by Curt Kovener
Maybe you are a life-long Hoosier; maybe you are a recent immigrant to Indiana but you should enjoy knowing more about the state in which we live. (No, not the state of confusion!)
•Nearby Bedford is known as the Limestone Capital on the World.” Admired for its lights color and ease of cutting, Indiana limestone has been used in the construction of the Empire State Building, the Pentagon (both originally and after the 9/11 attacks), National Cathedral, US Treasury, and 14 state capitols.
•Elvis Presley performed his last concert in Indianapolis at the now razed Market Square Area. Presley died three months after that last concert.
•The very first goldfish farm was in Martinsville beginning in 1899.
•Those classic Raggedy Ann dolls were first created by Johnny Gruelle of Indianapolis in 1914.
•Indiana has earned the nickname ‘Mother of Vice Presidents’. Six of the nation’s #2 leaders were from the Hoosier state: Schuyler Colfax, Thomas A. Hendricks, Charles W. Fairbanks, Thomas Marshall, Dan Quayle and current VP Mike Pence.
•Those iconic Coca-Cola bottle shapes were designed in Terre Haute.
•Wabash, Indiana was the first electrically lighted city in the world. Charles F. Brush tested his ‘Brush Light’ on March 31, 1880 in the city of Wabash. The glow at night was visible from a mile away and about 10,000 citizens witnessed the electrical first.
•From 1805-1813 the capital of the Indiana territory was Vincennes. The capital was moved to Corydon from 1813-125 and Indianapolis became the state capital on Jan. 12, 1825.
•The debut of singer Frank Sinatra was in Indianapolis at the Lyric Theatre on Feb. 2, 1940.
•The first rapid fire gun was patented by Hoosier Richard Gatling. Aim it & turn a crank, it was known as the Gatling gun.
•The first State Park was at McCormick’s Creek.
•Tomato juice was first served at the French Lick Hotel.
•The first automatic headlight dimmer was developed in Anderson in 1952.
•The world’s first theme park was opened on August 3, 1946 in Santa Claus, Indiana. It is now known as Holiday World.
•The first transistor radio was made in Indianapolis.
•90% of the popcorn in the world is grown in Indiana.
•The first professional daytime baseball game was played in Fort Wayne in 1871. Fort Wayne also hosted the first night time game in 1883.
•Movie star Clark Gable honeymooned at Barbee Lake in Kosciusko County.
•From 1900 to 1920 more than 200 different makes of cars were produced in Indiana.
• Indiana’s first major railroad was completed in 1847 and linked the river port of Madison with Indianapolis.
