Nebraska (NE).

• Region: Midwest
• Population: 1,967,923 (ranked 37th) (2022 estimate)
• Capital: Lincoln (pop. 292,627) (2022 estimate)
• Largest city: Omaha (pop. 485,153) (2022 estimate)
• Number of counties: 93
• State nickname: Cornhusker State; Beef State
• State motto: Equality before the Law
• State flag: Blue field with state seal in gold and silver

Nebraska, the Midwestern state whose inhabitants are known as "Cornhuskers," entered the Union on March 1, 1867, as the thirty-seventh state. The state is located in the north-central part of the United States, in the Great Plains region. Bordering Nebraska are Iowa and Missouri (on the east), South Dakota (on the north), Colorado and Wyoming (on the west), and Kansas (on the south). Nebraska is one of the nation's richest agricultural states, but also possesses a great deal of industry. One unique aspect of the state is its unicameral (one-house) legislature—the only one in the Union. The forty-nine Nebraska legislators, or senators, are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Among the state's tourist attractions are the historic trails that led early settlers westward.

State Name: The word "Nebraska" is of Oto Indian origin. It comes from the word "Nebrathka," which means "flat water." This was the name the Oto gave to the Platte River. The state's nickname as the "Cornhusker State" comes from the traditional method of harvesting corn by hand.

Capital: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln. During the territorial era, the state capital was Omaha.

Flag: The Nebraska state flag, adopted in 1925, is a national-blue union with the state seal charged in gold and silver in the center. Within the seal, at the top, is the state motto "Equality Before the Law." In the background are mountains, with a train steaming by. In the middle ground, in front of the mountains, is a river with a steamboat on its waters. The foreground includes a blacksmith at his anvil, sheaves of wheat, a tree, and a church. At the bottom of the seal is the date "March 1, 1867," the date that Nebraska entered the Union.

Official Symbols

• Flower: Goldenrod
• Bird: Western meadowlark
• Tree: Cottonwood
• Fish: Channel catfish
• Song: "Beautiful Nebraska" by Jim Fras and Guy G. Miller

State and National Historic Sites

• Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (Harrison)
• Chimney Rock National Historic Site
• Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center (Omaha)
• John G. Neihardt State Historic Site (Bancroft)
• Homestead National Monument of America (near Beatrice)
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
• Niobrara National Scenic River
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Scotts Bluff National Monument (near Gering)
• Senator George W. Norris State Historic Site (McCook)
• Thomas P. Kennard House, Nebraska Statehood Memorial (Lincoln)
• Willa Cather State Historic Site (Red Cloud)

State-Specific Holidays

• Arbor Day, last Friday in April

DEMOGRAPHICS

• Population: 1,967,923(ranked 37th) (2022 estimate)
• Population density: 25.5/sq mi (2020 estimate)
• Urban population: 73% (2020 estimate)
• Rural population: 27% (2020 estimate)
• Population under 18: 24.2% (2022 estimate)
• Population over 65: 16.9% (2022 estimate)
• White alone: 87.5% (2022 estimate)
• Black or African American alone: 5.4% (2022 estimate)
• Hispanic or Latino: 12.3% (2022 estimate)
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 1.6% (2022 estimate)
• Asian alone: 2.8% (2022 estimate)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1% (2022 estimate)
• Two or More Races: 2.5% (2022 estimate)
• Per capita income: $35,189 (ranked 25th)
• Unemployment: 2.3% (2022 estimate)

American Indians: Nebraska was home to many Plains Indian tribes when Europeans first entered the region in the mid-sixteenth century. Some of the most prominent tribes were the Arapaho, the Cheyenne, Oto, the Omaha, the Pawnee, the Ponca, and the Sioux.

From the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, many tribes were on good terms with the French traders and missionaries. Relations were more troubled with the Americans, who began settling the Nebraska region in the early nineteenth century. In the 1830s, the federal government declared that the area was "Indian Country," and off limits to White settlement. This did not hinder the Americans for long, however, and by the Civil War the American Indian tribes had been pushed into the western part of the Nebraska Territory. The tribes fought back during the Civil War and afterward, but were eventually defeated by the US Army.

Today, Nebraska is home to the following federally recognized tribes: the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, the Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri (Kansas and Nebraska), the Santee Sioux Nation, and the Winnebago. The tribes govern themselves under tribal constitutions, based on the federal Public Law 280, which regulates relations between the tribes and the states.

ENVIRONMENT AND GEOGRAPHY

• Total area: 77,348 sq mi (ranked 16th)
• Land area: 76,824 sq mi (99.3% of total area)
• Water area: 524 sq mi (0.7% of total area)
• National parks: 5
• Highest point: Panorama Point (5,424 feet)
• Lowest point: Missouri River (840 feet)
• Highest temperature: 118° F (Hartington; Minden, July 17, 1936; July 24, 1936)
• Lowest temperature: -47° F (Bridgeport; Oshkosh, February 12, 1899; December 22, 1989)

Topography: Nebraska is not as flat as people might imagine. Instead, the terrain is covered with a series of rolling hills and plateaus that rise from southeast to northwest. The two major geographic regions are the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The former is a region of rich and rolling farmland, the result of glacier action. The Great Plains region, which covers around 80 percent of the state, is cattle country. It is also home to the immense sand-dune region called the Sandhills; these hills cover over 20,000 square miles north of the Platte River. The High Plains, part of the Great Plains, is almost rainless and so is home to grazing cattle. The state also contains part of the Badlands region, mostly located in South Dakota.

Major Lakes

• Bluestem Lake
• Box Butte Reservoir
• Calamus Reservoir
• Conestoga Lake
• DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge Lake
• Gallagher Canyon Reservoir
• Jeffrey Reservoir
• Johnson Lake
• Lake McConaughy
• Lewis and Clark Lake
• Medicine Creek Reservoir
• Rockford Lake
• Spalding Lake
• Sutherland Reservoir
• Swanson Lake

Major Rivers

• Big Blue River
• Elkhorn River
• Loup River
• Niobrara River
• Missouri River
• Platte River
• Republican River

State and National Parks: Nebraska has several state parks and areas managed by the National Park Service (NPS), which preserve the state's scenic beauty. State parks include Platte River State Park (Cass County) and Indian Cave State Park (Nemeha and Richardson Counties). Federally-managed natural areas include the Oglala National Grassland and the Nebraska National Forest. National parks include the Homestead National Monument, near Beatrice, which commemorates the Homestead Act of 1862.

Natural Resources: One of Nebraska's greatest natural resources is its rich farmland. Mineral resources include petroleum and natural gas, as well as shale, clay, gravel, and sand.

Plants and Animals: Nebraska has an abundance of wildlife, despite the extinction or near extinction of some species due to human settlement in the state. Beaver are found throughout Nebraska, even though they were historically heavily hunter for the fur trade. Bobcats and coyotes are two large predators that reside in Nebraska. Black bear are occasionally sighted, but have been largely extinct in the state since the early twentieth century. Other common mammals are deer, raccoon, opossum, muskrat, mink, and prairie dogs. There are many game birds in Nebraska, including pheasants and quail. Fish species include catfish, pike, and trout.

Grass is the most abundant plant species in Nebraska. Largely treeless when the first White settlers arrived, Nebraska now has sizeable woodlands because of tree-planting efforts. In 1872, Nebraska was the first state to celebrate Arbor Day. Common tree species include the eastern cottonwood, the walnut, and the pine.

Climate: Nebraska, like neighboring Kansas, is subject to climatic extremes. The flatness of the terrain and the lack of barriers mean that strong weather systems are able to sweep unhindered through the state. Spring and summer are prone to tornadoes and thunderstorms, while winters see many blizzards. Rainfall is highly variable from year to year, producing floods and droughts alike. Temperature is also highly changeable, ranging from over 110 degrees Fahrenheit in summer to below 45 degrees in winter.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Major Colleges and Universities

• Bellevue University (Bellevue)
• Clarkson College (Omaha)
• College of St. Mary (Omaha)
• Concordia University (Seward)
• Creighton University (Omaha)
• Hastings College (Hastings)
• Nebraska Wesleyan University (Lincoln)
• Peru State College (Peru)
• Union College (Lincoln)
• University of Nebraska (Kearney, Lincoln, Omaha)
• Wayne State College (Wayne)
• York College (York)

Major Museums

• Durham Museum (Omaha)
• Fort Robinson Museum (Crawford)
• Harold Warp Pioneer Village (Minden)
• History Nebraska (Lincoln)
• Joslyn Art Museum (Omaha)
• Museum of Nebraska Art (Kearny)
• Museum of the Fur Trade (Chadron)
• National Willa Cather Center (Red Cloud)
• Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska (Lincoln)
• Strategic Air Command (SAC) & Aerospace Museum (Omaha)
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (Grand Island)

Major Libraries

• Calvin T. Ryan Library, University of Nebraska (Kearney)
• History Nebraska Library (Lincoln)
• Love Library, University of Nebraska (Lincoln)
• Omaha Public Library (Omaha)
• Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library, Creighton University (Omaha)

Media

Nebraska has numerous daily newspapers as well as a large collection of weeklies. Lincoln, the state capital, has the daily Lincoln Journal Star, as well as the weekly Strictly Business Magazine. Omaha's dailies include Omaha Daily Record and the Omaha World-Herald, and weeklies include the Omaha Reader and the Omaha Star. The state has numerous commercial television and radio stations, as well as public broadcasting outlets. Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), a public-broadcasting organization governed by a state commission, operates Nebraska Public Television. One of its stations, KUON, is licensed to the University of Nebraska's Board of Regents. NET also operates most of the stations of the Nebraska Public Radio Network.

ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Gross domestic product (in millions $USD): 161,702 (ranked 35th) (2022 estimate)
• GDP percent change: 1.1%

Major Industries: Nebraska, though strongly agricultural, has a diversified manufacturing sector. Industries include farm equipment, transportation equipment, and chemicals. Nebraska also has large oil and natural gas reserves, which contribute to a strong energy industry as well as many peripheral businesses. Service industries include finance, insurance, and telecommunications, focused mainly in Omaha and Lincoln. Several Fortune 500 companies, including Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co. and Berkshire Hathaway investment and holding company, are based in Omaha.

Tourism: Nebraska's tourism industry focuses on the state's frontier past and the scenic beauties of the prairies, as well as numerous cultural sites such as art museums. Many out-of-state visitors come from other parts of the Midwest, such as Kansas, Iowa, Colorado, and Missouri. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are natural wonders such as the Agate Fossil Beds in Homestead and the Chimney Rock National Historic Site. Other popular attractions are related to the state's history, including the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park and other state historic sites.

Energy Production: Nebraska relies heavily on coal and nuclear energy for its industrial electricity production. In 2022, coal provided an estimated 49 percent of in-state electricity generation. Nebraska has one nuclear plant, the Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownsville; the Fort Calhoun Station near Omaha was shut down permanently in 2016. Other significant sources of energy production include biofuels, hydroelectricity, and other renewable resources. The state is a leading producer of ethanol. Nebraska produces a small amount of crude petroleum, but has no refineries. Though not used much to create electricity in the state, natural gas is very important for home heating.

Agriculture: Nebraska, the "Cornhusker State," is one of the nation's most significant agricultural states. In addition to corn, important crops include grains such as sorghum and wheat. Nebraska farmers also harvest the state's many varieties of grass as forage. Most of the state's land, over 96 percent or around 46 million acres, is farmland or ranch land. In addition to food crops, Nebraska farmers raise cattle and hogs. Many farmers also raise sheep and poultry.

Airports: Most of Nebraska's commercial airports are municipal facilities, with a few regional ones as well. The state operates three airfields (which are converted World War II air bases) through the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics. The Lincoln Airport in the capital is also a former World War II air base.

GOVERNMENT

• Governor: Jim Pillen (Republican)
• Present constitution date: October 12, 1875 (extensively amended 1919–1920)
• Electoral votes: 5
• Number of counties: 93
• Violent crime rate: 334.1 (per 100,000 residents)
• Death penalty: Yes

Constitution: Nebraska's constitution was adopted on October 12, 1875. The document was extensively amended after World War I, in 1919–20. The previous constitution was adopted in 1866, just prior to statehood.

Branches of Government

Executive: The governor, the state's chief executive, is elected to a four-year term and may serve up to two consecutive terms. Duties include proposal, approval, and vetoing of legislation; serving as head of the executive-branch agencies; and serving as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The other constitutional officers—all of whom are elected to a four-year term—include the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, the auditor, the treasurer, and the attorney general. The treasurer, like the governor, is limited to two consecutive terms; the other constitutional officers do not have term limits.

Legislative:Nebraska's forty-nine-member legislature is unique, in that it is the only unicameral (one-house) legislature in the United States. There are forty-nine state senators, each elected from a local district. Though they can belong to a political party, senators are elected on a non-partisan basis to four-year terms. They can serve only two consecutive terms. Elections take place every two years and affect half the membership. The legislature is in session for sixty days in even-numbered years and for ninety days in odd-numbered years.

Judicial: Nebraska's court system, as established by the state constitution, includes the state supreme court, the court of appeals, district court, and county court. There is also a separate three-branch system of juvenile courts, which operate at the county level; and a statewide workers' compensation court. All judges are appointed on merit, usually by the governor but sometimes by the supreme court chief justice, based on the recommendations of a judicial nominating commission.

The supreme court, the state's highest court, has a chief justice and six associate justices. It can choose to review cases from the court of appeals, and is charged with deciding in matters involving constitutional law and life imprisonment.

The court of appeals has six members, including the chief judge (who is appointed by the other members). It serves as the court of final appeal, except in cases which the state supreme court chooses to review.

The district courts are Nebraska's courts of general jurisdiction, and work in conjunction with the county courts. In certain cases, the district courts can review decisions of the county courts.

HISTORY

1513Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer, discovers the Florida peninsula and claims it for Spain. Spanish maps, however, consider that "Florida" includes not only the southeastern peninsula but the territory as far inland as present-day Nebraska.

1541 Spanish explorer Coronado visits the Kansas-Nebraska region.

1680s The Plains Indians obtain horses from the Spanish.

1682 French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claims the entire Mississippi River watershed for France. This includes present-day Nebraska.

1803 French Emperor Napoleon sells the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million. This includes present-day Nebraska.

1820 Missouri enters the Union as a slave state, under the provisions of the Missouri Compromise.

1823 The settlement of Bellevue is established. This is the region's first permanent white settlement.

1834 Congress creates a territory known as Indian Country or Indian Territory. This includes all US land west of the Missouri River that is outside the states of Missouri and Louisiana and outside the territory of Arkansas. White settlers cannot live, hunt, or trap in the region without permission from the federal government. The St. Louis-based "Indian Superintendent" becomes governor of the Indian Country. This measure is intended to stop the violence between White people and American Indian people.

1842 Lt. John C. Frémont of the US Army explores present-day Nebraska. Frémont's report provides the first use of the name "Nebraska" as an alternate name for the Platte River. Two years later, Secretary of War William Wilkins recommends using "Nebraska" as the name for a new US territory.

1844–53Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois introduces to Congress a measure to create a Nebraska territory. This measure fails, as do similar measures in 1848 and 1853.

1854 The Kansas–Nebraska Act passes Congress on May 30, creating the separate territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The measure, signed by President Franklin Pierce, only adds to the nation's controversy over the extension of slavery. The measure undoes the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery from any other states of the Louisiana Purchase. The Kansas–Nebraska Act supports the concept of "popular sovereignty," which would provide the residents of each territory the power to decide whether to allow slavery. The Kansas and Nebraska territories are soon flooded with partisans of each side, who hope to tilt the population balance in their own favor.

1855 The first territorial legislature meets in the new town of Omaha.

1858 The territorial government repeals the prohibition on the sale of liquor, which the federal government had instituted in the 1830s in the former Indian County.

A dispute between the northern and southern parts of the territory regarding the location of the Nebraska territorial capital, breaks out into legislative violence. Members from south of the Platte River set up a rival legislature in Florence, and introduce legislation to move the capital to Neapolis, on the south bank of the Platte. (At the time, this town exists only on paper.) Governor William Richardson refuses to recognize the "Florence Secession" legislature.

Julius Sterling Morton , the later US Secretary of Agriculture under President Cleveland, is appointed Territorial Secretary of State by President James Buchanan.

1859 Gold is discovered in Nebraska, in the Rocky Mountain foothills. That same year, the brief "Pawnee War" breaks out between the Pawnee Indians and White settlers, growing out of land disputes.

1860 The first referendum on Nebraska statehood fails to pass.

1861–65 The Civil War. In 1864, while the Union is preoccupied with the Confederacy, the Cheyenne and Sioux attack settlers in western Nebraska. Several territorial regiments are called into service and eventually defeat the American Indians.

1861 The territory of Colorado is organized out of the Nebraska Territory.

1862 Congress passes the Homestead Act, which grants 160 acres of free land to any man or woman who would settle it. The measure plays an important role in opening up the West to settlement.

1865 The Union Pacific Railroad begins construction of its part of the transcontinental railroad, starting from Omaha.

1867Nebraska enters the Union on March 1 as the thirty-seventh state. The new state capital is named Lincoln, in honor of assassinated US President Abraham Lincoln, and is located between the Salt and Antelope Creeks. That same year, the Union Pacific Railroad is built across Nebraska.

1871 Governor David Butler is impeached and removed from office on charges that he misused state money for personal purposes.

1872 Julius Sterling Morton convinces the state legislature to observe an "arbor day," on which people can plant trees. Nebraska is the first state in the nation to celebrate this holiday.

1870s–80s The "Grange" movement thrives as a pro-farmer political force seeking to correct the abuses of the railroads and big business. The "granges" are originally established as social and educational organizations for farmers, but they eventually take on political overtones during the national economic crisis of the 1870s. The name comes from the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, an agrarian organization founded in 1867.

1885 The state legislature establishes Julius Sterling Morton's birthday, April 22, as Arbor Day.

1892 Nebraska farmers form the Populist Party, to express their anger at the railroad owners and financiers. The farmers believe that the eastern financial and industrial interests have hurt agricultural interests through a bad currency policy as well as practicing monopolies. The new party holds its first national political convention in Omaha, and nominates James B. Weaver as the Populist presidential candidate; he polls over a million votes. The platform supports "free silver," or unlimited production of silver coins, as opposed to the existing gold standard of currency.

1891–95William Jennings Bryan serves as US Representative from Nebraska.

1893–97 Julius Sterling Morton serves as US Secretary of Agriculture in President Grover Cleveland's administration.

1896 William Jennings Bryan is the presidential candidate of both the Populists and the Democrats. His nomination comes in part because of his famous "Cross of Gold" speech, in which he spells out the evils of the nation's gold standard. He loses the general election to Republican candidate William McKinley.

1914–18World War I. Nebraska enjoys an agricultural boom because of the need for foodstuffs to feed the troops.

1917 Father Edward J. Flanagan, a Catholic priest from Ireland, founds Boys Town, a home for homeless and neglected boys. The story of the nonsectarian school, located in Omaha, gives rise to the 1938 film Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy as Flanagan.

1932 The State Capitol, considered an architectural marvel, is completed.

1934 Nebraskans vote in a constitutional amendment to do away with the bicameral (two-house) legislature in favor of a unicameral (one-house) body. The measure, which calls for election of legislators without reference to their political party, is voted in through an initiative petition. The one-house system is strongly supported by US Senator George W. Norris.

1937 Nebraska switches to the unicameral legislature.

1939 Oil is discovered in Nebraska.

1941–45World War II. Nebraska, as an agricultural breadbasket state, does much to provide US troops with food during the course of the war. Numerous war materials are also produced in the state's factories. The Martin Bomber Plant is located in Omaha; the Enola Gay, the plane which dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, is built at this facility. Cities such as Grand Island become home to ammunition plants. Several Army camps, including Fort Robinson, play "host" to Axis prisoners of war. The Army Air Force operates eleven air bases or airfields in Nebraska. (After the war, the base in Lincoln is turned into a municipal airport.)

The state provides 139,754 men and women to the Armed Forces. During the course of the conflict, 3,839 Nebraskans are killed. Members of the Nebraska National Guard are organized as the 13th Infantry Regiment, part of the US Army's 35th Division; they serve under General Butler B. Miltonberger, a native of North Platte. That community organizes the North Platte Canteen, a rest area at the local train station, to provide refreshment for Armed Forces personnel passing through on military transport trains.

1946 The Strategic Air Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, is established to control the nation's strategic nuclear weapons. It is reorganized in 1992 as the Strategic Command (STRATCOM).

1963 Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co. begins sponsoring the nationwide TV nature program "Wild Kingdom," hosted by naturalist Marlin Perkins. The show remains in original production for twenty-seven years.

1968 The Lincoln home of Thomas P. Kennard, Nebraska's first Secretary of State, is dedicated as the Nebraska Statehood Memorial. The dwelling, built in 1869, is the oldest standing structure in the city's original plat.

1968-69 At the height of the civil-rights movement, race riots break out in Nebraska. The US military and National Guard intervene to restore order.

1971 Nebraska creates a state-supported system of community colleges.

1982 The state constitution is amended to limit the sale of farmland and rangeland. Under the amendment, the land can be sold only to a Nebraska family-farm corporation.

Bob Kerrey begins his term as governor. A navy veteran who won a Congressional Medal of Honor for Vietnam War service, Kerrey is also a successful entrepreneur who owns a chain of restaurants and health clubs.

1986 Kay A. Orr, a Republican, is elected governor. She is the first female Republican candidate to win a gubernatorial election.

1991 The state creates an intermediate court of appeals, following the results of a 1990 constitutional referendum. This court serves as the state's highest appellate court, except in cases which the State Supreme Court chooses to review. That same year, E. Benjamin "Ben" Nelson becomes governor. He serves until 1999.

1992 The Strategic Air Command (SAC), based at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, is reorganized as the Strategic Command (STRATCOM), a joint-service command. The new command is in charge of coordinating nuclear plans for the Air Force and Navy. SAC's operational forces are placed under the control of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command.

2000 The US Supreme court strikes down a Nebraska law that would ban a controversial abortion procedure. The vote of five to four finds unconstitutional the state law making “partial birth abortions” a crime. It is the first decision made by the court regarding the abortion issues since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was reaffirmed in 1992.

2001 Immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, President George W. Bush flies Air Force One to Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base. There he holds an emergency meeting with his national security advisers.

2012 The North Platte area experiences four tornadoes that do considerable damage, including derailing many railroad cars.

2015 The state legislature votes to abolish the death penalty, overcoming a governor's veto. However, the repeal is suspended by a petition demanding a public vote.

2016 Nebraska voters reject the effort to abolish the death penalty in the state.

2020 Like other states, Nebraska is disrupted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic.

2020 Nebraska's professional soccer team, Union Omaha, makes debut in USL League One.

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Grace Abbott, 1878–1939 (Grand Island): Social worker; social activist.

Grover Cleveland Alexander, 1887–1950 (Elba): Baseball player.

Fred Astaire, 1899–1987 (Omaha): Actor; dancer.

Max Baer, 1909–59 (Omaha): Heavyweight boxer.

Marlon Brando, 1924–2004 (Omaha): Actor.

Warren Buffett, 1930– (Omaha): Financier; stockbroker.

Dick Cavett, 1936– (Gibbon): Television personality.

Richard B. "Dick" Cheney, 1941– (Lincoln): Vice president of the United States; secretary of defense.

Montgomery Clift, 1920–66 (Omaha): Actor.

James Coburn, 1928–2002 (Laurel): Actor.

Godfrey C. Danchimah, Jr., 1969– (Lincoln): Comedian; actor.

Harold E. "Doc" Edgerton, 1904–90 (Fremont): Electrical engineer; college professor; inventor.

Henry Fonda, 1905–82 (Grand Island): Actor.

Gerald R. Ford, 1913–2006 (Omaha): Thirty-eighth president of the United States.

Bob Gibson, 1935–2020 (Omaha): Professional baseball player.

Catherine Hughes, 1947– (Omaha): Media pioneer.

David Janssen, 1931–80 (Naponee): Actor.

Bob Kerrey, 1943– (Lincoln): Governor; US senator.

Dorothy McGuire, 1919–2001 (Omaha): Actor.

Nick Nolte, 1940– (Omaha): Actor.

Susan La Flesche Picotte, 1865–1915 (Omaha Reservation): Doctor.

Red Cloud [Makhpiya-luta], 1822–1909 (near the Platte River): Oglala Sioux chief; Indian rights activist.

Mari Sandoz, 1896–1966 (Mirage Flats): Author.

Theodore Sorensen, 1928–2010 (Lincoln): Lawyer; special counsel to President John F. Kennedy.

Robert Taylor, 1911–69 (Filley): Actor.

Gabrielle Union, 1972– (Omaha): Actor.

Malcolm X [Malcolm Little], 1925–65 (Omaha): Civil rights activist; Black Muslim leader.

Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902–79 (Wahoo): Film producer; screenwriter.

TRIVIA

• Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska, who served in the US Senate from 1913–1943, is known as the "Father of the TVA" because of his instrumental role in founding the Tennessee Valley Authority. Norris Dam, the first TVA project, is named in his honor.
• Early explorers and settlers described the Platte River (whose name means "flat river") as "a mile wide and an inch deep."
• In 1872, Nebraska became the first state to celebrate Arbor Day. Julius Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor and state politician who became US secretary of agriculture, was a moving force behind the original effort to plant trees in largely treeless Nebraska.
• Until the 1840s, there was no land called "Nebraska." Early fur traders often called it the "Platte Country." From 1804 to 1821, it was successively part of the Indiana, Louisiana, and Missouri Territories. In 1834, it became part of the "Indian Country" marked off by the Federal Government. The name "Nebraska" first appears in 1842, to describe the Platte River; the name appears in the report of Army Lt. John C. Fremont.
• Lincoln's International Quilt Study Center & Museum houses the world's largest quilt collection accessible to the public.

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Knoll, Robert E. Prairie University: A History of the University of Nebraska. U of Nebraska P, 1995.

"Nebraska." Quick Facts, US Census Bureau, 2023, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/NE/PST045221. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023.

"Nebraska: 2020 Census." United States Census Bureau, 25 Aug. 2021, www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/nebraska-population-change-between-census-decade.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2022.

"Nebraska State Profile and Energy Estimates: Profile Overview." US Energy Information Administration, 20 July 2023, www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NE. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023.

Owen, David A. Like No Other Place: The Sandhills of Nebraska. U of Nebraska P, 2012.

"State BEARFACTS: Nebraska." Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Department of Commerce, 31 Mar. 2023, apps.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/statebf.cfm. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023.

"Unemployment Rates for States." Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 Mar. 2023, www.bls.gov/lau/lastrk21.htm. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023.

Eric Badertscher