This week in Indiana’s history …
1858 – The Metropolitan, the first theater in Indianapolis, opened its doors to the public. Located on the northeast corner of Washington and Tennessee streets (now Capitol Avenue), it was described by the newspaper as “the most elegant theater in the West.” For the premiere performance, a cast of 23 actors presented two plays: a drama titled Love’s Sacrifice and a comedy called My Neighbor’s Wife, described as “a laughable farce.”
1881 – Indiana Governor Albert Porter and other state officials traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend the funeral of President James A. Garfield. The President had died from infection caused by an assassin’s bullet. He had been shot in the Washington train station two months earlier. Governor Porter issued a proclamation encouraging the cessation of all business throughout the state on the afternoon of the funeral.
1918 – The first cases of Spanish Influenza were reported in Indianapolis. The health department issued orders effectively closing all schools, theaters, and churches. Many businesses shut down and postal workers were ordered to wear facial masks. The city would have over 6,000 influenza cases over the next two months. Statewide, over 3,200 Hoosiers died from the illness.
1934 – Elfrieda Mais LaPlante was killed while driving a stunt car through a wall of fire at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. Born and raised in Indianapolis, she was billed as the “only woman auto racer in the world.” She had an adventure-filled life as a “wing walker” on airplanes, a race driver, and a stunt car star.
1953 – Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine set a baseball World Series record with 14 strikeouts in one game. He led the team to a win over the New York Yankees by a score of 3 to 2. Erskine, from Anderson, Ind., spent his entire career with the Dodgers from 1948 to 1959. He was the pitching mainstay in winning five National League pennants.
2018 – Governor Eric Holcomb took part in the official commissioning of the new USS Indiana at Cape Canaveral, Fla. A fast-attack submarine, the vessel is powered by a nuclear reactor that can go three decades without refueling. The governor told the service members, “Your crew is a lot bigger than you think … it is 6 million strong because there are 6.6 million Hoosiers who are proud of the USS Indiana.”