What would you say are some of the most significant moments in Minnesota's history?

Minnesota became a state May 11, 1858. James Buchanon was president of the United States at that time. Slavery was still very much alive and under debate. Abraham Lincoln was just nominated for a seat in the US Senate. Pike's Peak Gold Rush saw Forty-niners streaming into the Rocky Mountains in search of gold. The trans-Atlantic telegraph was inaugurated with a greeting between Buchanon and Queen Victoria.

A lot was happening at the time Minnesota joined the United States of America, and a lot has happened -- locally and abroad -- in the 162 years since then. A recent thread on reddit has spurred some great conversation towards that end.

"What are some of the most significant moments in Minnesota history?" asked reddit user nananananana_FARTMAN (yes, that's what he/she chooses to go by). Fartman goes on to list the Edmund Fitzgerald's shipwreck and the great fire of 1918 as a couple examples that come to mind. Hundreds of replies came in. Here are a few.

"The 1st Minnesota Volunteers at Gettysburg," offers peterleih.

"Halloween Blizzard of 1991," suggests PerfectlyRespectable.

Reddit user You-Betcha shares a lengthy post about the A Company/194th tank battalion from Brainerd:

"The A Company/194th tank battalion from Brainerd was the first US armored unit to deploy overseas, they ended up in the Philippines before the Japanese invasion. That unit would then fight valiantly in defense across the island with dwindling food, ammunition, fuel, and parts to the Bataan peninsula. There they would surrender to the Japanese and endure the murderous Bataan death march, few would survive. Those who did spent the rest of the war in Japanese POW camps or had their prison ships destroyed by the US Navy with no knowledge of US personnel aboard. Today from the Brainerd contingent of that unit, one soldier is still with us."

"No one's going to mention the Dred Scott case?" asks jdhalv. "The founding of AIM? There is also the birth of the indoor shopping mall (Southdale), and supercomputers (Control Data), and dozens of other inventions and firsts."

"First indoor mall was in Minnesota but wasn’t Southdale," counters jbbd3. "Lake view store in Morgan park in Duluth predates Southdale by 40 years."

"The Northfield Bank Robbery," suggests bruskadoosh. "A real, honest to goodness Old West bank heist."

Read the full reddit thread for yourself here.

What would you say are some of the most significant moments in Minnesota's history?

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

More From Mix 94.9