This Day in Minnesota History

October 17, 1924

The Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House (later renamed the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center), named for the eighteenth-century poet, opens in north Minneapolis. The oldest African American agency in the Twin Cities, the center first serves as a place where young people meet for recreation and skill development and later provides a home-away-from-home for civic leaders, educators, entertainers, and students.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 17, 1975

Rochester declares an air pollution alert and earns the dubious distinction of having the highest carbon monoxide levels recorded in the state. This and other alerts in the state during the early 1970s were caused by stagnant weather systems that did not blow away industrial and automobile emissions.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 18, 1848

Land in central Minnesota is set aside for the Mamaceqtaw (Menominee). The tribe decides not to move from their holdings in Wisconsin and cedes the proposed reservation to the state on May 5, 1854.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 18, 1881

At St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Duluth, an organizational meeting is held to establish a new hospital in the city. Named for today's feast of St. Luke, the hospital is set up in an old blacksmith's shop, and the first patient is admitted on November 18.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 18, 1888

The Agriculture School of the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus, which was known as University Farm, opens with forty-seven students and W. W. Pendergast as principal.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 19, 1894

Otto Wonnigheit and Charles Irmisch are hanged for murder in the Federal Courts Building (now the Landmark Center) in St. Paul.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 19, 1912

A statue of Governor John A. Johnson, sculpted by Andrew O'Connor, is unveiled in St. Paul on the grounds of the Minnesota capitol.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 20, 1818

The northern boundary of the United States is set at the forty-ninth parallel of latitude, extending from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 20, 1849

The Minnesota Historical Society is incorporated by an act of the territorial legislature, and Alexander Ramsey is elected its first president.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 20, 1896

Daily mail delivery begins in Cannon City.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 20, 1937

The brothel of St. Paul's most famous madam, Nina Clifford, is demolished after fifty years of business at 147 Washington Street.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 20, 1995

The movie Mallrats opens. Filmed at the Eden Prairie mall and directed by independent film sensation Kevin Smith, the movie flops in theaters but develops a cult following.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 23, 1905

Actress Ethel Barrymore appears in the play Sunday, which runs through October 25 in St. Paul.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 23, 1920

Sinclair Lewis's novel Main Street is published. In 1930, the Sauk Centre native would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 23, 1934

Minnesota residents Jeannette and Jean Piccard ascend in a hydrogen balloon to a record 57,579 feet. Jeanette made a total of six trips into the stratosphere and later served as a consultant for NASA.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 24, 1871

A railroad line reaches Breckenridge in the Red River valley.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 24, 1988

Duluth mayor John Fedo goes on trial, charged with accepting a bribe and misusing city money. He was later acquitted.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 25, 1892

James H. Burrell becomes the first African American member of the St. Paul police force, and the first documented African American police officer in Minnesota.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 25, 1924

Charles Evans Hughes, secretary of state and future Supreme Court justice, gives a speech in which he praises President Calvin Coolidge, blasts third-party politics, and condemns corrupt politicians, in front of a crowd of 10,000 in St. Paul.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 25, 1941

Novelist Anne Tyler is born in Minneapolis. She published many popular books, including The Accidental Tourist and Breathing Lessons, for which she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1989.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 25, 1987

In the seventh game of the World Series, the Minnesota Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals with a score of 4-2, winning the series 4-3.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 25, 1991

Meng Kruy Ung, founder of the first Cambodian refugee center in Minnesota, dies. Born in Prey Veng, Cambodia, Ung immigrated to the United States in 1984 and later established the Refugee and Immigrant Resource Center in Farmington. In 1993 the center merged with the Khmer Association of Minnesota to form the United Cambodian Association of Minnesota, offering cultural, legal, and employment services to refugees and immigrants.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 25, 2002

While running for a third term in office, United States Senator for Minnesota Paul Wellstone dies in a plane crash with his wife and daughter. He was elected to the Senate in 1990 as a liberal Democrat. After his death, his surviving sons and former campaign manager created the Wellstone Action progressive advocacy organization.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 26, 1950

Edward Calvin Kendall and Philip Showalter Hench, Mayo Clinic doctors, and Tadeus Reichstein, a Swiss doctor, are awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their development of cortisone.

This Day in Minnesota History

October 26, 1960

Calvin Griffith decides to move his Washington Senators to Minnesota, where the baseball team is renamed the Minnesota Twins.

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