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11/25/2012: Today we value our right to freedom of speech, but on this date in 1914, G. I. Nelson, editor of the Cooperative Herald out of Fargo, learned that unsubstantiated allegations could be costly. I

12/2/2012: On this date in 1926, it was announced that Mr. Bruce had been selected as a soloist by John Philip Sousa for his farewell European Tour – a proud moment for Bruce, a man of Chippewa descent from the plains of North Dakota.

3/4/2013: Fist-fights and hilarity reigned at the State Capitol on this date in 1921. While Non-Partisan Leaguers attempted a political coup, their rivals, led by two Irish attorneys, fought back long into the night. The entire comedic drama ended well past midnight in the chambers of State Supreme Court Justice Luther Birdzell.

3/5/2013: An unbelievable UFO sighting occurred on this date over the Minot Air Force base in 1967. Unbeknownst to many North Dakotans, the state has proved fertile ground for UFO sightings for several decades.

3/8/2013: News of its namesake’s death reached Burleigh County on this date in 1896; Walter Burleigh had passed away the evening before in Yankton, South Dakota. Burleigh’s duplicitous character made him a prominent figure in the early days of Dakota Territory.

3/12/2013: It’s a “flock” of geese and a “murder” of crows, but what do you call a large group of town criers? On this date in 1929, the Park Hotel in Killdeer was full of them!

3/14/2013: The upbeat weather forecast announced on this date in 1941 proved fatal to dozens along the Red River Valley. North Dakota forecasters predicted light local snows and a possible cold wave for the weekend, but by Saturday night, a deadly blizzard had moved south from Canada and tore through the eastern part of the state, leaving over sixty dead. The enormous number of deaths was largely blamed on the weather forecast, which led many people to make weekend travel plans.

3/19/2013: Ruth Meiers, North Dakota’s thirty-third Lieutenant Governor, passed away in office on this date in 1987. The state’s first female Lieutenant Governor, Meiers was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer in September of 1986. Despite the diagnosis, she continued to serve in office until her death six months later.

3/22/2013: Veins of lignite coal radiate around and through the hills and coulees of Burlington Township in Ward County, located just eight miles from Minot. A 1915 plat-map of Burlington Township showed six coal mines in operation – the Mouse River Lignite Coal Company; Davis Coal Company; Dakota Lignite Coal Company; Burlington Coal Company; Peoples Coal Company; and a mine on the property of August Larson.

3/22/2013: In 1914, the Great Northern Railroad changed the name of the Banks town site in McKenzie County to Watford. This caused confusion with the Pierce County town of Wolford. As a result, Great Northern officials decided to change the name of Wolford to Orkney.