This coming week in Indiana’s history…
1880 – The dome of the Wabash County Courthouse was fitted with large arc lights by the Brush Electric Company. With the throw of a switch, the city of Wabash became the “first electrically lighted city in the world.” Newspapers reported that the brilliant illumination could be seen nearly a mile away.
1896 – Jeannette Covert Nolan was born in Evansville. Starting out as a newspaper reporter, she became a popular author of children’s books about American history. She was on the staff at Indiana University and is honored in the IU Writers’ Conference Hall of Fame.
1918 – The Prohibition Law went into effect in Indiana. Over 3,500 bars and taverns were closed in the Hoosier State, including over 500 in the capital city. Prohibition was declared nationwide in 1920 and remained in effect until December of 1933.
1923 – Silent movie star Rudolph Valentino was in Indianapolis at Tomlinson Hall to judge a contest to find “the most beautiful girl” in the city. The winner, 25-year-old Gypsie Williams, was given a free trip to New York City and an appearance in the movie “Rudolph Valentino and his 88 American Beauties.”
1924 – Gil Hodges was born in Princeton, Ind. When he was 7, his family moved about 24 miles north to Petersburg. Gil earned fame as a baseball player in the 1950s and 1960s, spending most of his career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. He later managed the Washington Senators and the New York Mets.
1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, in Indianapolis on a campaign tour, announced the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to a crowd at 17th and Broadway. His impassioned plea for peace on that night is considered one of the greatest addresses of the 20th Century. The Library of Congress recently added the recording of the speech to the National Registry.