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Moment of Indiana History

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Book cover of Mythology by Edith Hamilton, featuring a man riding a winged horse against a black background.
Edith Hamilton: A Mythical Hoosier
Although she never wrote down to her readers, Fort Wayne's classicist wrote for what would today be called a “popular” audience.
  • Historic Brunerstown one-room schoolhouse in Putnam County, Indiana, a single-story wood-frame building with horizontal clapboard siding, a gable roof, and tall side windows, childhood school of U.S. Senator Elmer Thomas.
    The Hoosier Boyhood Of A U.S. Senator
    During his career in the U.S. Congress, Thomas became known as an advocate for working men and women—his empathy no doubt informed by his own Indiana boyhood.
  • A historic 1895 black and white photograph depicting a group of transient men gathered at a 'hobo jungle' encampment in a wooded area, sitting on the ground while sharing a midday meal.
    A Summer Spent Riding The Rails
    A restless teenager spent the summer of 1936 as a temporary hobo, riding the Monon line through Indiana en route to the Texas Centennial Exposition.
  • A historic black-and-white photograph of sexologist Alfred Kinsey wearing a bowtie, sitting on stone steps outside with two male members of his research team.
    A Thoroughly Modern Marriage Course
    By the second lecture, it was clear to students and administrators that Kinsey would not tolerate the vague moralizings of other colleges' "marriage courses".

"Moment of Indiana History" was a weekly two-minute radio program exploring Indiana History. The series was a production of WFIU Public Radio in partnership with the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS).

The program began as a co-production of WFIU, Bloomington, and WBAA, West Lafayette as a module to air on IPBS radio stations. From 2007 to 2014, the series was produced by WFIU for broadcast by IPBS stations as well as other entities interested in Indiana history. Now being re-released every Wednesday and Saturday.

  • A Victorian-era French fashion plate from Journal des Demoiselles depicting two women: one on the left in a voluminous pink evening gown with ruffled hems, and a bride on the right wearing an ornate white wedding dress, bridal veil, and floral headpiece.
    A Society Wedding In Early Indianapolis
    A letter written from Indianapolis in June 1840 suggests that weddings of the rich and famous were as eagerly anticipated almost two centuries ago as today.
  • Vintage 4th of July postcard featuring a large eagle with outstretched wings perched on a red-and-white striped cannon barrel with a blue, star-patterned base. Billowing smoke forms the text '4th of July Greeting' on the left.
    Political Suicide On The Fourth Of July
    A well-respected lawyer was almost run out of Salem, Indiana for a Fourth of July address advocating for a property tax increase to support public education.
  • Black and white photograph of author and Civil War general Lew Wallace sitting in a rocking chair on a wooden platform outdoors, writing under a large beech tree.
    The Athens Of Indiana
    Although Lew Wallace put Crawfordsville on the map with Ben-Hur, most books written in the city's literary heyday are now found only in antiquarian bookstores.
  • A botanical illustration of a large Duchesse d'Angouleme pear hanging from a branch with green leaves.
    The Reverend And The Duchess
    The science of horticulture, long practiced back East, had gained little hold on the western frontier, and Reverend Beecher set about remedying the problem.
  • A black-and-white Civil War-era photograph showing the guard house and entrance of Camp Morton in Indiana, with several union soldiers standing guard in a row.
    “Remenecense” Of A Hoosier Civil War Veteran
    As soon as Governor Oliver P. Morton issued the first call for volunteers, 19-year-old Louis Bir was “very anxious to Inlist” for the Union cause.
  • The modern refrigerator, in a 1940s iteration.
    Memories Of Keeping It Cool
    When Indiana homemakers were asked which appliance had most changed their lives during the 20th century, their response was unanimous: the refrigerator.
  • A close-up view of the front page of an antique newspaper titled "THE INDIANIAN." The masthead indicates it was published in Charlestown, Clark County, Indiana on Wednesday, July 8, 1846.
    The Perils Of Pioneer Publishing
    One early publisher apologized, “Want of paper compels me to furnish my readers with but half a sheet. I expect a supply before another publication day.”
  • A 19th-century map excerpt showing neighboring northeast Indiana counties including La Grange in yellow, Steuben in green, Noble in pink, and DeKalb in light green. Early railroad lines connect labeled historical towns such as Kendallville, Marseilles, and Gibraltar.
    Putting Indiana’s Cities and Towns On The Map
    The location of many of Indiana’s towns and cities is a result of geography, topography, economics, and the law—with a little nostalgia thrown in the mix.
  • A colorized postcard showing a street view of the East Side Public Square in Bedford, Indiana during the early 1900s, featuring multi-story brick storefronts, horse-drawn carriages along the unpaved street, and text at the bottom reading "East Side Public Square, Bedford, Ind."
    Competing For County Seat
    Town boosters competed fiercely for the designation of county seat during the nineteenth century.
  • A vintage advertisement flyer for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performing on the R.C.A. Magic Key Hour. A black-and-white photograph shows a large orchestra on stage with their instruments, centered around conductor Fabien Sevitzky on a small podium. The text details the broadcast on the N.B.C. Blue Network, scheduled for Sunday, January 22, featuring tenor soloist Lauritz Melchior.
    Indianapolis’ First Maestro
    The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has firmly established itself on the US classical music scene, thanks in part to its first conductor, Fabien Sevitsky.

A Moment of Indiana History is a production of WFIU Public Radio in partnership with the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations. Research support comes from Indiana Magazine of History published by the Indiana University Department of History.