 1810 Richard Owen was born in Scotland. His family moved to Indiana where his father established the New Harmony community. Commandant of Camp Morton during the Civil War, Owen was later the state geologist, a professor at Indiana University, and the first president of Purdue University. Pictured: The bust of Richard Owen at the Indiana Statehouse.
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1820 The Indiana General Assembly appointed a committee to select a site for a new state capital. The ten members traveled to the middle of the state and met at the home of William Conner. Each was paid a salary of $2.00 a day plus $2.00 for every 25 miles traveled.
1864 Alvah C. Roebuck was born in Lafayette. As a watchmaker, he joined Richard Warren Sears to create the Sears and Roebuck Department Stores.
1910 A statue of Lew Wallace was unveiled in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol. Wallace, from Crawfordsville, was a Civil War General who later gained fame as an author. His Ben Hur was one of the most popular books of the 19th century. Among those who attended the ceremony in the Capitol were Indiana Governor Thomas Marshall and Poet James Whitcomb Riley. |
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1935 John Wooden and his brother Maurice "Cat" Wooden played for the Indianapolis Kautskys, a professional basketball team, in a game at Butler Fieldhouse. John had played college ball at Purdue, and his brother had played for Franklin College. John went on to make coaching history, winning 10 NCAA championships for UCLA.
1970 Members of Phi Delta Theta at Purdue University were surprised when Astronaut Neil Armstrong walked into the fraternity house and sat down for a chat. Armstrong had gained fame the year before by walking on the moon. A 1955 Purdue grad, he had lived in the Phi Delta Theta House as a student.
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