1861 – Henry Smith Lane took the oath as Governor of Indiana. He served only two days before resigning to go to the United States Senate. Lieutenant Governor Oliver P. Morton assumed the position of chief executive.
1890 – Elmer Davis was born in Aurora. He was a reporter for the New York Times and later became a famous radio network newscaster. During World War II, he served as head of the Office of War Information.
1905 – Dedication ceremonies were held for the Sullivan Public Library. The local women’s club had been awarded $10,000 by Andrew Carnegie for the construction of the building, which features a domed tower. The initial collection included 1,222 books.
1920 – Governor James P. Goodrich called a special session of the Indiana Legislature to ratify the Women’s Suffrage Amendment of the United States Constitution. Indiana was the 26th state to approve this, the 19th Amendment, which became effective nationwide in August of 1920.
1942 – Actress Carole Lombard attended a war bond rally in Indianapolis. The popular movie star, born in Fort Wayne, joined Governor Henry Schricker in ceremonies at the Statehouse. On the flight back home to California, the actress and 21 others were killed when their plane crashed into the side of a mountain in Nevada.
2000 – A new display case for the Indiana Constitutions was dedicated in the rotunda of the Statehouse. Among those at the ceremony were Governor Frank O’Bannon, Chief Justice Randall Shepard, State Senator Jim Merritt, and Jacqueline Graham Burton, great-great-granddaughter of Jonathan Jennings, the state’s first governor.