1. In 1846, the Iowa Territory was established by an act of Congress. This territory consisted of most of present-day Iowa as well as parts of Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming. It remained a territory until Iowa became the 29th state in 1846.

2. In 1913, the Drake Relays were held for the first time in Des Moines. This track and field competition has become one of the largest and most prestigious in the world, attracting top athletes from around the globe.

3. On August 28, 1971, the Iowa State Fair set a new attendance record with nearly 126,000 people visiting the fairgrounds in a single day. The State Fair has been a beloved annual event in Iowa since it first began in 1854.

4. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. This visit came just two days before his historic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C.

5. On this day in 2008, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in the state. This decision made Iowa the third state in the U.S to legalize same-sex marriage, and sparked a nationwide debate on the issue.