Here Is the Most Important Event In the History of Minnesota

Seeing as Minnesota has been a state for nearly 167 years, there have been many important moments since 1858. But only one event has been called *the* most important event in the history of the North Star State.

And, in a surprise, this survey says that the Most Important Event in Minnesota History didn't happen in our state's capital city of St. Paul or in our largest city of Minneapolis, either. It actually happened in Minnesota's third-largest city, instead. Do you know what it is?

According to the gang at 24/7 Wall Street, every state has SOME historical event that's important to our nation's history. Some of them go back a long time-- like Virginia, which is noted for having the first English settlement in North America. And some are more recent, like the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.

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Just to the south of the Gopher State, down in Iowa, the creation of caucuses got the nod as most historically important; while over in my home state of Wisconsin, the great Peshtigo Fire of 1871 was listed as historically most important.

But when it comes to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, can you guess which event this survey says is our state's most important historical event? If you guessed that it might involve Mayo Clinic, you're right. In fact, it's all ABOUT Mayo Clinic; specifically, its founding back in 1864.

Mayo Clinic's Gonda Building in downtown Rochester, Minnesota. (Curt St. John/Townsquare Media)

You might not be all that familiar with how it was that Dr. William Worrall Mayo (and eventually his famous sons, Will and Charlie) went about setting the foundation for the now world-famous clinic down in Rochester, Minnesota, but here's how this survey described it:

"Mayo Clinic has become the standard by which all hospitals are measured. The institution was chosen as the best hospital in the nation again this year by U.S. News and World Report. Mayo Clinic has its roots in immigrant founders Dr. William Worrall Mayo and Mother Alfred Moes, each of whom took separate routes to Rochester before they founded the hospital. Their visions of hospital care and teams of specialists have been realized today. In 1919, the institution became a not-for-profit organization," the article said.

So, yeah. Despite all the other famous inventions for which Minnesota is famous, and some other newsworthy events that have happened in our state (the I-35 W bridge collapse or the murder of George Floyd, anyone?) Rochester's own Mayo Clinic is *the* most important.

Which makes sense, seeing as Mayo has been named the Best Hospital in the World for several years in a row. Mayo's awesomeness is one of those things that we sometimes take for granted here in Minnesota, right? Keep scrolling to see some other ways you KNOW you're from the North Star State!