1871 – President Ulysses S. Grant was in Indianapolis for an event at the Academy of Music. He was joined by Indiana Governor Conrad Baker and United States Senator Oliver P. Morton. The Indianapolis News reported that the crowd was so large that many did not gain admission to the auditorium.
1919 – Hoosier leaders were aboard a welcome boat in New York Harbor as 1,800 Indiana soldiers of the 150th Artillery Regiment returned from service in World War I. They came home aboard the S. S. Leviathan, at one time the largest ship in the world. An Indianapolis Star reporter wrote, “There are simply no words to describe the fervor of the welcome accorded these fighting men.”
1925 – An earthquake struck the Wabash Valley in Indiana. Chimneys toppled in Princeton and tremors caused patrons to flee from movie theaters in Evansville. Residents as far away as Indianapolis reported rattling windows and cracked plaster.
1939 – The Crosley Corporation announced plans to manufacture a low-priced automobile in Richmond. The one-seat, three-passenger car would have a wheel base of six feet. It was advertised to go up to 60 mph and travel 50 miles on a gallon of gas. The proposed cost of the little Crosley was $300.
1970 – The first Earth Day was observed around the nation. Hoosiers participated in a variety of ways. Students at Centerville High School, for example, organized a project fair concerning ecology, pollution and conservation. They also presented dramatic skits about environmental issues.
1978 – A Piper Chieftain airplane crashed in a muddy field near Arlington in Rush County. All nine people aboard were killed, including seven officials of the United States Auto Club. The plane had encountered a thunderstorm with hail and 100 mph winds.