Iowa, USA
The Hawkeye State (29)
Capitol: Des Moines
Admitted into Union: Dec. 28, 1846
State Flower: Wild prairie rose
State Tree: Northern red oak
State Bird: Eastern goldfinch
Population: 3.0 million

Little red gem: Strawberry Point, named for its abundance of wild berries, is the home of “the world's largest strawberry,” a giant sculpture of a bright red beauty that sits atop the city hall. When you’re feeling fresh and sweet, you don’t have to exaggerate: just grab your elegant Iowa Sweetberry and the world is yours for the asking!

How corny! Did you know 94% of Iowa can sustain a crop? In fact, more than one-fourth of the nation’s best crop soil is in Iowa, which produces more than 20% of the nation's corn and 10% of the nation’s entire food supply. Quaker Oats, in Cedar Rapids, is the world’s largest cereal company.

Let freedom ring! The Underground Railroad had safe houses in Salem (the Lewlling Quaker Shrine), Tabor (The Todd house), and West Des Moines (the Jordan house). Iowa was the first state to give the vote to African Americans after the Civil War.

Bloomin’ champion: Amelia Jenks Bloomer, a resident of Council Bluffs, popularized loose fitting pants for women called (you guessed it) bloomers. In her spare time she led the Iowa Suffrage Association.

Charitable soul: West Branch native Herbert Hoover, a Quaker, refused any salary or honors for directing a massive and successful relief effort to Belgium during WWI. After the US entered the war, he was appointed US Food Administrator, building surpluses that kept millions of Europeans from starvation. After the war, he formed a private charity to continue feeding children. As president of the US (1929 to 1933), he donated his entire salary to charity.

The curves that changed the world: John L. Harvey of Dubuque invented the paper clip in 1856.

Can you say “prude”? According to official state law, kisses may last no more than five minutes. Preventing other such outrages, no mustachioed man may ever kiss a woman in public. In Ottumwa, a man may not wink at a woman he does not know.

And meanwhile…? In Fort Madison, the fire department is required to practice fire fighting for fifteen minutes before attending a fire.

Need a pick-me-up? Visit the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, where you can brush up on more than 200 years of ballooning history.

What a guy. Fred Maytag of Newton “liberated” housewives of an onerous household chore in 1884 when he invented the washing machine. If only he’d invented one that teaches men to do the laundry….

You want fries with that? Clarinda restaurant owner Bert Gray is credited with inventing “the hamburger,” named by his German chef.

Blow some steam off, why don’tcha? Macksburg holds an annual National Skillet Throw, the object of which is to throw a skillet at a dummy to knock its head off. At the 1979 Iowa State Fair, one Lori LaDeane Adams set the world record for throwing a two-pound rolling pin: 175 feet, 5 inches.

Read all about it: Iowa claims to have the highest literacy rate in the nation, 99%. It also ranks first for percentage of college grads.

The REAL Music Man: Meredith Willson, a Mason City native, used his hometown for the inspiration for the fictitious town of River City in the classic musical The Music Man, first produced in 1957. Released as a film in 1962, it was nominated for six Academy Awards, and won for best score adaptation. It also won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Author, Composer, and Lyricist. The cast album won a Grammy.

Famous Iowans: Bix Beiderbecke, Norman Borlaug, William “Buffalo Bill” F. Cody, Johnny Carson, Lee DeForest, Mamie Eisenhower, George H. Gallup, Susan Glaspell, Fred Grandy, Herbert Hoover, Charles A. Kettering, Ann Landers, Cloris Leachman, John L. Lewis, Jerry Mathers, Elsa Maxwell, Frederick L. Maytag, Glenn Miller, Harriet Nelson, David Rabe, Harry Reasoner, Donna Reed, Lillian Russell, Wallace Stegner, Abigail Van Buren, Henry A. Wallace, Andy Williams, Meredith Willson, Grant Wood.