[3] It is named for Orlando Harrison Manning, a Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.

[4] Prior to the city's formation, the area of Manning was a swampy region occasionally used by local Iowa (people) for hunting.

In the same year, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad constructed a road across Iowa, south of and parallel to, the Northwest.

In 1969, an unknown saboteur used dynamite to bomb one of the rails and derail the passenger train traveling on the east——west Milwaukee railroad line (presently the Burlington Northern), apparently hoping that it would careen into the Nishnabotna river below.

The crime was never solved; no group claimed responsibility and no motive for the bombing was ever discovered.

37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[12] It was in the Manning Community School District until it merged in to IKM-Manning on July 1, 2011.

[14] The 1948 boys basketball team won the state of Iowa championship under Coach Bill Steneker.

In a game reminiscent of the movie Hoosiers, the small town of Manning defeated the much larger urban school of Davenport by a score of 46–43.

Team members were: Jim Farrell, Louis Bohsack, Richard Geith, Robert Koch, Merlin Rostermundt, Royce Rowedder, Danny Peters, Jerry Knaack, Leland Kienast, Willis Lohmeier, Leroy Kienast.

[15] In 2002, the Manning High School football team won the State of Iowa Class A championship under coach Floyd Forman.

Their season record was 12–1, and they won the final game against Fredericksburg (10–3) by a score of 52–0.