1803 – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with their crew, set off down the Ohio River from Clarksville, Ind. Their journey, one of the most famous in American history, took them to the Pacific Ocean and back.
1894 – John Philip Sousa and his 50-member band performed at the English Opera House on the Circle in Indianapolis. Sousa had been conductor of the Marine Band, known as “The President’s Own,” under five Presidents, from Rutherford B. Hayes to Benjamin Harrison. Seats were 75 cents on the main floor, 50 cents in the balcony and 25 cents in the gallery.
1908 – William Howard Taft, running for President on the Republican ticket, spoke at the Grand Theater in Evansville. On the same night, Socialist Party Candidate Eugene V. Debs was speaking at nearby Evans Hall.
1918 – State health officials believed the worst of the influenza epidemic was over. There were several hundred thousand cases in Indiana, resulting in an estimated 10,000 deaths for the year. All public gatherings were banned for the month of October.
1925 – The Union Traction Company introduced 15 new interurban cars to be operated on the Indianapolis–Fort Wayne route. The public was invited to inspect the new all-steel cars which were equipped with the latest conveniences and innovations, including double-cushioned seats and electric lights. Each car was powered by four 125-horsepower electric motors.
1963 – The new Indiana state sales tax went into effect. The two percent tax on most retail purchases was expected to put $300,000 a day into the state’s depleted treasury. The Indiana Supreme Court ordered the tax into effect after considering challenges to the new law.