1848 – Paris Dunning became the ninth governor of Indiana when James Whitcomb resigned the office to go to the United States Senate. Dunning is the only person in state history to hold the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, state senator, president pro-tempore of the senate, and state representative.
1861 – John Wilkes Booth opened a six-day engagement at the Metropolitan Theater in Indianapolis. Called the “celebrated tragedian,” he played six roles in a Shakespeare festival that included Macbeth, Hamlet, and Richard III. Considered the first professional theater in the city, the Metropolitan stood on the northeast corner of Washington and Tennessee (now Capitol) Streets.
1927 – The Walker Theater opened in Indianapolis. Designed by the architectural firm of Rubush and Hunter, the building had a pipe organ, ballroom, and offices for the Madam C. J. Walker Cosmetics Company. A fine example of African Art Deco, the theater is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a cultural center for the city.
1930 – The Purdue University Research Foundation was established. It was the invention of David E. Ross, who was from Brookston. He had become interested in machinery when he visited the engine room while on a steamboat ride. He graduated from Purdue in 1893 as a mechanical engineer. Ross and Josiah K. Lilly each gave $25,000 in starter money to the foundation.
1957 – Singer Bobby Helms from Martinsville ended a highly successful year in his career with the release of “Jingle Bell Rock.” The song became an instant hit, along with “My Special Angel,” another big song for Helms in a year he also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1977 – Starting in the final three days of December, Indiana weather turned dramatically cold. Temperatures would stay below freezing for over 880 hours or 35 days. During this time, a historic blizzard paralyzed the state in January of 1978.