Hoosier History Highlights: May 29 - June 4

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This Week in Indiana History

1900 - Catharine Merrill died in Indianapolis. As a child, she had traveled by ox wagon with her father, State Treasurer Samuel Merrill, as he moved the state treasury from Corydon to Indianapolis. Trained as a nurse, she tended to soldiers at Camp Morton during the Civil War. She befriended and cared for naturalist John Muir when he was injured while living in Indianapolis. In later years, she was a professor at Northwestern Christian University, now known as Butler University.

1917 - The Indiana State Banner, designed by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, was officially adopted by the Indiana General Assembly. Hadley’s design won a competition sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The banner was designated as the State Flag in 1955.

100 Years Ago

1922 - Dedication ceremonies were held for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C. The interior walls and columns of the memorial were formed from Indiana limestone. In attendance at the dedication were delegates from Indiana, appointed by Governor Warren McCray. The group included former Governor Winfield T. Durbin, Colonel David Foster of Fort Wayne, Thomas Springer from Sullivan, John Higgins of Kentland, and Daniel Mustard from Anderson. Among those participating in the ceremony were President Warren G. Harding and Robert Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln.

1961 - Indiana artist Eugene Savage was commissioned to create a Statehouse mural for the House of Representatives. The "Spirit of Indiana" was completed in 1964 at a cost of $40,000.

50 Years Ago

1972 - Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, gave the commencement address at Butler University. He told the school’s 116th graduating class that “there is no absolute truth; it is what stands the test of experience that is truth.” At the time of his speech, it had been less than three years since Armstrong had taken “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

2005 - Danica Patrick became the first female driver to take the lead in the Indianapolis 500-mile race. The 23-year-old had qualified to start on the inside of the second row. She led the race three times for a total of 19 laps and finished fourth behind winner Dan Wheldon, Vitor Meira, and Bryan Herta. She was honored as Rookie of the Year. It was exactly 28 years before on May 29, 1977, that Janet Guthrie had become the first woman to drive in the Indy 500.

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HOOSIER QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Hi, Mom! Wasn’t that swell?”

- - - Wilbur Shaw, May 30, 1940, when he saw his mother in the crowd after he had won the Indianapolis 500 for the third time.

Wilbur Shaw (1902 - 1954) was born in Shelbyville. He was a skilled racing driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1937, 1939, and 1940. After he convinced Terre Haute businessman Tony Hulman to buy the track in 1945, Hulman made him the president of the Speedway.

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Indiana quick quiz

1. What is Indiana’s official state bird?

2. What is the official state flower?

3. What is the official state tree?

4. What is the official state insect?

5. What is the official state fossil?

Answer

1. Cardinal; 2. Peony; 3. Tulip Poplar; 4. Say's Firefly; 5. Mastodon

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Did You Know?

The Lincoln Memorial is just one of many buildings in the United States constructed with Indiana limestone. Known as the "nation’s building stone," Indiana limestone was formed 300 million years ago. Its consistent color and workability have made it the top choice for architects. In addition to the Lincoln Memorial, it has been used to build many famous and iconic structures, including the Pentagon, the National Cathedral, the Holocaust Museum, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Biltmore Estate, and numerous county courthouses and state capitol buildings throughout the country. The limestone belt is in south central Indiana, between Bloomington and Bedford.

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hoosier History Highlights: May 29 - June 4