1862 – In the Civil War, the 44th Indiana Volunteer Infantry fought at the Battle of Shiloh in southeastern Tennessee. In the two-day battle, nearly half the men in the unit suffered casualties, with 34 killed and 177 wounded. The regiment, nicknamed “The Iron Forty-Fourth,” was comprised of soldiers from Steuben, Allen, Kosciusko, Noble, Whitley, DeKalb, LaGrange, and Elkhart counties.
1912 – Eliza Blaker was guest speaker at Roberts Park Church in Indianapolis. She talked about schools and said, “A teacher must have high ideals and always be a student of child nature.” A pioneer in public education, she served as superintendent of the city’s first free kindergarten system. She also established a teacher’s college which later became part of Butler University.
1927 – Author Meredith Nicholson led ceremonies in observance of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lew Wallace. A large crowd gathered in the Crawfordsville High School auditorium as honors were paid to the Civil War General who also wrote Ben Hur and other best-selling novels. Nicholson said Wallace was “erect, soldierly, and impressive in appearance … scrupulously honest and uncompromising with wrong.”
1949 – One of the nation’s most popular radio programs was broadcast live from the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis. “Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour” featured a variety of local talent, including the “Continental Four” from Washington High School, Dennis Thompson and the Wabash Valley Boys, and the “Rhythm Rascals.” The winners of the competition were the Harris Triplets from Muncie. The three eight-year-old boys were flown to New York City where they sang on Mack’s Sunday night television show.
1959 – The nation’s first astronauts were introduced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA.) All military pilots, they were selected to take part in Project Mercury, America’s first manned space program. Introduced to the press were Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, John H. Glenn, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Donald Slayton. Grissom was from Mitchell, and was a graduate of Purdue University.
1990 – Ryan White died at age 18. An AIDS patient, his courageous struggle for acceptance gained national attention. He was befriended by many, including President Ronald Reagan, Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Bobby Knight, and John Mellencamp. Thousands attended his funeral at the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. There were nearly 200 cars in the funeral procession that led to the Cicero Cemetery in Hamilton County.