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The Minnesota Historical Society - in preparation for the state's sesquicentennial in 2008 - is encouraging all Minnesotans to nominate people, places, events, and things in Minnesota history that have significantly influenced our state and our world for use in its upcoming "MN150" exhibit.

Nominations are being accepted until Monday, Oct. 1. A brief profile successful nominator, along with excerpts from submissions, will be featured in the exhibit.

"MN150" will showcase 150 people, places, events, and things that have sparked significant change within our state or beyond its borders, in honor of the state's sesquicentennial in 2008. The exhibit will open in October 2007 at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

"The Minnesota Historical Society is embarking on an unprecedented effort to gather the thoughts of Minnesotans of all backgrounds and from every corner of the state," said MHS director Nina Archabal. "We hope all citizens - young and old - will cast their votes in the 'MN150' campaign."

"This process reminds us we all are part of history," said exhibit director Kate Roberts. "Individuals can sway the course of history in ways we may not usually consider." Nominations were collected at the Minnesota State Fair.

They also can be submitted online at www.mnhs.org/MN150 or by calling 1-651-297-7955.

While the exhibit will celebrate 150 years of statehood, it also will feature topics dating back to pre-territorial period, with the balance distributed evenly over the last 150 years. Nominators are asked to make compelling arguments.

"We are looking not for just the big things but also the stories of little-known people who made a difference, of moments in time that shaped history, or key events that can be interpreted from dozens of perspectives," explained Roberts.

Nominations received so far include the obvious and the obscure, including:

•Southdale Center, the first fully-enclosed shopping mall in the country;

•H. David Dahlquist, the inventor of the bundt cake pan;

•Dr. Jeannette Piccard, a hot-air balloonist and the first woman to reach the stratosphere, who later became one of the first female Episcopal priests;

•The 1862 U.S.-Dakota War;

•Mendota - at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers - a spiritual place for the Dakota people.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849 to preserve and share Minnesota history. It collects, preserves, and tells the story of Minnesota's past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing.