1847 – Samuel Henderson was elected the first mayor of Indianapolis. A member of the Whig Party, he served a two-year term. A citizen at the time wrote that Henderson served with “much dignity and satisfaction to the public.”
1865 – The side-wheeler steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn. The boat, built to carry 376 passengers, was vastly overloaded with paroled Civil War prisoners of war. Many of the over 1,700 who died were from Indiana.
1937 – The Tom Mix Circus arrived in Richmond, led by the famous movie cowboy and Tony, his “Wonder Horse.” The show included cowboys, cowgirls, rough riders, dancing horses, elephants, clowns and the “Flying Arbaughs” acrobatic team.
1943 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in Evansville to tour the Republic airplane factory. He was escorted through the plant and rode around the grounds in an open-air car. Workers presented him with a replica model of the P-47 “Thunderbolt” fighter plane which was being built at the facility.
1970 – Herb Shriner and his wife Eileen were killed in an automobile accident in Florida. Shriner was famous for his homespun humor about living in Indiana. His monologues were accompanied by his harmonica.
2010 – Lin Dunn was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. The NBA Indiana Fever coach had previously led Purdue to three Big Ten titles, four Sweet Sixteen appearances and the 1994 Final Four. In 2014, she was welcomed into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.