1862 – Governor Oliver P. Morton traveled to Fort Donelson in Tennessee to visit Indiana soldiers who had participated in a Union victory there. He met with General Alvin Hovey of the 24th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Hovey would go on to become the state’s 21st Governor in 1889.
1885 – United States President Chester Arthur led dedication ceremonies for the Washington Monument. To represent Indiana, Governor Albert Porter had appointed Colonel R. W. McBride from Waterloo in DeKalb County. At the time, the 555-foot monument was the tallest structure in the world.
1892 – James F. Hanley was born in Rensselaer. He became a popular songwriter for the Broadway stage. In 1917, he published “Back Home Again in Indiana.” Among his many other hit songs were “Second Hand Rose,” “Dreams for Sale” and “Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart.”
1922 – 24-year-old Marian Anderson was the featured singer in a program at the Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. She was at the beginning of a long career in which she gained international fame and broke down racial barriers in the arts. She was the first African American singer to perform at the New York Metropolitan Opera and the White House.
1925 – An explosion at the City Coal Mine in Sullivan killed 51 miners. Governor Ed Jackson sent National Guard units to help in the disaster. As a result of the tragedy, the legislature established stricter regulations for Indiana mines.
1940 – In Rochester, fire swept through the winter headquarters of the Cole Brothers Circus. Many animals were killed, including an elephant, lions, tigers, leopards, a hippopotamus and over 100 monkeys. For several hours after the fire, elephants, camels and other circus animals roamed the area.