1817 – Indiana Governor Jonathan Jennings appointed Isaac Blackford to the State Supreme Court. He was the state’s second Chief Justice and served on the court for a record 35 years. He was called the “Indiana Blackstone” for his eight-volume report on all the early decisions of the court.
1865 – William Herndon arrived in Spencer County to learn more about the life of his law partner, Abraham Lincoln, who had died just five months earlier. Herndon interviewed many of Lincoln’s family and friends, and his research contributed greatly to future biographers of the 16th President.
1890 – Harland Sanders was born near Henryville. The first 65 years of his life saw him in a wide variety of jobs, including farmer, streetcar conductor, soldier, insurance salesman and steamboat operator. He opened a restaurant in Kentucky and developed a recipe for frying chicken in a pressure cooker. That led to his worldwide fame as the Kentucky Colonel of the KFC restaurant empire.
1969 – An Allegheny Airlines DC-9 collided with a small Piper aircraft in the sky over Fairland. Aboard the airliner were 78 passengers and four crew members. All were killed in the crash, as well as the pilot of the Piper Cherokee, which had not been detected by airport radar. As a result of this accident, transponders are now required on most general aviation aircraft.
2001 – Terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in New York City. Within 24 hours, Task Force One from Indianapolis was assisting at Ground Zero. The team, made up of firefighters, dog handlers, and paramedics from Marion County, worked 12-hour shifts around the clock for 10 days. The 9/11 Memorial on West Ohio Street in Indianapolis was dedicated in 2011 to honor those killed in the attack in New York. The memorial includes two 11,000 pound beams from the Twin Towers.
2003 – Indiana Governor Frank O’Bannon suffered a stroke while attending a trade conference at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. He died five days later. An attorney and newspaper publisher from Corydon, O’Bannon had served 18 years in the Indiana Senate. He was also Lieutenant Governor for eight years under Governor Evan Bayh. He was in his second term as Governor when he died.