Indiana Trivia & Tidbits - Page 4

Looking for Indiana trivia? Try our list Indiana little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Frankfort (pop. 16,662) native Will Geer, best known for his role as Grandpa Zeb Walton in the 1970s television show The Waltons, toured the nation during the Depression with folk singers Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie, performing mostly at government work camps.

first appeared: 4/22/2007

—The 1911 bungalow of professional baseball player-turned-evangelist Billy Sunday at Winona Lake (pop. 3,987) has been restored with the family’s original furnishings, while the Billy Sunday Visitors Center chronicles his life.

first appeared: 4/8/2007

—Standing in the heart of Indianapolis is the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, dedicated in 1902 as a tribute to the state’s military men who died in wars before World War I. The limestone monument includes an observation deck that is 284½ feet tall.

first appeared: 3/25/2007

—The nation’s largest manufacturer of push reel mowers is the family-owned American Lawn Mower Co. in Shelbyville (pop. 17,951) with administrative offices in Muncie. The company began making the people-powered mowers in 1895.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

—Civil War hero and Indianapolis attorney Benjamin Harrison ran for governor in 1876 and lost. Harrison, the grandson of President William Henry Harrison, fared better when he ran for president of the United States in 1888 and won, serving from 1889 to 1893.

first appeared: 2/27/2007

—South Whitley (pop. 1,782) toots its horn as home to Fox Products Corp., manufacturer of bassoons, oboes and English horns sold worldwide. Hugo Fox, a bassoonist for the Chicago Symphony, founded the company in 1949.

first appeared: 2/11/2007

—Orleans (pop. 2,273) blooms as the official “Dogwood Capital of Indiana.” The native trees adorn public parks, cemeteries, roads and streets, and star in an annual spring festival.

first appeared: 1/28/2007

Donna, the world’s oldest hippopotamus in captivity, celebrated her 55th birthday in July at Evansville’s Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden.

first appeared: 1/14/2007

—South Whitley (pop. 1,782) is small, but it’s a true party town. Home to Stumps—the world’s largest supplier of prom and party goods—the company makes mascot costumes, parade float kits, rhinestone tiaras, crepe paper and custom banners. Founded in 1926, Stumps changed its name in September to ShindigZ, the World’s Largest Party Superstore.

first appeared: 12/17/2006

—Canned tomato juice was developed in 1928 by Walter Kemp of the Kemp Brothers Canning Co. in Kokomo (pop. 46,113). At the time, Kemp was working to develop baby food at the request of a St. Louis physician.

first appeared: 12/3/2006

—An archaeological dig at Angel Mounds State Historic Site in Evansville uncovered a pottery-making operation used by American Indians who lived in the area from A.D. 1100 to 1450. Pottery tools and masses of unfired clay were excavated earlier this year.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—In 1967, Robert Kearns patented his invention, the intermittent windshield wiper, which pauses between swipes. An eye injury from a flying champagne cork inspired his idea that wipers, like eye blinks, could be occasional. Kearns was born in 1928 in Gary.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—America’s first “union depot” was built in Indianapolis in 1852-53. The term “union” was used because the depot combined and centralized the many independent railroad lines. The Crowne Plaza Hotel is within the station and has 26 authentic Pullman car guest rooms.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

Hulman and Co. of Terre Haute (pop. 59,614), makers of Clabber Girl Baking Powder, opened the Clabber Girl Museum in 2002. Before the 1879 introduction of manufactured leaveners, bakers mixed sour (or clabbered) milk with a form of baking soda. The mixture would release carbon dioxide into the dough, causing it to rise. Manufactured baking powder produced a more consistent and reliable result.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—After a 20-minute struggle, Glen Duesing of Dyer (pop. 13,895) landed the state-record brown trout—29.3 pounds—in April on Lake Michigan near Whiting (pop. 5,137).

first appeared: 10/8/2006

The state has had a bouquet of official state flowers. In 1913, the carnation was adopted, but critics noted it wasn’t native to the state. In 1923, the tulip tree was adopted, but was replaced by the zinnia in 1931. Since 1957, the peony has been the official state flower.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

The jerky driving habits of his lawyer inspired automotive pioneer Ralph Teetor of Hagerstown (pop. 1,768) to invent cruise control, a device he patented in 1945. Teetor was blind and especially sensitive to the stop-and-go motion of cars.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

Since 1839, farmers have been selling their vegetables at the Lafayette (pop. 56,397) Farmers Market, the oldest continuously running farmers market in the state. Fresh produce, baked goods and flowers are sold from May through October.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

Founded in 1904, Colonial Brick in Cayuga (pop. 1,109) no longer needs mules, but still uses its original equipment, including coal-fired beehive kilns. For restoration projects, the company duplicates bricks made 100 years ago.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

In the 1800s, the original 100-foot-wide streets in Centerville (pop. 2,427) were narrowed to 65 feet to allow additional building. Owners added to the fronts of their buildings and built archways, now the town's architectural treasures, to reach the original buildings.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.