1816 — The first Indiana State Constitution was adopted by the legislature in the capital city of Corydon. The 43 delegates had met for nearly three weeks to create the document which was an integral step to statehood.
1892 — John W. Foster was appointed United States Secretary of State by President Benjamin Harrison. Foster was born in Petersburg, Ind., and attended Indiana University and Harvard Law School. His son-in-law, Robert Lansing, served as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson and his grandson, John Foster Dulles, was Secretary of State under Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1913 — The Bowen-Merrill Company in Indianapolis published the latest volume of poetry by James Whitcomb Riley. Titled “An Old Sweetheart of Mine,” the book sold 100,000 copies the first day. Riley, who lived on Lockerbie Street, was a highly popular author and one of the most famous people of his time.
1929— Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh landed his blue and gold Falcon biplane at the Indianapolis airport at Mars Hill. The famous aviator was on an inspection tour of U.S. landing fields. He and Anne Morrow, his bride of a few weeks, stayed at the Hotel Lincoln. The next day they were luncheon guests of Governor and Mrs. Harry G. Leslie at the Governor’s Residence.
1942 — The U.S. Navy opened the Bunker Hill Naval Air Station in Miami County. In 1954, it became the Bunker Hill Air Force Base. In 1968, the base was named in honor of Colonel Virgil “Gus” Grissom.
1943 — Zilthia Mae Jimison was born in Indianapolis. She attended Indiana State University and Ohio State Law School. She became the first African-American woman to serve on the Marion County Superior Court. She served on the city council and, in 1995, was a candidate for mayor. She established the drug treatment court and was active in many non-profit organizations.