Minnesota Monthly published its first issue 40 years ago. To mark the occasion, we looked back at four decades of great moments in Minnesota history, from monster floods to Purple Reign. You voted on these moments.
Here are the results:
When looking at greatest sports moments, The Twins Rule, earning 75% of the vote due to their 1987 World Series Championship.
When it comes to culture, votes were split between many moments… MPR’s First Broadcast, One Heckuva Movie (Fargo), The Great Escape (of Casey the Gorilla) and Purple (Prince) Reigns split the votes.
In politics, Wellstone’s Plane Goes Down tops the list as most memorable, and the Indians Roll the Dice and Roy Wilkins Gets His Due nab second and third place.
The kidnapping of Virginia Piper and the Murder at Glensheen are memorable crime moments, but nothing shook Minnesotan’s lives more than Jacob Wetterling’s disappearance.
Science and Nature was less clear-cut. And the Ship Went Down, Minnesota Gets a National Park, U of M Scientist Feeds the World and the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 each fought for prominence, with neither winning out.
Minnesotans say Hats off to Mary Tyler Moore first and foremost in the arts section and then recognize other moments, such as August Wilson Gets His Due and the Weisman Art Museum Opens.
Last but not least, clearly bigger is better when you voted for top business moment – Mall of America opening beat out next favorites, Hormel Workers Strike and the HMO Pilot.
Read 40 Moments that Changed Minnesota to see the entire, original list.
