Iowa History Journal

Iowa History Journal’s office will be closed June 15-19 for a long overdue vacation though our online store remains open. We will reopen June 22 to fill orders and return messages. We will not be checking messages while we are closed.

See our website or IHJ FAQ ad in the magazine for the answers to your questions. Thank you!

IHJ 2026 Quiz, Week 24: Samuel H.M. Byers had a distinguished military career during the American Civil War but is also remembered for writing a famous poem about Iowa that was adopted in 1911 by the Iowa legislature as the official state song. What is its title?

Find the answer in the May/June issue of Iowa History Journal sold at Barnes & Noble, Hy-Vee, Beaverdale Books, Books-A-Million and select Walmart, Fleet Farm, Walgreens and Hy-Vee Drug stores. To subscribe, visit iowahistoryjournal.com and add $2.50 to start with the current issue.

Happy Flag Day and U.S. Army birthday!

Flag Day, which is held annually on June 14 commemorates June 14, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress determined the composition of the nation's banner commemorating Betsy Ross' creation of the Stars & Stripes. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed the formal observance into law.

The U.S. Army also celebrates its 251st birthday today, as Congress adopted the American continental army on June 14, 1775.

Every Iowan should read our cover story before July 4th! 🇺🇸

Get your copy at Barnes & Noble, Beaverdale Books and select Hy-Vee, Books A Million, Walgreens and Fleet Farm stores or iowahistoryjournal.com

Read our publisher's column in the May/June issue about ways to commemorate the American Revolution in Iowa on this Fourth of July and throughout the year!
America250 State Historical Society of Iowa America250 IOWA Iowa PBS Iowa PBS Education Iowa Department of Education Travel Iowa

Publisher’s Perspective: Commemorating the American Revolution in Iowa   May/June 2026 (Volume 18, Issue 3)   By Michael Swanger   Fear not fellow Iowans should you think the only opportunity to celebrate our nation’s milestone anniversary falls solely …

OTD: June 9, 1957
Duane Ellett and Floppy made their debut on WHO-TV! Read about the beloved duo that delighted television audiences for more than 30 years and entertained crowds at the Iowa State Fair in our collectible July/Aug 2014 past issue's cover story written by broadcaster and author Jeff Stein. A few copies remain at https://iowahistoryjournal.com/store/volume-6-issue-4-duane-floppy/

You can also relieve some of the duo's greatest moments on TV by purchasing official Duane & Floppy DVDs, as well as Stein's book about the show, at http://totallyiowa.weebly.com

WHO 13 News

OTD: June 8, 2008
Flood waters rose throughout Eastern Iowa with Cedar Rapids and Iowa City incurring significant damage. Read about it in Jeff Stein's best-selling book, "One Week in June: The Iowa Floods of 2008." Get your copy at http://totallyiowa.weebly.com

News/Talk 1540 KXEL

IHJ 2026 Quiz, Week 23: This man who joined the 4th Connecticut Regiment in 1777 when he was 14 years old is the only known Black Revolutionary War veteran buried west of the Mississippi River in Montrose Cemetery located in Lee County. What is his name? (Hint: His name is included on an obelisk at the Iowa Revolutionary War Memorial located on the grounds of the Iowa Statehouse.)

Find the answer in the May/June issue of Iowa History Journal sold at Barnes & Noble, Hy-Vee, Beaverdale Books, Books-A-Million and select Walmart, Fleet Farm, Walgreens and Hy-Vee Drug stores. To subscribe, visit iowahistoryjournal.com and add $2.50 to start with the current issue.

(Illustration courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Library and Archives, Des Moines)

New subscribers, to receive the July/Aug issue add an extra $2.50 (plus current issue option). Otherwise your subscription will start with the Sept/Oct issue. iowahistoryjournal.com