May 23 – May 29The Week in Indiana History |
||||||||||||||||||
1. The first Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was run in what year?     a/1901 b/1911 c/1921 d/1931 2. The first winner was a/ Wilbur Shaw b/ Louis Meyer c/ Gaston Chevrolet d/ Ray Harroun 3. One lap around the track equals a/ 1 mile b/ 1.5 miles c/ 2 miles d/ 2.5 miles Answers Below
“Gentlemen, start your engines!” – – – Tony Hulman (1901-1977) A businessman from Terre Haute, Hulman purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made it one of the most famous racetracks in the world.
Did You Know?  Janet Guthrie, born in Iowa, was the first woman to qualify and compete in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. She earned a starting spot in 1977, the same year she was named “Top Rookie” in the Daytona 500. She competed in two more Indy 500 races.  She finished ninth in 1978. In 1979, she was forced out with engine trouble.  A physics major at the University of Michigan, she became a flight instructor and aerospace engineer. She is a charter member in the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, and her helmet and driver’s suit are now at the Smithsonian Institution.
ANSWERS: 1. b/ 1911 2. d/ Ray Harroun 3. d/ 2.5 miles
|
||||||||||||||||||
1875   Fred Jewell was born in Worthington, Indiana. At age 16, he joined a circus band, playing the baritone horn. He rose to become bandmaster of the famed Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus. A prolific composer, he wrote circus songs known as “screamers” as well as scores of marches, which earned him the title “Indiana’s March King.” He later directed the Worthington High School Band as well as the acclaimed Indianapolis Murat Temple Shrine Band.
1927   The “Spirit of the American Doughboy” statue was unveiled in front of the Owen County Courthouse in Spencer. On hand was sculptor Ernest M. Viquesney, a resident of Spencer. His creation proved to be highly popular in the post-World War I era. At one time, there were as many as 300 of the statues across America. Approximately 140 of them are still standing, including at least 10 in Indiana.
1951   A C-124 Globemaster airplane crashed in a field near New Castle. In the experimental flight from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, two of the four propellers of the huge aircraft reversed pitch, causing the disaster. Seven of the 12 on board were killed.
