1861 – Governor Oliver P. Morton sent a telegram to President Abraham Lincoln offering 10,000 Indiana soldiers to help enforce the laws of the United States at the beginning of the Civil War. Governor Morton remained a staunch supporter of Lincoln’s policies all through the war.
1873 – The Indianapolis Public Library opened in a section of the city high school at the corner of Michigan and Pennsylvania streets. The first collection contained 12,000 books.
1912 – The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Over 1,500 died in the tragedy. Of the more than 700 saved, at least three were from Indiana, including Indianapolis resident Ellen Toomey, who returned nine days later to her home on Bates Street.
1925 – The National Convention for the American Association of University Women was held at the Claypool Hotel in Indianapolis. Delegates from across the country came to discuss issues related to women in higher education. The four-day session ended with a motorbus trip to the Indiana University campus, where members met with IU President William Lowe Bryan and visited the campus studio of artist T. C. Steele.
1937 – The Executive Board of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Fabien Sevitzky as conductor. The orchestra soon gained national prominence, attracting large audiences and securing recording contracts with RCA and Capitol Records.
1965 – Sherman Minton died in New Albany. Born in Floyd County, he was a United States Senator before his appointment in 1941 to the U.S. Court of Appeals. In 1948, President Harry Truman nominated him for the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served until his retirement seven years later.