This coming week in Indiana’s history …
1821 – The United States Congress approved the construction of roads in Indiana. Routes would connect Indianapolis to Brookville, Brownstown, Vernon, Richmond and Connersville. Other new roads were proposed from Lawrenceburg to Aurora and from Hanover to Rising Sun and Versailles.
1905 – Indiana began the first statewide registration of motor vehicles. For a fee of $1, the owner was given a two-inch diameter disc with registration number to be hung on the dashboard of the vehicle.
1931 – The tulip tree was adopted as the official state tree of Indiana. Also known as the yellow poplar, the tree is tall and straight and can grow to over 100 feet. Its soft white wood has many uses. The tree was a favorite among Hoosier pioneers. The distinctive tulip-shaped leaf decorates the border of the Indiana State Seal.
1933 – Virginia Jenckes from Terre Haute became the first woman from Indiana to serve in the United States House of Representatives. She was an energetic advocate for women and strongly supported flood-control legislation and the repeal of prohibition. After serving three terms, she remained in Washington to work for the Red Cross, where she helped create the nation’s first blood bank.
1955 – Indiana Governor George Craig made the cover of Time Magazine. He was described as the “swift-footed, swashbuckling lawyer politician at the Crossroads of America.” His administration initiated an extensive highway program which widened highways and replaced many narrow bridges.
1996 – Hermine “Miep” Gies was the special guest of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. She was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II. It was Miep who retrieved the scattered pages of Anne’s diary. They were later assembled into a book which has become a classic of world literature.