20 Gifts that Minnesota Gave the world

1. Target

I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know Target started in Minnesota until Ted was offered a job at their company.  This company  was started in 1902 as “Goodfellow Dry Goods” and became “Target” in 1962.  As a tribute to it’s original name, Target sells a great line of men’s products called Goodfellow. 

You can read about the history of Target by clicking here.

PS – If you have a few minutes and need a laugh – read the hilarious Target memes on Pinterest!

2. Water Skiing

In June 1922, 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson, of Minnesota, proposed that if you could ski on snow, then you could ski on water.

Ralph, the first water skier, used a clothes line and a couple of old boards for his first ride. I’m glad water skiing improved by my first try, 60 years later.

Read the full history of water skiing here.

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3. Honeycrisp apples

Honeycrisp apples were invented at the University of Minnesota in the 90s. (Who knew apples could be “invented?)

My personal favorite, though, is the SweeTango apple. We think they’re even better than the Honeycrisp apple.  SweeTango was also invented in Minnesota. We’d never heard of them until we made a visit to a local apple orchard. If you ever find a SweeTango  – you MUST try it! It’s pure sweet, crunchy deliciousness. It’s worth a visit to Minnesota in the fall to get your hands on one of these!

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4. The indoor shopping mall

The first indoor shopping mall was built just west of the Twin Cities in 1956.

Minnesota is even better known for the World’s Largest Indoor Shopping Mall – the Mall of America – built in 1992. This mall has 520 stores, an aquarium and a theme park inside. More people visit the Mall of America than Disney World!

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5. Greyhound bus

In 1914, a guy named Carl Wickman used a 7-passenger vehicle to take people to work for 15 cents per ride. A century, plus several mergers and expansions later, Greyhound is North America’s largest bus company with nearly 1,300 buses, 4,000 destinations and 5.5 billion ride miles a year!

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6. Mayo Clinic

The first and largest non-profit hospital in the world is in Rochester, MN.

Each year, more than 1.3 million different patients from all 50 states, and from more than 150 countries, are seen at one of the Mayo Clinic facilities. It’s one of the best (if not the very best) hospitals in the world.

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7. Open heart surgery

The first successful open-heart surgery was performed at the University of Minnesota in 1952.

Since then, countless lives have been saved by the procedure. My great aunt was one of them – she was born with a failing heart, so in 1953, she had a successful open heart surgery.  My great uncle brought his checkbook to pay for the surgery and the hospital did not accept checks. He had to leave her at the hospital, take the train home, get cash, and come back to pay for her surgery and take her home! She lived for FIFTY more years!

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8. Tonka trucks

Tonka was founded in Mound, Minnesota, and likely named for Lake Minnetonka. These heavy-duty trucks are classic toys, and I know more than a few people outside Minnesota played with one growing up.

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9. Microwave popcorn

Forever changing the way we watch movies at home, the first version of microwave popcorn in a bag was patented by Minnesota-based General Mills in 1981. These days microwave popcorn comes in all flavors by many different brands, but it was the Minnesota brand that started it all.

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10. The Oregon Trail

What was every 90s kid favorite video game? The Oregon Trail.  Yeah, it came from Minnesota. Three Minnesotans invented the game in 1971, and it is still loved to this day. Playing this game is one of my favorite memories from elementary school – even if I did die of dysentery. 

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11. Enclosed Walkways (aka Skyways)

The best inventions solve a problem. Given the problem of seemingly endless winters in Minnesota, it only makes sense that Minnesotans created an innovative way of getting around the city – an enclosed walkway.

You literally never have to go outside. You can go from your city apartment, to breakfast, the dry cleaners, Target, a salon, a ball game, dinner and wherever else you could imagine…all via the Skyway!

Minneapolis is home to the longest continuous skyway in the world, spanning nearly 80 blocks and 11 miles.

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12. Best Buy

In 1966 a couple of guys started a business selling home and car stereo equipment, calling their business “The Sounds of Music.” They eventually expanded the business to sell more products and changed the name to Best Buy!

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13. Scotch Tape

Many years ago a company called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing  (you may know them as 3M) produced sandpaper. When one of the young engineers was testing the sand paper at a local auto body shop, he noticed the auto painters were having a hard time painting a straight line. He decided to create a masking tape to solve this problem. He later created the clear Scotch tape that now resides in every junk drawer in America.

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14. Post-it Notes

Another 3M invention. A scientist was singing in his church choir in St.Paul. The tabs of paper he used in his hymnal kept falling out and he wanted a better way to save pages. He went to work that week and created the sticky note. It was years before the product went to market and wasn’t successful at first. No one purchased it because they didn’t know how handy Post-it notes could be. 3M decided to give them away to offices and 90% of the people and businesses that had received the free samples chose to reorder – more than twice the success of any other product they’d given away. Since then, post it notes are one of the top 5 best selling office products around the world.

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15. The world’s most popular cereal

Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops and all the other General Mills cereals were created in Minnesota!

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16. A few celebrities

Jessica Biel, Prince, Judy Garland, Lindsey Vonn, Chris Pratt and Bob Dylan were all born in Minnesota!

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17. The Mississippi River

Visit Lake Itasca in Minnesota to discover the SOURCE, the very beginning, of the Mississippi River. You can leap across on stepping stones or just walk right across the Mighty Mississippi.

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18. Paul Bunyan and Babe

The legendary lumberjack hero and his sidekick, Babe, the blue ox. I remember loving those Tall Tales in elementary school that explained how all the lakes formed in the midwest –  from the footprints of Paul Bunyan! You’ll find statues of this giant in several places around the state.

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19. Spam

Well,  I don’t necessarily consider SPAM a GIFT, but many people still do. Especially during WWII when men were thrilled to have this source of protein. You can visit a SPAM museum in Austin, MN.

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20. Land O Lakes

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You Butter Believe it! Nearly 100 years ago, farmers gathered to start “Land O’ Lakes” … in the land of lakes. It is now the world’s largest producer of butter and cheese.

Interested in learning more about Minnesota Innovations? Visit the Science Museum of Minnesota for Minnovations – beginning June 2019.

Click here to read my Minnesota Bucket List! 

Did your state invent something we should know about?  Leave a comment!

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