1873 – Author Harriet Beecher Stowe appeared on stage at the Academy of Music in Indianapolis. She gave readings from her many books, including her most famous, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Reserved seats for the program were 50 cents, 75 cents, and one dollar. Stowe’s brother, Henry Ward Beecher, had previously served as pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in the city.
1907 – A powerful explosion at the DuPont Powder Mill in Fontanet, Ind., killed 30 people and injured hundreds more. The Indianapolis News declared, “The town is practically wiped out. Not a building stands intact.” It was reported that 65,000 kegs of blasting powder had detonated, causing a blast heard 200 miles away. Indiana Governor J. Frank Hanly came to the Vigo County town and activated the National Guard to help with the disaster.
1916 – President Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith came to Indianapolis to participate in Indiana’s Centennial Celebration, marking the state’s entry into the Union in 1816. He spoke at the Claypool Hotel before riding in a cavalcade through the city, around the Circle, and up to the state fairgrounds where he gave a major address. He was welcomed by Indiana Governor Samuel Ralston and Indianapolis Mayor Joseph Bell.
1949 – Sherman Minton was confirmed by the Senate to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Nominated by President Harry Truman, Minton was from Floyd County and had served in the United States Senate. He earned his law degree from Indiana University, where his classmates included future governor Paul V. McNutt and future presidential candidate Wendell Willkie. Minton served on the Supreme Court until 1956.
1965 – The Indianapolis Times ceased publication after 87 years. The daily newspaper began in 1878 as The Sun, the “only one-cent newspaper in Indiana.” The nameplate was changed to The Indianapolis Times in 1922 under the ownership of the Scripps-Howard Company. Known as a “crusading paper,” the Times won a Pulitzer Prize in 1928 for its investigation into government corruption involving the Ku Klux Klan.
1983 – Actor Leon Ames died in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Born Leon Wycoff in Portland, Ind., he and his family also lived in Kokomo, LaGrange and Delphi, where he graduated from high school. An interest in theater took him to Hollywood, where he adopted his mother’s maiden name for the screen. His acting career covered a span of 50 years with roles in 158 movies and TV shows. One of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild, he is best known for starring roles in “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Life with Father.” He also appeared in scores of TV shows, including “Bewitched,” “My Three Sons,” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”