Portal:Indiana

Sheet music cover (1897)

"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Paul Dresser in 1897. It is among the best-selling songs of the 19th century, earning over $100,000 from sheet-music revenues. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland and Company in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad reminisce about life near Dresser's childhood home by the Wabash River in Indiana, United States. The song remained popular for decades, and the Indiana General Assembly adopted it as the official state song on March 14, 1913. The song was the basis for a 1923 film of the same title. Its longtime popularity led to the emergence of several lyrical versions, including an 1898 anti-war song and a Swedish version that was a number-one hit.

The song was composed during a transitory time in musical history when songs first began to be recorded for the phonograph. It was among the earliest pieces of popular music to be recorded. Dresser's inability to control the distribution of phonograph cylinders led him and his company to join other composers to petition the United States Congress to expand federal copyright protections over the new technology. (Full article...)

• ... that an Indiana newspaper donated its TV station to the local high school instead of shutting it down?
• ... that frontier physician Isaac Coe is credited with saving Indianapolis from an 1821 outbreak of malaria?
• ... that the Circle Tower, an Art Deco building in Indianapolis, features ziggurat-like upper floors?
• ... that Ganggang, an Indianapolis-based cultural development firm for Black artists, created a fine art fair called "Butter" that also included a dance party called "Melt"?
• ... that Indianapolis's 2023 gun control ordinance – which bans assault weapons, among other measures – is a trigger law that only goes into effect if Indiana's state preemption law is repealed or struck down?
• ... that the Indianapolis African-American community raised $100,000 in just ten days in 1911 to establish the Senate Avenue YMCA?

Clark State Forest, located just north of Henryville, Indiana in the United States, is Indiana's oldest state forest, formed in 1903 as a forest research facility and a nursery and later expanded by the Works Progress Administration. Originally 2,028 acres (8 km²) of total land area, it is now almost 24,000 acres (100 km²) and is bisected by Interstate 65. It features three trails used exclusively for hikers trails: two internal trails, and the 59-mile (95 km) Knobstone Trail. There are nine horse trails, and five miles (8 km) of mountain bike trails. Two nature preserves are also situated within the forest. The forest also contains a 100-yard (91 m) outdoor gun range. (Full article...)

McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the 1960s and 1970s. He was nicknamed the "King of Cool" and used the alias Harvey Mushman in motor races.

McQueen received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Sand Pebbles (1966). His other popular films include The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Nevada Smith (1966), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Bullitt (1968), The Getaway (1972) and Papillon (1973). In addition, he starred in the all-star ensemble films The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963) and The Towering Inferno (1974). (Full article...)