Here Are 11 Of The Most Bizarre Things To Ever Happen In Iowa
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Michaela Kendall
Author
If anyone ever tries to tell you that nothing interesting happens in Iowa, then just show them this list. Here are 11 completely bizarre, totally true things that happened in Iowa. Some of these seriously shocked me!
After a concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly's plane crashed into a field near Clear Lake, killing him and everyone aboard. That day will forever be referred to as the "Day the Music Died."
Ozzy "The Prince of Darkness" Osbourne took the Crazy Train to Rabiesville when he bit off a bat's head after a concert in Des Moines.
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On March 13, 1934, John Dillinger and his crew robbed the First National Bank in Mason City, making away with $52,000.
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On April 16, 1934 (only a month after another bank in Iowa was robbed by John Dillinger), infamous crime couple Bonnie and Clyde robbed the First National Bank in Stuart, Iowa.
After camping out nearby, Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed by a posse from the nearby town of Dexter on July 24, 1933. The group then got into a shootout with the posse, which left all of Bonnie and Clyde's gang wounded, but none dead.
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The Manson Crater near Manson was originally thought to have been the asteroid impact that caused the dinosaur extinction. The crater was later found to have hit 74 million years ago, so before the extinction. The crater is the largest in the country.
Estherville wasn't technically hit, but the 455 lb. meteorite landed just five miles from the area, and left a 15 ft. hole in the ground. Parts of the meteorite are now on display at the Smithsonian.
Okay, so it's not actually a prison for squirrels, which is what I envisioned at first, but it's still unique. The Squirrel Cage Jail features a rotating jail cell that requires the jailer to rotate the cell in order to let prisoners in and out. It's the only one of its type west of the Mississippi.
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"No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space." Riverside Iowa is the proud future birthplace of Star Trek's Captain Kirk.
About 10,000 years ago,
three giant sloths died
in what is now southwest Iowa. These 7 ft. tall giant sloths can now be seen at the Museum of Natural History at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
On July 21, 1873, the notorious Jesse James and his gang robbed the first train in the West, in Adair, Iowa.
Iowa doesn’t sound so boring now, huh? What are some of your favorite oddities or bizarre things that happened in Iowa? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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