This week in Indiana’s history …
1917 – Lillian Thomas Fox died in Indianapolis. Hired by the Indianapolis News in 1900, she was the first African-American to write for a white newspaper in Indiana. A leader in the community, she was co-founder of the Indianapolis Women’s Improvement Club and a life-long activist for positive social change.
1943 – As a World War II “home front” effort, the Indiana Bell Telephone Company ran newspaper ads asking customers to refrain from using long-distance lines between the hours of 7 and 10 p.m. There was a need to keep circuits open for American servicemen overseas who wanted to call home. “He can’t telephone any old time,” the ad said. “His days are pretty well filled.”
1964 – The Beatles, on their first wave of popularity in the United States, appeared live at the Indiana State Fair. They performed in two sold-out shows, one in the afternoon in the Coliseum and one that evening in front of the grandstand. The “Fab Four” had slept the night before at the Speedway Motel.
1983 – The first episode of season 2 of “The Joy of Painting” was broadcast on public broadcasting stations across the country. The show, featuring popular artist Bob Ross, was produced at WIPB in Muncie, operated by Ball State University. Ross would continue to record his programs there until the end of the series in 1994.
1999 – Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new Indiana State Museum in White River State Park in Indianapolis. To turn the first soil for the building, Governor Frank O’Bannon and First Lady Judy O’Bannon were assisted by fourth graders from Columbus, Terre Haute, Hammond, Muncie and Indianapolis. They were chosen because it is in the fourth grade that students study Indiana history. The museum opened in May 2002.
2005 – President George W. Bush nominated John Roberts to serve as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Born in New York, Roberts moved with his family to Long Beach, Ind., when he was age 10. He attended Notre Dame Elementary School in Michigan City and La Lumiere School in La Porte, where he was captain of the football team and graduated first in his class.