1. In 1875, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) opened its doors for the first time as a horse racing track. Today, the IMS is famous for being the site of the Indianapolis 500, the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

2. In 1948, future basketball star and Olympic gold medalist Larry Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana. Bird went on to play for the Indiana State Sycamores and the Boston Celtics, where he won three NBA championships and was named Most Valuable Player three times.

3. On July 31, 1852, Indiana passed its first statewide prohibition law, making it illegal to sell alcohol except for medical and industrial purposes. The ban was lifted in 1853, but prohibition remained a hotly contested issue in the state for many years.

4. On this day in 1936, Evansville became the first city in Indiana to have a municipal airport when the Evansville Municipal Airport opened for business. Today, the airport is known as Evansville Regional Airport and serves around 400,000 passengers annually.

5. In 1941, the U.S. Army opened Camp Atterbury in Johnson County, Indiana, as a training camp for soldiers preparing to fight in World War II. At its peak, the camp housed over 50,000 soldiers and was an important center for anti-aircraft training. Today, Camp Atterbury is still in operation as a National Guard training facility.