1890 – The statue of Thomas A. Hendricks was unveiled in a grand ceremony on the southeast corner of the Indiana Statehouse grounds. Hendricks, who had been Governor of Indiana from 1873-1877, died in 1885 while serving as Vice President of the United States. Indiana Governor Alvin Hovey welcomed thousands to the ceremony, including New York Governor David B. Hill, Missouri Governor David R. Francis and Ohio Governor James E. Campbell.
1916 – McCormick’s Creek was dedicated as Indiana’s first state park. Governor Samuel Ralston spoke at the Fourth of July ceremony. The park was named for John McCormick, an early settler who had lived along the canyon by the waterfall.
1923 – Famed orator and politician William Jennings Bryan visited the Gennett Record Company in Richmond. He recorded excerpts of his famous “Cross of Gold” speech, which he had delivered many times around the nation.
1935 – Movie Actress Irene Dunne, who grew up in Madison, was named one of the world’s 10 greatest contemporary ladies. Others on the list, compiled by famous columnist Elsa Maxwell, included Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Roberta Brooke Astor and the Marchioness of Carisbrooke.
1947 – Cowboy movie star Roy Rogers called on Governor Ralph Gates at the Indiana Statehouse. The governor stepped outside to meet the cowboy’s famous horse Trigger, who entertained the Chief Executive with a few of the tricks he often performed on the silver screen.
1965 – The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo opened on five and a half acres in Franke Park. Over 6,000 people came on the first day to see the 18 animal exhibits. Today the zoo has more than 1,500 animals, including kangaroos, giraffes, hyenas, zebras and more.