1. Iowa was admitted as the 29th state in the Union on August 14, 1846. The territory had only been organized in 1838, but its rapid growth and development led to statehood just eight years later.

2. On August 14, 1885, the first electric streetcar in Iowa began operating in Des Moines. It was part of a new transportation system designed to modernize the city and make it easier for residents to move around.

3. In 1935, Iowa native Virginia Gildersleeve became the first female president of Barnard College in New York City. Gildersleeve was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa on August 14, 1877, and went on to become a prominent feminist and leader in women's education.

4. On August 14, 2006, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage in the state, making Iowa the third state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. The historic decision paved the way for other states to follow suit.

5. One of Iowa's most beloved authors, Bess Streeter Aldrich, was born on August 14, 1881, in Cedar Falls. Aldrich published more than 100 short stories and 13 novels during her career, often drawing inspiration from her small-town Iowa upbringing. Her works have been translated into over 20 languages and continue to be read and loved around the world.