1880 — A 10-ton block of limestone was laid as the cornerstone of the new Indiana Statehouse. The ceremony included a speech from Governor James “Bluejeans” Williams and a reading by poet Sarah Bolton. The building officially opened eight years later.
1881 — Indiana Governor Albert Porter and other state officials traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend the funeral of President James A. Garfield. The President had been shot by an assassin in a Washington train station.
1906 — Indianapolis Police Chief Robert Metzger announced a new system of regulating automobile traffic in the city. Two bicycle officers, in plain clothes, would mark chalk lines on the street and use stop watches to catch drivers who were exceeding the 8 mph speed limit.
1933 — A major jail break took place at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Ten men, led by notorious bank robber Harry Pierpont, overcame guards with guns reportedly supplied by John Dillinger. The gang went on a crime spree for the next several months, robbing banks in Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.
1934 — Elfrieda Mais LaPlante was killed while driving her stunt car through a wall of fire at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. Born and raised in Indianapolis, she was billed as “the only woman auto racer in the world.” She had an adventure-filled life as a “wing walker” on airplanes, a race driver and a stunt car star.
1952 — Over 50,000 people lined the streets of Indianapolis to greet Presidential Candidate Adlai Stevenson. The motorcade made a brief stop on Indiana Avenue where Stevenson spoke to the crowd. He later gave a major address at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum. He had spoken in Evansville earlier in the day.