March 12 - March 18 This Week in Indiana History

Date:

Sun, 03/12/2023 - 12:01am to Sat, 03/18/2023 - 11:59pm

Indiana Quick Quiz

1. What Indiana University has a Leprechaun mascot?

2. Who brought basketball to Indiana, by introducing it at the YMCA in his hometown, Crawfordsville, in 1892?

3. Born in Gary, who was the first African American woman from Indiana elected to Congress (1982-85), and also introduced the bill making the birthday of Martin Luther King' Jr. a federal holiday?

4. How many miles long on the inside of the traffic lanes is Interstate I-465?

Answers Below

Frank Borman

March 14, 1928 Frank Borman, Commander of Apollo 8, was born in Gary Indiana. Borman and his crew were the first to fly around the moon.

March 15, 1930 Limestone from the Empire Quarry headed for New York City for the construction of the Empire State Building. 18,360 tons of Indiana limestone was used to build the iconic building. The Empire Quarry located between Bloomington and Bedford is not only the most famous but one of the longest and the deepest quarries.

Did You Know???

Limestone is Indiana's official State Stone.

1953 NCAA Champs IU

March 18, 1953 Indiana University beat Kansas 69-68 to win the 15th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. A free throw with twenty seven seconds to go was made by Bob Leonard to win the tournament.

March 18, 1845 Johnny Appleseed dies, at 70. His grave lies at the ‘Johnny Appleseed Park’ in Fort Wayne. Johnny Appleseed [John Chapman], was born on September 26, 1774, in Leominster, Massachusetts. He was a pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.