Iowa Fun Facts Trivia Quiz

Answer: hobos

The National Hobo Convention is held every August in the town of Britt, near the Minnesota border. About 30,000 people gather at this festival honoring hobos, a type of bum or vagabond who rides on freight trains. You can even vote for your favorite hobo to be crowned Hobo King or Queen! And don't miss the Hobo Museum while you're in town.

Answer: it's situated on an island

The small town (population of about 700) of Sabula, Iowa is situated on a narrow island in the Mississippi River. The town, four blocks wide and nine blocks long, can be reached only by bridge, causeway, or boat. The island was first inhabited by Native Americans and wasn't found by white settlers until 1835.

The town of Sabula, whose name is Latin for "sandy soil", was incorporated in 1864.

Answer: Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st US president, was born in West Branch on August 10, 1874. Before becoming president, he was a mining engineer (he had a degree in geology from Stanford) and humanitarian. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site encompasses the cottage where Herbert was born, a blacksmith shop similar to his father's, the town's first one-room schoolhouse, the Friends (Quaker)Meetinghouse where the family worshipped, and several houses. Also at the site are the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, the gravesites of Herbert and his wife Lou, and an 81-acre tallgrass prairie.

Answer: Mississippi, Big Sioux and Missouri

Iowa is bordered to the east by the Mississippi River, while its western border is formed by the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers. Iowa is a very agricultural state, with 89 percent of the land area in the state being used for farming. There are about 5 hogs for each person in Iowa. (an oink oink here, an oink oink there...)

Answer: hot air ballooning

Up, up, and away! The National Balloon Classic is held each August in Indianola, Iowa. The competition and race, which features more than 100 balloons, began in 1970 as the first US national championship in the sport. Also in town is the National Balloon Museum, which chronicles over 200 years of ballooning history.

Answer: bull

Since 1964, residents of Audubon Iowa have had to put up with a lot of bull- 45 tons, to be exact. The 30-foot tall concrete critter Albert, the World's Largest Bull, was constructed as a replica of the "perfect" Hereford bull. In case you're wondering why his name is Albert, he was named after a president of the town's State Bank.

While you're in town, be sure and pick up some ceramic replicas of Albert.

Answer: Clear Lake

On February 3, 1959, the town of Clear Lake was the site of a horrible event when a red Beechcraft Bonanza carrying the three rock stars crashed. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP Richardson had just performed at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, then boarded the plane, to take them to Fargo, North Dakota.

Unfortunately, this proved to be an unwise move, as the plane crashed shortly after taking off in the cold, snowy night. The crash killed the pilot, Valens, Richardson, and Holly, who was found twenty feet from the crash site. Today there is a small memorial at the crash site. You can still visit the Surf Ballroom, which has been restored and is filled with rock-and-roll memorabilia.

Answer: Robert Waller

The novel, written by Robert James Waller, spent three years on the "New York Times" bestseller list, topping "Gone with the Wind" in 1995 as the best-selling fiction book of all time. The 1995 movie, starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, was filmed on location in Madison County. Of the 19 original covered bridges in Madison County, five remain today, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can visit them today, including Imes Bridge, the oldest, and Roseman Bridge, the one purported to be haunted.

Answer: Field of Dreams

The 1988 film, starring Kevin Costner, was filmed in the town of Dyersville, near Iowa's eastern border. You can visit the site where the movie was filmed, and perhaps imagine yourself as a famous baseball player (or Kevin Costner). Dyersville also bills itself as the Farm Toy Capital of the World, for its three farm toy companies and hosting of the National Farm Toy Show.

Answer: John Wayne

"The Duke" was born as Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907, in the town of Winterset. He and his family lived in Winterset until Marion was three, when they moved to Earlham, also in Madison County. Today you can tour the four-room house, furnished as it was in 1907, as well as shop for John Wayne memorabilia. You can also visit the website, at www.johnwaynebirthplace.org.