HOOSIER HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS: Ralph Waldo Emerson in Indy

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Hoosier History Highlights

January 27 - February 2

This Week in Indiana History


1863     Philosopher and author Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a lecture at the Masonic Hall in Indianapolis.  The author of Self-Reliance and founder of transcendentalism had been in the city for several days, staying at the Bates House Hotel.  The topic of his talk was "Clubs and Conversation."


USS Indiana

1919     The USS Indiana, which served in the Spanish-American War and World War I, was decommissioned by the Navy.  Another ship bearing the same name served in World War II. The most recent USS Indiana is a nuclear submarine commissioned last year.  


1922     Vice President Calvin Coolidge visited Indianapolis.  He was greeted at Union Station by United States Senator Harry New and Governor Warren McCray.  Coolidge and his wife Grace went to the Columbia Club and the Claypool Hotel, where the Vice President addressed the Republican Editorial Association.  


Electro

1950     Children crowded onto the fifth floor of the L. S. Ayres Department Store in Indianapolis to see "Electro, the Mechanical Man."  Made of metal, standing seven feet tall, and weighing 265 pounds, Electro could talk, understand voice commands, move his arms, and even blow up balloons.  He and his mechanical dog Sparko were built by the Westinghouse Company for an exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.  


1967     A flash fire aboard the Apollo I test capsule took the life of astronaut Gus Grissom from Mitchell, Indiana.  Two fellow astronauts, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, were also killed.  


2000     The African-American Historical Museum opened in Fort Wayne.  It was founded by Hana Stith, a retired school teacher and community leader.  The museum houses the city's largest public collection of African art.  


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Statehouse

INDIANA STATEHOUSE TOUR OFFICE

Indiana Department of Administration

Pictured above:  A detail from a ceramic souvenir plate created around 100 years ago


INDIANA QUICK QUIZ

1.  In relation to all other states, what is Indiana's rank in land area?

a/ 12th  b/  18th  c/ 28th  d/ 38th

2.  Name the novel by Jessamyn West which takes place during the Civil War near Vernon, Indiana.

3.  What restaurant chain was founded by Harland Sanders from Henryville, Indiana?

Answers Below


Signpost

Guided tours of the Indiana Statehouse are offered Monday through Saturday.  Visitors are also welcome to walk through the building on their own.  For more information, go to our website listed at the bottom of this page.
(317) 233-5293
captours@idoa.in.gov

Take a VIRTUAL TOUR of the Statehouse now.  Just click the link below

Statehouse Virtual Tour

Answers:  1.  d/ 38th  2.  Friendly Persuasion  3.  KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken