1. In 1868, the first steam-powered railroad train arrived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The train was a major achievement for the region and allowed for faster transportation and trade between cities.

2. Legendary baseball player, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, hit his first professional home run in Waterloo, Iowa on June 23, 1914. Ruth was then a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and hit the home run against the minor league Waterloo Hawks.

3. On June 23, 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established in Iowa. The CCC was a program created during the Great Depression to provide work and education to young men between the ages of 18 and 25.

4. The Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines suffered a deadly fire on June 23, 1949. The fire destroyed several buildings and killed 12 horses, but there were no human fatalities. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

5. The Iowa legislature passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage on June 23, 2009, making Iowa the third state in the United States to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. The decision was controversial and sparked nationwide debates about the legality and morality of same-sex marriage.