1901 – The body of former Governor James A. Mount lay in state in the rotunda of the Indiana Statehouse. The 24th Governor of Indiana, Mount had died only two days after leaving office. Thousands paid their respects at the Statehouse. He was later taken to his hometown of Crawfordsville for burial at Oak Hill Cemetery.
1920 – Governor James P. Goodrich called a special session of the Indiana Legislature to ratify the Women’s Suffrage Amendment to the United States Constitution. Indiana was the 26th state to approve the amendment, which became effective nationwide on Aug. 18, 1920. In signing the legislation, Governor Goodrich called it “an act of tardy justice.”
1928 – Marvin Wood was born in Shelby County. At the age of 26, he coached the Milan High School basketball team to a state championship in 1954. The victory was the inspiration for the movie Hoosiers. Wood went on to coach at New Castle, North Central (Indianapolis), and Mishawaka high schools, as well as Bethel and St. Mary’s colleges. His career win/loss record was 329-229.
1949 – The world premiere for Walt Disney’s So Dear to My Heart was held at the Music Hall at Purdue University. Several actors in the movie, including Bobby Driscoll and Burl Ives, were present for the event. The motion picture, with live action and animation, tells of a boy’s life in Pike County, Ind., at the turn of the 20th Century.
2000 – A display case for the Indiana Constitutions was dedicated at the Statehouse. Among those at the rotunda ceremony were Governor Frank O’Bannon, Chief Justice Randall Shepard, and State Senator James Merritt. A special guest was Jacqueline Graham Burton, great-great granddaughter of Jonathan Jennings, the state’s first Governor.
2014 – Two new busts were unveiled at the Indiana Statehouse. One was in honor of James Hinton, the first African American to serve in the Indiana Legislature. The other was in tribute to Julia Carson, the first African American to represent Indianapolis in the United States Congress.