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Iowa Sample Topic List
The following list was created as a guide to help you think about
“Turning Points in History” topics with Iowa connections. Selecting a topic
unique to Iowa may be beneficial for many reasons. You have a good
chance of finding primary sources and experts close to home and you can
make the topic personal by looking at it from a local perspective. Several
of these topics reflect regional and national trends; remember the “big
picture” when examining these ideas. At the same time, consider that
most of the topics below require narrowing. Remember: selecting a topic
from this sample list will not increase or decrease a student’s success in
NHD’s contest cycle.
NHD asks students to identify a topic’s lasting impact. This is difficult
to do when the subject focuses on a current issue or more recent history. A
good “rule of thumb” is to choose a topic that happened 25 or more years ago
so that you can analyze the topics impact in history. Current events often have
roots in history. If a current event interests you, examine the history behind it and
you might find a NHD topic.
Research Starters – The Iowa Biographical Dictionary is available on-line. Browse by name, date, or topic to find leads on
important Iowans and intriguing events. http://libcdm5.iowa.uiowa.edu/uipress/bdi/Default.aspx. Scan the Iowa History Timeline for
additional topic ideas: http://www.uni.edu/iowaonline/prairievoices/images/A_Timeline_of_Iowa_History.pdf
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Transcontinental Railroad – Grenville M. Dodge Papers, State Historical Society of Iowa Collections (Dodge was chief
engineer for the Union Pacific during construction). More info: http://news.iowapublicradio.org/post/how-railroadtransformed-america
Rural Electrification – Arthur Huntington Papers, State Historical Society of Iowa Collections.
“The Des Moines Plan” – A turning point in city government structure by commission. A.J. Mathis Papers, John MacVicar
Papers, George S. Mills, Jr. Papers, State Historical Society of Iowa Collections.
Women’s Suffrage – Iowa Women’s Suffrage Collection, University of Iowa Special Collections.
1972 Iowa Caucus: A turning point in presidential campaigns
John Deere: Turning Point in Agriculture
Commissioning Black Officers in WWI: A step toward military integration. Fort Des Moines Museum & Education Center
www.fortdesmoines.org
WW II Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC): First Female Officers. Fort Des Moines Museum & Education Center.
Iowa’s Tuskegee Airmen: Confronting Racism. Fort Des Moines Museum & Education Center.
Dr. D.W. Smouse: Turning point for special education. (In 1930, Smouse founded the first school for children with special
needs in the nation.) State Historical Society of Iowa Collections.
Annie Wittenmyer: Appointed to the Iowa State Sanitary Commission; turning point in care of wounded Civil War Soldiers.
The Case of Ralph, 1839: A turning point in Iowa legal history. See the original, territorial Supreme Court decision in Chief
Justice Mason’s handwriting at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. See also: To Go Free: A Treasury of Iowa’s Legal
Heritage by Richard, Lord Acton and Patricia Nassif Acton.
Sullivan Brothers: Turning Point in Military History. The Grout Museum District, Waterloo.
The Demise of the Sioux City Stockyards: Turning Points in the Meat Industry. Sioux City Public Museum.
Harry Hopkins: WPA as a Turning Point in the Great Depression. Sioux City Public Museum; Grinnell College Library.
The Polio Epidemic of the 1950s. Sioux City Public Museum & State Historical Society of Iowa collections.
Gov. Harding’s WW I Language Proclamation. Sioux City Public Museum.
Liberty Hall: A turning point in in Decatur County history and the development of a religious community. Contact Steve
Smith, Director, Liberty Hall Historic Site in Lamoni.
Reorganizing The Amana Colonies: A German communal society formed the Amana Colonies in 1850s. Faced with the
end of their utopian dream, the society reached a turning point in the mid-1900s that resulted in dramatic change so the
Amanas could survive. Start your research at SHSI archives in Des Moines or Iowa City or go to
http://amanacolonies.com/pages/about-amana-colonies/history.php
Dr. Arthur Erskine: Turning Point in Medical Research Using X-Ray Technology. In the 1920s and 1930s, Erskine, of
Cedar Rapids was one of the first physicians to use x-ray technology in the study of female cancers. His original research is
in the collections of the Iowa Masonic Library, Cedar Rapids.
Turning Points in Broadcast History: Isobel Pirie Beyea Hosts 1930s radio shows on WMT (Cedar Rapids). Nicknamed
“Scotty” because of her Scottish heritage, Beyea was a World War I nurse in England, France, Russia and Belgium. She
National History Day in Iowa
600 E. Locust St., Des Moines, IA 50319
millie.frese@iowa.gov • jess.vogel@iowa.gov
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lectured on the Australia/New Zealand Chautauqua circuit and for the Iowa Department of health in the 1920s before hosting
hosting radio programs for NBC. The Iowa Masonic Library in Cedar Rapids holds a 35-linear foot collection of documents,
artifacts and photos related to her work. Go to www.gl-iowa.org for Iowa Masonic Library contact information.
An Unlikely Election: Turning Point in Harry Truman Campaign begins at 1948 National Plowing Contest in Dexter, Iowa.
Truman’s speech at the contest is considered a catalyst for eventual election. Artifacts from the 1948 plowing contest are in
the Dexter Museum. Go to www.dexteriowa.org for information.
Turning Points in Industry: The Rise and Fall of Small Towns. The lumber mills in Clinton employed thousands of
people—and created a number of millionaires. The 1893 panic and clear cutting of timber in Minnesota and Wisconsin shut
down the lumber industry in Clinton. Explore the impact and significance of this turning point in history at The Sawmill
Museum in Clinton. www.thesawmillmuseum.org
Forest and Prairie Settlement Patterns: Turning points in migration patterns pose interesting research possibilities. Contact
The Sawmill Museum to explore this idea.
John J. Tokheim: An early Iowa inventor, Tokheim held more than 150 patents in flammable liquid equipment handling
including an early version of the gasoline pump. Tokheims papers, including original drawings, designs, and blue prints, are
available for research in Cedar Rapids at the Ushers Ferry Historic Village. www.ufhv.com.
Turning Points in Art History: Grant Wood and the Regionalist Movement – Regionalism, an American realist modern
art movement, was made popular during the 1930s by artists who shunned city life and rapidly developing technological
advances to create scenes of rural life. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Regionalist art was widely appreciated for
its reassuring images of the American heartland. Start your research at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. www.crma.org
Underground Railroad in Iowa: Turning Points in the Quest for Freedom. State Historical Museum of Iowa.
http://www.iowahistory.org/museum/ugrr-ia/index.html
Turning Points in Literature: Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson, author of the Nancy Drew Series, wrote under the pen name
Carolyn Keene. Born and raised in Ladora, The Pioneer Heritage Museum’s Resource Library in Marengo is a good place to
conduct research, In addition, the author’s papers are archived in University of Iowa Special Collections.
http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/mwb/.
Turning Points in Education: School consolidation changed the landscape of education for many Iowa students. Explore
the advantages, disadvantages and controversies as the state transitioned from rural one-room schools. Visit a historic oneroom school in Iowa County—Gritter Creek Country School was opened in 1881 and used through 1951. Open year-round, it
is maintained by the Iowa County Historical Society.
Turning Points in Industry: George Foerstner of Amana patented the first home freezer and microwave oven. He founded
Amana Refrigeration in 1936 to build freezers, adding microwave ovens and other appliances to the company’s production.
Pioneer Heritage Museum’s Resource Library at Marengo (319.642.7018 or e-mail Marilyn Rodgers at marilynr@netins.net).
Kinze Manufacturing: Iowa native Jon Kinzenbaw initiated turning points in agricultural history through invention and
industry. Pioneer Heritage Museum’s Resource Library at Marengo (319.642.7018 or e-mail Marilyn Rodgers at
marilynr@netins.net).
Civil Rights Turning Point: In 1968, Alexander Clark, an African American, sued the Muscatine Community School Board
of Directors so that his daughter could attend the all-white school. The case was decided in Clark’s favor by the Iowa
Supreme Court. Clark also led efforts to change laws so that Black men could vote in Iowa. www.blackiowa.org
Nonviolent Sit-Ins: In 1948, Edna Griffin led sit-ins at the Katz Drug Store in Des Moines after a clerk refused to serve her
because of her race. Griffin’s efforts occurred more than a decade before the famous Greensboro, NC, sit-ins.
Turning Points in Government: The year 1969 brought about a chapter in the Iowa legislature when June Franklin of Des
Moines became the assistant minority leader in the Iowa House of Representatives. Franklin was the first African American
legislator to assume a leadership position. Her victory paved the way for many other African American leaders, including
President Barack Obama. www.blackiowa.org
“Tama Jim” Wilson – Wilson served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1897 to 1913. Contact the Traer historical
Museum to start your research into agricultural turning points in this era.
Turning Points in Baseball: The first night baseball game under permanent lights was played in Des Moines in 1931. The
president spoke prior to the game, which was nationally broadcast.
Turning Points in Transportation: The automobile made Iowans more mobile—and decreased dependency on the railroad
for passenger transportation. Consider the impact of the automobile on businesses, industry, and development of roadways in
the state.
The Civil War & Turning Points in Agriculture: Although no battles were fought on Iowa soil, the years during the Civil
War were a vehicle of change for Iowa’s agricultural industry and for the Midwest. As result of changing market demands
and short supply of labor, farmers effectively changed the way they ran their farms to survive the troubled times. It was this
changed that paved the way for the beginning of modern agriculture in the last half of the ninetieth century and early
twentieth century. Contact Craig Johnson, Executive Director, Heartland Acres Agribition Center, for research ideas.
www.heartlandacresusa.com
National History Day in Iowa
600 E. Locust St., Des Moines, IA 50319
millie.frese@iowa.gov • jess.vogel@iowa.gov