1. In 1902, the first high school in Indiana dedicated solely to agricultural education opened in Lafayette. Called Purdue University Agricultural High School, it was the first experiment station high school in the United States.
2. On August 23, 1911, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway held its inaugural race, the National Championship. The race was won by Ray Harroun driving his Marmon Wasp at an average speed of 74.6 miles per hour. This race marked the beginning of the annual Indianapolis 500.
3. In 1944 on August 23, the Indianapolis Recorder, the oldest African American newspaper in the state, reported on the 368th Infantry Regiment, the "Buffalo Soldiers" return home after serving in World War II. The regiment was one of the most decorated soldiers in the war.
4. On August 23, 1963, the Indianapolis Public School Board voted to racially integrate Indianapolis Public Schools. This decision came ahead of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and made Indianapolis one of the first cities in the north to voluntarily integrate its schools.
5. In 1987 on August 23, opera singer Angela Brown made her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York as Aida. Brown, who was raised in Indianapolis, went on to perform with many major orchestras and opera companies in the world. She is now a professor of music at Indiana University.