1855 – The Clionian Society was formed in Vernon. It was most likely the first women’s club in Indiana. According to early documents, the purpose of the organization was the “mutual improvement of its members.”
1902 – Jessamyn West was born in North Vernon. At the age of six, her family moved to California where she graduated from Whittier College. She was a teacher and writer. Her best-known book, “The Friendly Persuasion,” was based upon Quaker life in Jennings County during the Civil War. She once said, “Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures.”
1936 – The Indianapolis Star reported over 200 Indiana deaths as a result of oppressive heat. Temperatures topped 100 for 11 consecutive days. Collegeville reported 116 degrees, the highest ever recorded by the Weather Bureau. Rensselaer, Bloomington, Bedford and Frankfort each reached 110.
1953 – The Lone Ranger and Tonto, stars of radio and television, came to Indianapolis for the Police Athletic League Circus at the old Victory Field. The popular duo greeted many of their young fans, including those at Riley Hospital for Children.
1997 – Space Shuttle Columbia landed at Kennedy Space Center. On board was astronaut Janice E. Voss from South Bend. In five missions, she logged 18.8 million miles in space, circling the earth 779 times. A Purdue graduate, she became interested in space at the age of 12. She was visiting her grandparents in Jefferson County when she read “A Wrinkle in Time” from the Madison Public Library. The book sparked a life-long interest in science.
2005 – John G. Roberts was nominated for the United States Supreme Court by President George W. Bush. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Roberts moved with his family to Long Beach, Ind., when he was in the fourth grade. He graduated from La Lumiere School in La Porte before going to Harvard.