In 2021 I wrote about the history of Cinco de Mayo in the United States which led to my discovery of the first documented celebration in Indiana in the early 20th Century, decades before the American commercial popularization of this holiday that we all know of today. On May 9, 1910 the Indianapolis Star published […]
I think many would agree that the worst part of the beginning of any school year, club gathering, or conference breakout group is the dreaded icebreaker. It’s always just a little awkward to on-the-spot conjure a fun fact about oneself. Fortunately for me, I have a fun-fact ready to go. My fun fact is that […]
From hosting viewing parties to welcoming the millions of visitors expected to travel to the state, Hoosiers are preparing for the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. However, April 8 will not be Indiana’s first “day in the sun,” so to speak, in regard to solar eclipses. Indiana has been in the path for […]
What do Elvis, gravestones, Frank Dudley, and basketball have in common? Well, they all helped to shape pieces of Indiana history. And they all are explored in the Indiana Historical Society’s podcast Unbound: A Collection of Indiana Stories. If you have been listening, then you know that we have covered all these topics and more. […]
Continuing our National Days series, the month of March is filled with quirky, delightful, and interesting days. You can check out this month’s exhaustive list at nationaldaycalendar.com, the calendar which we are referring to for this series. Some National Days are fun and exciting, while others are not quite so. March 6 is National Dentist’s […]
Some surnames are common while others are rarer or nonexistent within our collections. When looking into names for my colleague Regan, I had four last names to search. One was very common, one was almost impossible to locate (due to similarities with standard words), and one was not found in our collection. The last, Hutchinson, […]
INDIANAPOLIS (March 18, 2024) — The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) proudly announces students have been selected to advance to the National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) State Contest after a successful Central region contest on Saturday, March 16. The contest included students from Hamilton, Marion and Monroe counties. Approximately 265 students took part in Saturday’s […]
While April showers may bring May flowers, March has been dubbed National Umbrella Month. It’s unclear why Thomas Edward Knibb, the founder of the celebration back in 2003, selected March, but it is thought that it had to do with ensuring you were prepared for the rainy season with the proper gear. In Indiana, and […]
While researching the IHS collections for a new library exhibit on fashion history, I stumbled upon a set of black-and-white photographs from the 1930s to early 1950s. The images show girls at the Indiana State Fair modeling their handmade garments for the 4-H Club’s Dress Revue. Dress categories include summer, winter, wool school, cotton school, […]
INDIANAPOLIS (March 11, 2024) — The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) proudly announces students have been selected to advance to the National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) State Contest after a successful Northwest region contest on Saturday, March 9. The contest included students from Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Marshall and St. Joseph counties. Approximately 300 students took […]
