This week in Indiana’s history …
1813 – Corydon became the second capital of the Indiana Territory. The site was moved from Vincennes to be more central to the newly organized territory. Corydon became the state capital when Indiana gained statehood in 1816.
1870 – John T. McCutcheon was born in Tippecanoe County. He graduated from Purdue University and went to work for a Chicago newspaper as a cartoonist. He often illustrated stories by Hoosier humorist George Ade. He started drawing political cartoons in 1896 and became known as the “Dean of Political Cartoonists.” He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for a cartoon dealing with bank failures.
1914 – Indiana Governor Samuel Ralston proclaimed the second Sunday of May to be Mothers’ Day, following the national observance announced by President Woodrow Wilson. In his proclamation, the Governor said, “A mother makes sacrifices that none other would make … she is the dominant factor of the home and the strength of the nation. Her love is the philosophy that shapes the destiny of men.”
1922 – Jack Johnson, former world heavyweight boxing champion, was the star at the Broadway Theater in Indianapolis. For the week, he appeared twice daily on stage as he demonstrated the necessity of self-defense and performed various gymnastic exercises. He played tug of war with audience members and, as the newspaper said, “He always won.” At the time, according to filmmaker Ken Burns, “Jack Johnson was the most famous and most notorious African American on earth.”
1950 – Poet Ogden Nash was in Bedford to speak to a crowd of 700 in the high school gym. He told his audience that he attributed his success to a knack for rhyme and the fact that he writes bad poetry deliberately. Having already published 11 books of verse, he admitted, with tongue in cheek, that “lack of talent is not enough for a successful career. You’ve got to have a chunk of luck.” (In 2002, the United States Post Office honored Nash with a commemorative stamp on the anniversary of his 100th birthday.)
1969 – The Indianapolis News reported that over 1,800 state employees were earning more than $10,000 a year. The large salaries went to an average of one out of 13 persons employed. At the top of the list was the mental health commissioner, earning $35,000. The governor was third on the list with an annual pay of $31,000.