More people attended the Minnesota State Fair this year than ever before.

The 2009 fair set an attendance record with nearly 1.8 million people visiting the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Ideal weather for nearly the entire 12-day run pushed attendance beyond the old record of 1.7 million set in 2001.

The Minnesota State Fair dates back to 1859, though there was a Territorial Fair in 1854.

It moved around for several years, and there were competing locations, too. The state fairgrounds were selected in 1884 on the site of the Ramsey County Poor Farm. It was deemed politically neutral.

President Teddy Roosevelt uttered his famous phrase, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” at the Minnesota State Fair in 1901.