170 Amazing Facts About Indiana

170 Interesting Facts About Indiana

Lake Monroe is the largest lake in the state.
More than half of the farming in Indiana is done within 75 miles of Indianapolis.
Because of its central location, Indianapolis has a great commercial advantage. And this is the reason why it was selected as the site of the state capital.
Did you know that natural gas was discovered in Indiana in Delaware County in 1876?
The first settlers of Indiana were French Catholics at Vincennes?
The first Union Station was built here in Indianapolis and was opened on September 20, 1853?
Before Indianapolis, until 1825, Corydon was the capital of Indiana.
Columbus is located just 40 miles south of Indianapolis and 70 miles north of Louisville.
In Fort Wayne, Syvanus F. Bower designed the world’s first practical gasoline pump.
Indianapolis grocer Gilbert Van Camp discovered his customers enjoyed an old family recipe for pork and beans in tomato sauce. He opened up a canning company and Van Camp’s Pork and Beans became an American staple.
Muncie’s Ball State University was built mostly from funds contributed by the founders of the Ball Corporation, a company than made glass canning jars.
Thomas Hendricks, a Democrat from Shelbyville, served Indiana as a United States Senator, a United States representative, governor, and as Vice President under Grover Cleveland. Indiana has been the home of 5 vice presidents and one president.
Peru Indiana was once known as the “Circus Capital of America”.
Indiana University’s greatest swimmer was Mark Spitz, who won 7 gold medals in the 1972 Olympic games. No other athlete has won so many gold medals in a single year.
In 1934 Chicago Gangster John Dillinger escaped the Lake Country Jail in Crown Point by using a “pistol” he had carved from a wooden block.
Before Indianapolis, Corydon served as the state’s capitol from 1816-1825. Vincennes was the capital when Indiana was a territory.
Long before Hollywood and the music industry got a hold of the Jackson 5, as well as the King of Pop, the siblings with their stepping and soulful voices found their beginnings in the small town of Gary, IN. Indiana Facts
No other county anywhere in Indiana, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, has more covered bridges than Historic Parke County. There are 32 of those covered bridges in the county alone. That's actually why Indiana's considered the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World." Indiana Facts
We wouldn't be able to pump gas into our cars if it wasn't for Syvanus F. Bower over in Fort Wayne, IN. He was the inventor of the world's first real gasoline pump.
If it wasn't for Indiana, New York's Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Pentagon, the U.S. Treasury, and many other buildings right in Washington D.C. would never exist. 14 state capitols would never be erected either, all because Indiana's home to a sea of limestone deep below the earth. It happens to have one of the richest deposits of that type of stone found anywhere on the planet.
Indiana University holds probably the highest honor in Olympic swimming thanks to Mark Spitz, the man who won 7 gold medals during the 1972 Olympic games. Michael Phelps broke that record with 8 in 2008, but to this day, Spitz still holds the world record for all seven events.
Deep below the earth in Southern Indiana is a sea of limestone that is one of the richest deposits of top-quality limestone found anywhere on earth. New York City’s Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center as well as the Pentagon, the U.S. Treasury, a dozen other government buildings in Washington D.C. as well as 14 state capitols around the nation are built from this sturdy, beautiful Indiana limestone.
Although Indiana means, “Land of the Indians” there are fewer than 8,000 Native Americans living in the state today.
The first European known to have visited Indiana was French Explorer Rene’-Robert Cavalier sierur de La Salle, in 1679. After LaSalle and others explored the Great Lakes region, the land was claimed for New France, a nation based in Canada.
In the 1700s the first 3 Non-native American settlements in Indiana were the 3 French forts of Ouiatenon, Ft. Miami, and Ft. Vincennes. Although they had few settlers in the region, French presence in Indiana lasted almost 100 years. After the British won the French and Indian War, and upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French surrendered their claims to the lower Great Lakes region.
The world’s largest anatomically correct sculpture of the human brain lies in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. The brain weighs 10,000 pounds and rises 7 feet from the ground. The brain is built entirely of Indiana limestone.
Bedford, Indiana, is known as the “Limestone Capital of the World.” The city was named so because it is surrounded by large limestone quarries.
Did you know that the Empire State building was erected from the limestone procured from Empire Quarry in Indiana? The limestone was also used in the construction of the Pentagon and National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., as well as several state capitols.
The Indy 500 is an automobile race held annually at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The inaugural race was first held in 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun. It’s a unique tradition in the Indy 500 that the race winner drinks a bottle of chilled milk. This tradition is in place since 1936.
At one time 12 different stagecoach lines ran through Indiana on the National Road. (Now U.S. Interstate 40)
In the 1830s canals were dug linking the Great Lakes to Indiana’s river systems. The canals proved to be a financial disaster. Railroads made the canal system obsolete even before its completions.
Indiana’s first major railroad line linked Madison and Indianapolis and was completed in 1847.
The farming community of Fountain City in Wayne County was known as the “Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad.” In the years before the civil war, Levi and Katie Coffin were famous agents on the Underground Railroad. They estimated that they provided overnight lodging for more than 2,000 runaway slaves who were making their way north to Canada and freedom.
During the great Depression of the 1930’s 1 in every 4 Hoosier factory hands was out of work, farmers sank deeper in debt, and in southern Indiana unemployment was as high as 50%.
In the summer of 1987 4,453 athletes from 38 nations gathered in Indianapolis for the Pan American Games.
The Saturday Evening Post is published in Indianapolis.
Comedian Red Skelton, who created such characters as Clem Kadiddlehopper, and Freddie the Freeloader, was born in Vincennes.
Indiana is one of the 8 states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) that make up the Great Lakes Region. The state encompasses two natural regions of the United States: the Central Lowlands and the Interior Low Plateaus.
Wabash, Indiana, is the world’s first electrically lighted city. The event took place on March 31, 1880, when four 3,000 candle power lamps, suspended on the Wabash County Courthouse dome were lighted at 8 p.m. The illumination from the electric lights could be seen from over a mile away.
Manufacturing, agriculture, and education are some of the most important industries in the state. Calumet region helps make Indiana a major industrial state.
Santa Claus, a town in Spencer County, Indiana receives more than half a million “Dear Santa” letters at Christmas time every year. The most interesting fact is that each and every letter is read and is replied to!
Did you know that Indiana produces more than 20% of the United State’s popcorn supply? Nebraska is the leading producer of popcorn in the U.S.
Six men from Indiana have been elected as the vice president of the United States. These men earned the state another nickname “The Mother of Vice Presidents”. New York has produced eight vice presidents until now, the most of any state in the U.S.
With an average age of 55.5 years, there are over 94,000 farmers in Indiana. The average farm size is 264 acres.
The top five agricultural commodities in Indiana in 2017 were corn, soybeans, hogs, dairy products, and chicken eggs.
Indiana is home to the longest-known underground river in the United States. The river flows through the Bluespring Caverns (a 21 mile-long cave system.) The system is home to unique amphibians and aquatic creatures.
Alexandria, Indiana is home to the world’s largest ball of paint. In the beginning, it was just a baseball that was covered with a layer of paint. However, as time progressed, the owner kept adding more and more layers of paints to it and thus the ball kept growing in size. Today, the ball weighs more than two and a half tons and the visitors can even choose to coat the ball with their favorite color.
Did you know that the first Indiana state fair was held in 1852?
Indiana is divided into three great regions: the northern lake country, the central agricultural plain, and the more varied southern section containing both hills and lowlands.
Tippecanoe Lake with depth reaching at nearly 120 feet is the deepest lake in Indiana. With respect to the total surface area,
The American Institute of Architects has ranked Columbus, Indiana at the sixth spot in the nation for architectural innovation and design, right behind Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Moreover, the city also has hundreds of acres in a city park system which is also ranked number one in the country by the National Recreation and Park Association for cities the size of Columbus.
The first professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne on May 4, 1871.
James Dean, a popular movie star of the 1950s in such movies as “East of Eden” and “Rebel without a Cause”, was born February 8, 1941, in Marion. He died in an auto crash at age 24.
David Letterman, host of television’s “Late Show with David Letterman,” was born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis.
Santa Claus, Indiana receives over one half million letters and requests at Christmas time.
Crawfordsville is the home of the only known working rotary jail in the United States. The jail with its rotating cellblock was built in 1882 and served as the Montgomery County jail until 1972. It is now a museum.
Historic Parke County has 32 covered bridges and is the Covered Bridge Capital of the world.
True to its motto, “Cross Roads of America” Indiana has more miles of Interstate Highway per square mile than any other state. The Indiana state Motto, can be traced back to the early 1800s. In the early years river traffic, especially along the Ohio, was a major means of transportation. The National Road, a major westward route, and the north-south Michigan Road crossed in Indianapolis. Today more major highways intersect in Indiana than in any other state.
Most of the state’s rivers flow south and west, eventually emptying into the Mississippi. However, the Maumee flows north and east into Lake Erie. Lake Wawasee is the states largest natural lake.
East Race Waterway, in south Bend, is the only man-made white-water raceway in North America.
In 1862, Richard Gatling, of Indianapolis, invented the rapid-fire machine gun.
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was organized in Terre Haute in 1881.
Sarah Walker, who called herself Madame J.C. Walker, became one of the nation’s first woman millionaires. In 1905 Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker developed a conditioning treatment for straightening hair. Starting with door-to-door sales of her cosmetics, Madame C.J. Walker amassed a fortune.
From 1900 to 1920 more than 200 different makes of cars were produced in the Hoosier State. Duesenbergs, Auburns, Stutzes, and Maxwells – are prize antiques today.
The Indiana Gazette Indiana’s first newspaper was published in Vincennes in 1804.
The state constitution of 1816 directed the legislature to establish public schools, but it was not until the 1850s that state government was able to establish a public school system.
Before public schools families pitched in to build log schoolhouse and each student’s family paid a few dollars toward the teachers salaries.
The Poet Laureate of Indiana, James Whitcomb Riley was born in a two-room log cabin in Greenfield. He glorified his rural Indiana childhood in such poems as “The Old Swimmin’ Hole” “Little Orphant Annie”, and ” When the frost is on the Pumpkin”.
Albert Beveridge won the Pulitzer Prize in biography in 1920, for The Life of John Marshall. In 1934 Harold Urey won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery of deuterium. Ernie Pyle won the Pulitzer Prize in foreign Correspondence in 1944. Paul Samuelson won the Nobel Prize in economics, 1970.
People from Indiana are known as Hoosiers or sometimes Indianians. Hoosier is also Indiana’s official state nickname too!
Look at that Coca-Cola bottle you're drinking out of and know that Terre Haute, IN, is responsible for its design.
Sorry, Walt Disney. You might have Mickey Mouse, but Indiana had theme parks long before you ever opened up Disneyland in California. The first theme park ever built was right in Santa Claus, IN, on August 3, 1946, almost a decade before the House of Mouse stepped into the amusement park fray
One of the greatest Christmas films (and stories) was based right in Indiana: "A Christmas Story." Admit it: it makes you want a BB gun and a leg lamp.
Indiana's home to the "world's largest Christmas tree." If you're skeptical at that, just know that this gigantic tree called the Circle of Lights in Indianapolis sports an astonishing 52 strands of garland and a total of 4,784 lights. The tree has held that honor since 1962. Indiana Facts
Johnny Appleseed has been the pride and joy of the Midwest for obvious reasons, and the Johnny Appleseed University in Indianapolis made history as group leader Dr. Larson Tuckteen happened to find a tremendous archaeological find: 117 apple seeds, preserved, and never sprouted. He and a group of archaeological students happened to come across a dig site, turning up the seeds that had to have been dropped by the iconic tree planter as far back as 203 years ago. The reason why they had never sprouted, experts believe, was due to Appleseed coating the seeds with avocado wax to keep them from going bad. Apparently, Dr. Tuckteen then wanted to donate the seeds to President Obama to be preserved.
Those classic Raggedy Ann dolls would never be if it wasn't for Marcella Gruelle of Indianapolis, who created the doll back in 1914.
The first train robbery in the United States occurred in Indiana when a gang of robbers stopped an Ohio and Mississippi train in Jackson County and looted $13,000. The event took place on October 6, 1866.
Indiana is the tenth largest farming state in the country. And 96% of the farms are family owned or operated.
Did you know that the discovery of natural gas in northern Indiana in the late 1880s led to an economic boom in the state? The abundant availability of cheap fuel attracted heavy industry, which in turn produced plenty of jobs that attracted people from the other part of the nation as well as Europe. Cities such as Indianapolis, South Bend, Fort Wayne and Gary expanded as a result.
Did you know that the land which is now Columbus was known as Tiptonia, named in honor of General Tipton who along with Luke Bonesteel bought the land in 1820? The town’s name was changed to Columbus on March 20, 1821.
On May 7, 1919, Indianapolis hosted Welcome Home Day for returning WWI soldiers. On this day, the returning soldiers reunited with their family members and were served boxed lunches by the Salvation Army and Eastern Star. A huge parade was also organized and the soldiers were served a pint of coffee before and after the parade. This year (2019) marked the 100th anniversary of the day.
Did you know that there is a town in corn belt in Indiana called “Popcorn”? The town is famous for the production of popcorn that is free of growth hormones.
Indiana exports more products to Canada than any other country. Cars, cars part, and pharmaceuticals are among the major exports from the state.
Did you know that Jake Barnett, a child prodigy from Indiana, who at the age of two was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and Autism, was enrolled at the college at the age of 12? Jake who was allowed to sit-in on astronomy and advanced math class at Indiana University, was able to pass all the tests that were needed to exempt him from school including Algebra, Algebra 2, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus. He is currently developing an alternate theory of the Big Bang Theory because he believes that it is not true.
Indiana is home to the four “moon Trees” that were planted with seeds taken to orbit the moon by astronaut Stuart A. Roosa. Planted on April 9, 1976, (as part of Arbor Day and the nation’s bicentennial celebration) one such 44 year old Sycamore tree stands in Indianapolis and the other three trees can be found in Lincoln City, Tell City and Cannelton.
Did you know that Indiana is one of the thirteen U.S. states that are divided into more than one time zone? The states that observe more than one time-zone are Oregon, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alaska. Among these, Alaska is the only state that is not part of contiguous United States.
Did you know that Vice President Mike Pence who grew up in Indiana, also served as Governor of the state for four years?
Abraham Lincoln, the most beloved president in the history of America, at the age of 7, moved to Indiana. There he lived with his family on a farm from 1816 to 1830. Named the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana, is where the preserved farm site is.
Did you know that on 29th August 1958, the “King of Pop” Michael Jackon was born in Gary, Indiana?
Ray Ewry from Lafayette, Indiana, was a track and field athlete who won 8 Olympic gold medals. He is among the most successful Olympians of all times. Interestingly, he contracted polio as a young boy and used a wheelchair. However, destined to make his name in athletics, he overcame his illness with his exercises. He won Olympic gold medals in the standing high jump and long jump competitions.
The first successful goldfish farm in the United States was opened in Martinsville in 1899.
Indiana means “land of the Indians.” It was named after the American Indian tribe who lived there when Europeans arrived.
Did you know that the Ohio River creates the state’s southern border?
Except for Hawaii, Indiana is the smallest state west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Indiana was part of the huge Northwest Territory, which included present day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, which were ceded to the United States by the British at the end of the Revolutionary war.
Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s 2nd Largest city, had its beginnings in 1794, after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, when General “Mad Anthony” Wayne built Ft. Wayne on the site of a Miami Indian village.
Many Mennonite and Amish live on the farmland of Northeastern Indiana. One of the United States largest Mennonite congregations is in Bern. According to Amish ordnung (rules) they are forbidden to drive cars, use electricity, or go to public places of entertainment.
At one time Studebaker Company of South Bend was the nation’s largest producer of horse-drawn wagons. It later developed into a multimillion-dollar automobile
manufacturer.
The North Pole actually doesn't get any letters for Santa Claus, believe it or not. Indiana does. Every year, the aptly named town Santa Claus, IN, actually receives those letters in the thousands. Even better, each and every one of those letters do get a reply!
Baseball was practically born in Indiana – Fort Wayne, to be exact. The very first professional game had occurred in the town on May 4, 1871.
The name "Indiana" stands for Land of the Indians—but in reality fewer than 8,000 Native Americans actually reside in the state today.
One of the biggest mysteries ever in Indiana was where the name "Hoosier" ever came from. This explanation came close, when a Quaker from Richmond, Virginia, by the name of Sarah Harvey had written in an 1835 letter about the "old settlers in Indiana…called 'Hooshers.'" She explained that a 'Hoosher' was actually a type of cabin called a 'Hoosher nest,' and that's what those settlers lived in. That sounds pretty accurate, but still to this day, people debate about the nickname of every Indiana resident.
The two main schools of the state – Indiana University and Purdue University – wanted to stand out among the many institutions of the U.S., by signifying their rivalry in such a way that it would make many raise an eyebrow with puzzlement. Both schools decided that they would take a bucket surrounded with numerous metallic I's and P's, to make it look like a trophy. It's called the "oaken bucket," and both schools battle over it every year during football season.
Indiana just might be the only state with so many professional baseball teams not in the Major Leagues. There are five of them: the Evansville Otters, the Fort Wayne Tin Caps, the Gary Southshore Railcats, the Indianapolis Indians, and the South Bend Silver Hawks. Not one team in Indiana has ever been a club in the Major Leagues. Not one.
This cemetery in Angola, Indiana, actually may look quite pleasant to many, but that doesn't mean the entire town can be considered peaceful to some. The city's known for its hauntings and urban legends, such as a particular ghost with a long red beard atop a roof of an old theater crying out "Marie, please come back to me, please" over and over again. Many moviegoers to this theater think that this man with the red beard repeatedly cries in the back, and when they turn, no one's there…
Indianapolis had the pleasure of hosting Elvis Presley's last concert right in Market Square Arena in 1977. He actually died three months later after his performance.
Oddly enough, in Indiana, mustaches are illegal as long as the bearer of mustaches has a troubling addiction toward kissing people. Pucker up
Those public schools in Indiana fare well socially for students for one good reason: the state actually prohibits "gossip," and talking behind someone's back.
If you like popcorn, particularly Orville Redenbacher, know that all of that popcorn mainly comes from Indiana. 90 percent of the world's popcorn, in fact. Redenbacher himself was actually born in Brazil, Indiana, too. Indiana Facts
Everyone's favorite cartoon cat Garfield found his first home in Indiana, believe it or not. His creator, Jim Davis, was actually from Marion, IN.
No one in New Mexico, particularly Roswell and Area 51, can top some of the sightings experienced right over Hammond, Gary, and South Bend, Indiana, when 1897 reports started filtering in about a big "airship" over the sky. Even in Vincennes, a particular "airship" had been spotted in that same year. This was long before anyone had ever coined the term: UFO.
The very first goldfish farm actually existed in Martinsville, IN. It was built back in 1899
One fateful day on October 6, 1866, a particular gang by the name of the "Reno Brothers" thought it might be a good idea to rob a train. They did it right in Jackson County in Indiana, making off with a hefty $13,000. It was the first train robbery ever in history.
You just might be confused in Indiana, as the state's one of thirteen in the country to be divided by more than one time zone. Even funnier is that there's still a debate on which regions of Indiana should be whatever time. Currently, most of the state observes EST, but six counties near Chicago and six near Evansville follow CST.
Schools went public first here in Indiana, although the initial plan for it sort of failed. The state's 1816 constitution was way ahead of its time, even allotting one township for a public university. It was, alas, way too idealistic for a pioneer society until 1840 when Caleb Mills lobbied for tax-supported schools, and the state followed his advice in 1851 to include it in the new state constitution. At that time, the law worked just fine
Fort Wayne's notorious for just missing Tornado Alley. Ask any teacher in elementary school there. They still do the mandatory drills, but only because it's mandatory. The legend, apparently, is that Fort Wayne sits in the center of three rivers, and those three rivers due to an old Indian legend prevent tornadoes from ever occurring. There may be some truth to that given the city has had only 9 tornadoes since 1950, whereas the entire state averages about 20 annually.
The famous explorers Lewis and Clark would've never explored the great frontier of the Northwest Territory if they hadn't started somewhere. They started right in Fort Vincennes in Indiana
Probably one of the most interesting inventions in law enforcement history was what was called the "rotary jail," an amazing feat of space-saving innovation, very much like a revolving door at the mall. This saved officers from always having to physically deal with prisoners and instead "crank" the rotary jail to face the one single cell door to let prisoners out. Quite convenient. The first and only known working rotary jail still exists today: right in Crawfordsville, IN. It was built in 1882 and served Montgomery County till 1972. It's actually now just a museum. It still works, though.
Back in 1934 John Dillinger escaped from Lake County Jail in Crown Point, IN by holding up the security guards with a pistol. Not a real pistol, but a pistol carved out of a wooden block.
During the Civil War, Indiana was particularly crucial in helping slaves escape to freedom. The community of Newport (now called Fountain City) was considered the "grand central station" of the infamous Underground Railroad. Indiana Facts
The first long-distance auto race in the U. S. was held May 30, 1911, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner averaged 75 miles an hour and won a 1st place prize of $14,000. Today the average speed is over 167 miles an hour and the prize is more than $1.2 million. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the site of the greatest spectacle in sports, the Indianapolis 500. The Indianapolis 500 is held every Memorial Day weekend in the Hoosier capital city. The race is 200 laps or 500 miles long.
Abraham Lincoln moved to Indiana when he was 7 years old. He lived most of his boyhood life in Spencer County with his parents Thomas and Nancy.
Explorers Lewis and Clark set out from Fort Vincennes on their exploration of the Northwest Territory.
Some of the most famous movies filmed in Indiana are Hoosiers (Gene Hackman), Rudy (Sean Astin), and A League of Their Own (Tom Hanks, Gina Davis & Madonna).
During WWII the P-47 fighter-plane was manufactured in Evansville at Republic Aviation.
Marcella Gruelle of Indianapolis created the Raggedy Ann doll in 1914.
Indiana’s shoreline with Lake Michigan is only 40 miles long, but Indiana is still considered a Great Lakes State.
More than 100 species of trees are native to Indiana. Before the pioneer’s arrive more than 80% of Indiana was covered with forest. Now only 17% of the state is considered forested.

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