Award is based in Des Moines. The award, which recognizes achievements in food improvement and sustainability, includes a $250,000 cash pot.
35. Elk Horn is home to the largest rural Danish community outside of Denmark. It has 662 inhabitants and houses the Danish Immigrant Museum.
36. The term “Winnebago” derives from the town, Winnebago, where the motorhomes are manufactured.
37. U.S. Olympian Lolo Jones, born in Des Moines, is known for her track and field accomplishments. But she also serves as brakewoman on the U.S. bobsled team.
38. “The Bridges of Madison County” was set in….Madison County, of course! The film features some of the covered bridges found throughout Iowa, including the longest, Holliwell Bridge.
39. Iowa has more golf courses per capita than any other state in the U.S.
40. Iowa State University had a hand in developing the atomic bomb.
41. The shortest and steepest railroad in the world is right here in Dubuque. The Fenelon Place Elevator is three feet long and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
42. The Iowa 80, named so for its location along Interstate 80 in Walcott, is the world’s largest truck stop. It is set on 220 acres and receives 5,000 visitors every single day.
43. The Red Delicious apple, once the single largest variety produced, was developed in Madison County.
44. Ames, Iowa was recently listed by CNNMoney.com as the ninth “Best Place To Live.”
45. Iowa is considered to be the safest state in the U.S. to live in—no small surprise, considering the state is comprised of 92 percent farmland.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user regan76
