1834 — Jonathan Jennings died in Charlestown, Ind. The state’s first governor, he had served many years in the United States Congress as a representative of the state and territory. Historian William Wesley Woolen described Jennings as “a man of polished manners, always kind and gentle.”
1856 — Charles Major was born in Indianapolis. His family moved to Shelbyville where he spent the rest of his life as an attorney and novelist. Several of his books became best sellers, including When Knighthood was in Flower and The Bears of Blue River.
1913 — Robert Emhardt was born in Indianapolis. His father, C. J. Emhardt, was an attorney and judge who served briefly as mayor of Indianapolis. Robert enrolled in theater classes at Butler University and began a dramatic career that spanned over 50 years. A familiar character actor, he appeared on stage, in Hollywood movies, and in hundreds of television shows.
1917 — Anna Marie Ridge of Irvington established the first local troop of Girl Scouts after corresponding with national leader Juliette Low. Within two years, there were nine Girl Scout troops in Indianapolis.
1926 — Artist Theodore Clement Steele died at his home, “The House of the Singing Winds,” in Brown County. A member of the “Hoosier Group” of painters, he is famous for his Indiana landscapes and portraits of prominent citizens.
1966 — President Lyndon B. Johnson was in Indianapolis to make a speech at the Athletic Club, noting Indiana’s Sesquicentennial. Later the same day, he was in Vincennes to dedicate the George Rogers Clark Memorial as part of the National Park Service. He was joined by Governor Roger Branigin and Senator Birch Bayh.