1859 – Heavy rains caused the collapse of a railroad bridge near South Bend. The Night Express train traveling from Chicago to Toledo plunged into the water. Of the 150 people aboard, approximately 60 were killed and many more injured. Citizens of South Bend and Mishawaka were alerted to the accident by church bells rung in the middle of the night and many came to help in the disaster.
1892 – John W. Foster was appointed United States Secretary of State by President Benjamin Harrison. Foster was born in Petersburg, Ind., and attended Indiana University and Harvard Law School. His son-in-law, Robert Lansing, served as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson, and his grandson, John Foster Dulles, was Secretary of State under Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1933 – Indiana voted to ratify the 21st amendment which repealed the 18th amendment and ended national prohibition. Indiana became the seventh state to vote in favor of the 21st when the 329 delegates met at the Statehouse. 246 of them voted for ratification. The 18th amendment was officially repealed by the United States Congress in December of 1933.
1937 – The last radio contact was made by Amelia Earhart, who was flying a twin engine Lockheed Electra owned by Purdue University. She was over the Pacific Ocean during her attempt to become to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. She had served as a Purdue career counselor and adviser to the school’s Department of Aeronautics.
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. The western star was in town with his Thrill Circus, which was appearing at Victory Field.
1972 – Governor Edgar D. Whitcomb joined over 1,000 others for the official opening of the final link of Interstate 65. The 30-mile section opened at Taylorsville. It became the longest stretch of interstate highway in Indiana, extending 266 miles from Gary to Jeffersonville. Many city officials attended the ceremony, including those from Franklin, New Albany, Clarksville, Scottsburg, Seymour, Madison, and Greenwood. The last leg of the interstate was finished three months ahead of schedule at a cost of about $1.2 million per mile, 90 percent of which was covered by federal funds.