1816 – On Dec. 11, President James Madison signed a Congressional resolution admitting Indiana to the Union as the 19th state. The new state government would be centered in the capital city of Corydon. Jonathan Jennings was elected to be the state’s first governor.
1859 – The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation which created Newton County in the northwestern area of the state. Named for John Newton, a Revolutionary War soldier, it was the last county established in the Hoosier State, making it the 92nd county. The city of Kentland was designated to serve as the county seat of government.
1915 – The Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley, boarded a train to travel to Miami, Fla., where he planned to spend the winter. Newspapers reported that “Indiana’s wintry blasts are too much for him these days, now that his health is not what it was.” Many of his friends gathered at his Indianapolis home on Lockerbie Street to see him off.
1933 – Elmer Layden was appointed the new football coach at the University of Notre Dame. A decade earlier he had been the fullback in the famous “Four Horsemen of Notre Dame” who had played for legendary coach Knute Rockne. His hiring was the result of a shakeup of the coaching staff after a disappointing past season. Newspapers reported Layden’s salary to be $10,000.
1941 – Japanese planes attacked the United States base in Hawaii. This “day of infamy” led to the United States entry into World War II. Hoosiers responded by going into uniform, buying war bonds, going to work in factories, and using ration books to conserve food and fuels. More than 400,000 people from Indiana served in the war. Over 11,000 were killed. Their names are inscribed on stone and bronze tablets on courthouse squares all around the state.
1954 – Santa Claus began his annual visits to the Hoosier State. Always an “early adopter,” he sometimes left his sleigh at the North Pole and arrived by helicopter. That’s how he came to Beech Grove, where he landed at 5th and Main with a gift for every child. As he flew over, he dropped balloons from the sky, each tagged with a card good for a special prize.