1. On October 9, 1856, the first railroad bridge over the Wabash River was completed in Lafayette, Indiana, connecting the city to the rest of the country by rail.

2. In 1919, the first airplane-carrying ship built in the United States, the USS Langley, was commissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. The Langley, named after Samuel Pierpont Langley, the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and pioneer in aerodynamics, would play a crucial role in the development of the United States' naval aviation program during World War II.

3. On October 9, 1940, the Indianapolis Colts (then known as the Baltimore Colts) played their first game as a professional football team. The team, owned by Carroll Rosenbloom, was a member of the National Football League and played its first game against the Chicago Bears on Wrigley Field. Though they lost the game 24 to 2, the Colts would go on to become one of the NFL's most storied franchises.

4. In 1967, the Indiana Pacers played their first game as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The Pacers defeated the Kentucky Colonels 119-116 in front of a crowd of 11,000 fans at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. The Pacers would win three ABA championships before joining the NBA in 1976.

5. On October 9, 2009, the first official gay pride parade was held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The parade, which coincided with National Coming Out Day, drew thousands of participants and spectators from across the state. The event was the first step in expanding LGBT rights in Indiana and promoting equality and acceptance for all.