Happy Birthday, Iowa: State Is 171 Years Old Today

It may be the birthday party no one attends. Then again, it isn't exactly a milestone. Iowa turns 171 years old today.

It was on Dec. 28, 1846 that Iowa became the 29th state. In honor of the occasion, here's a refresher on some nifty Iowa knowledge you can discuss when news of the birthday undoubtedly comes up in conversation today:

The name: Iowa gets its name from the Native Americans who lived in the state as far back as the mid-1700's, the Ioway Indians. You can find an Ioway Indian farm and learn about the people of that time at Living History Farms in Urbandale, but you'll have to wait until it opens for the season May 1 or check it out online.

Population: It's on the rise. The U.S. Census Bureau reported 3.04 million people in the state in 2010; an estimate from July 1 this year puts the count at 3.14 million. The biggest city is the capital, Des Moines, with about 200,000 people, but we boast 611,000 by counting the contiguous communities that make up the greater metro area.

Famous sons: A number of people have put Iowa on the map in different ways. TV talk-show pioneer Johnny Carson was from Corning; singer Andy Williams was born in Wall Lake. Celebrated NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson comes from a farm outside Mount Ayr. We're the native land of Major League Baseball players Bob Feller and Casey Blake, football player Kurt Warner, and NBA player Harrison Barnes. Actors John Wayne, Ashton Kutcher and Elijah Wood all called Iowa home, and we're the birthplace of a DuPont chemist who invented nylons, Wallace Carothers, and a circus founder, John Ringling. Check out many more "stars" of Iowa on the website FamousBirthdays.com.

One president: The 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, was the only Iowan to hold the country's highest office. He was born in West Branch and his presidential library and museum are located there — and are one of only 14 operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. We did have a vice president: Henry A. Wallace, born in Orient, served under Franklin Roosevelt.

Food fame: The state's fertile soil makes Iowa a leading agricultural crop producer, particularly in corn. Iowa's crops feed the world and the state capital also is home to the World Food Prize, which brings international leaders in food science, crop production and world hunger eradication efforts to the state each fall for the Borlaug Dialogue, named for Iowan Norman Borlaug, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his life's work of feeding the hungry.

That other claim to fame: It happens every four years when presidential hopefuls converge on the state for photo ops in small-town cafes and speeches on farms. The first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucus brings politicians galore — and international media — as everyone jockeys for early votes in the presidential election season. Get ready, because although the next statewide caucus isn't until 2020, we're likely to have frequent sightings of the wannabes by this time next year.

Maybe they can bring birthday cake and wish Iowa a happy 172nd.

Image via Prawny/Pixabay