Military serviceSamuel Woodfill
1883–1951
- Born
- Jefferson County, Indiana (on a farm near Madison)
- What they did
- As a first lieutenant in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, on Oct. 12, 1918, he went out ahead of his company, which had been halted by machine-gun fire, and destroyed three German machine-gun nests.
- Why it matters
- He received the Medal of Honor. The state historical marker calls him the only Hoosier so honored in World War I.
- Indiana connection
- Born near Madison. After serving again as an Army firearms instructor in World War II, he retired to Vevay in 1943.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker · Congressional Medal of Honor Society
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Military serviceMelvin E. Biddle
1923–2010
- Born
- Daleville, Delaware County, Indiana
- What they did
- As a private first class and lead scout with the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, on Dec. 23–24, 1944, he pushed through dense woods near Soy, Belgium, and knocked out enemy snipers and a machine-gun position during an attack to relieve the encircled town of Hotton.
- Why it matters
- He received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman at the White House on Oct. 12, 1945.
- Indiana connection
- Born in Daleville; died and buried in Anderson.
Source: Congressional Medal of Honor Society
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Military serviceAaron Richard Fisher
1895–1985
- Born
- Lyles Station, Gibson County, Indiana
- What they did
- Joined the Army at 15 and served in the 9th Cavalry and 24th Infantry, both Buffalo Soldier units. Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1918, he fought in France with the all-Black 92nd Division and was wounded while successfully defending his command at Lesseux.
- Why it matters
- He received the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre, then taught ROTC cadets at Wilberforce University from 1936 to 1947, influencing a generation of Black soldiers.
- Indiana connection
- Born at Lyles Station, a historic Black farming settlement; his marker stands at the Lyles Station Historic School and Museum.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Military serviceLew Wallace
1827–1905
- What they did
- As Indiana’s adjutant general he organized the state for the Civil War, then saw action at Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Monocacy as a general.
- Why it matters
- He later served as governor of New Mexico Territory and U.S. minister to Turkey, and wrote the novel Ben-Hur.
- Indiana connection
- Lived in Crawfordsville, where his study is now a museum.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker · General Lew Wallace Study & Museum
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First responders and caregiversSisters of the Holy Cross, Civil War nurses
1861–1865
- What they did
- Answering Gov. Oliver P. Morton’s call in October 1861, eighty Sisters of the Holy Cross led by Mother Angela served as military nurses.
- Why it matters
- In 1862 they boarded the Red Rover, the Navy’s first hospital ship, making them forerunners of the Navy Nurse Corps.
- Indiana connection
- The order is based in St. Joseph County; the state marker stands in Mishawaka.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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First responders and caregiversTrooper Paul Vincent Minneman
1904–1937
- What they did
- On May 25, 1937, he was shot in a gun battle with the Brady Gang after a bank robbery in Goodland, and died of his wounds.
- Why it matters
- He was the first Indiana State Police trooper killed by criminals’ gunfire since the agency was formed in 1933.
- Indiana connection
- The marker stands at the site of the gun battle in White County, near the Cass County line.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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First responders and caregiversThe firefighters of the Bowen-Merrill fire
1890
- What they did
- On March 17, 1890, 86 Indianapolis firemen fought a blaze at the Bowen-Merrill book and stationery store on West Washington Street. The roof and floors collapsed, dropping many of them into the fire. Thirteen died.
- Why it matters
- It remains the deadliest fire for firefighters in Indianapolis history. It led to a reorganized department, a city Board of Public Safety and, in 1891, state-enabled firefighter pension funds.
- Indiana connection
- The marker stands at 2 W. Washington St., Indianapolis.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Explorers and astronautsVirgil I. “Gus” Grissom
1926–1967
- Born
- Mitchell, Lawrence County, Indiana
- What they did
- One of NASA’s first seven astronauts. He flew the Liberty Bell 7 suborbital Mercury mission on July 21, 1961, and was command pilot of the first crewed Gemini flight on March 23, 1965.
- Why it matters
- He was named commander of the first three-person Apollo flight and died with his crew in the Apollo spacecraft fire during a launch-pad test on Jan. 27, 1967.
- Indiana connection
- Graduated from Mitchell High School and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue University.
Source: NASA biography · Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Explorers and astronautsJerry L. Ross
born 1948
- Born
- Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana
- What they did
- A NASA astronaut selected in 1980, he flew seven space shuttle missions between 1985 and 2002 and made nine spacewalks totaling 58 hours and 18 minutes.
- Why it matters
- NASA says he was the first human to be launched into space seven times, a world record he shares with one other astronaut.
- Indiana connection
- Graduated from Crown Point High School in 1966 and earned two mechanical engineering degrees from Purdue University.
Source: NASA biography · Purdue University
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Explorers and astronautsJanice Voss
1956–2012
- Born
- South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana
- What they did
- Flew five space shuttle missions from 1993 to 2000, logging more than 49 days in space, and later served as science director for NASA’s Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft.
- Why it matters
- Her missions included the first flight of the Spacehab module and a rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir.
- Indiana connection
- Born in South Bend and a Purdue engineering graduate (1975). NASA notes she considered Rockford, Illinois, her hometown.
Source: NASA biography
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Explorers and astronautsWilliam Bratton
1778–1841
- What they did
- Joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Corps of Discovery as an Army private near Clarksville, Indiana, in 1803, serving as hunter, blacksmith and saltmaker.
- Why it matters
- He completed the entire journey through the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest and was discharged Oct. 10, 1806.
- Indiana connection
- Settled on a farm in Wayne Township, Montgomery County, in 1822, served as a justice of the peace, and is buried in Waynetown.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Inventors and buildersWilbur Wright
1867–1912
- Born
- Near Millville, Henry County, Indiana
- What they did
- With his brother Orville he began studying flight in 1896, built a first model airplane in 1899 and began gliding in 1900.
- Why it matters
- The brothers achieved the first successful powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on Dec. 17, 1903.
- Indiana connection
- His birthplace, north of Millville, is marked by a state historical marker.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Inventors and buildersElwood Haynes
- What they did
- On July 4, 1894, he made the first test run of an automobile he designed and built, reaching about seven miles per hour over a six-mile course on Kokomo’s Pumpkinvine Pike.
- Why it matters
- The state marks the spot where his “horseless carriage” made that first run.
- Indiana connection
- The test run took place in Kokomo.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Inventors and buildersCarl Fisher
1874–1939
- Born
- Greensburg, Decatur County, Indiana
- What they did
- Co-founded Prest-O-Lite in 1904, which made acetylene headlights sold nationwide, and co-founded and led the Indianapolis Speedway.
- Why it matters
- He pushed for long-distance roads, including the Lincoln Highway (1912) and the Dixie Highway (1914), which made cross-country car travel possible.
- Indiana connection
- Born in Greensburg; built the Speedway in Indianapolis.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Inventors and buildersMadam C.J. Walker
1867–1919
- Born
- Louisiana (born Sarah Breedlove)
- What they did
- Developed hair-care products for Black women and, after moving to Indianapolis in 1910, built a factory and the headquarters of the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.
- Why it matters
- One of the most successful self-made businesswomen of her era, she gave economic opportunity to the Black women who worked as her sales agents and beauty culturists, and supported the Senate Avenue YMCA, the NAACP’s anti-lynching fund and women’s suffrage.
- Indiana connection
- Her company stayed in Indianapolis for more than seven decades. The Walker Theatre on Indiana Avenue opened in 1927.
Source: State of Indiana, Hoosier Heritage Gallery · 2025 state marker text (HMdb transcription)
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Writers, journalists and artistsJames Whitcomb Riley
died 1916
- Born
- Greenfield, Hancock County, Indiana
- What they did
- Editor, author, poet, lecturer and entertainer who first wrote under the name “Benj. F. Johnson of Boone.”
- Why it matters
- Known as “The Hoosier Poet,” he was famous for writing in Hoosier dialect and is one of the best-known Hoosiers of all time.
- Indiana connection
- His birthplace is in Greenfield; his later home on Lockerbie Street in Indianapolis also has a state marker.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker (birthplace)
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Writers, journalists and artistsBooth Tarkington
1869–1946
- Born
- Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
- What they did
- Best-selling novelist, playwright and short-story writer whose first novel was The Gentleman from Indiana (1899). He wrote the Penrod series.
- Why it matters
- He won Pulitzer Prizes for The Magnificent Ambersons (1919) and Alice Adams (1922), examining how cities and industry changed Midwestern life.
- Indiana connection
- Born in Indianapolis and lived on North Meridian Street from 1923 until his death.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Writers, journalists and artistsGene Stratton-Porter
1863–1924
- What they did
- Best-selling author and nature photographer whose novels, including Freckles (1904) and A Girl of the Limberlost (1909), blended fiction with vivid descriptions of nature.
- Why it matters
- Ten million copies of her books had sold by 1924. She won financial independence through writing and later formed her own movie company.
- Indiana connection
- Lived and worked at Limberlost Cabin in Geneva and Wildflower Woods near Rome City. Both are state historic sites.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker · Indiana State Museum historic site
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Writers, journalists and artistsJanet Flanner
1892–1978
- What they did
- An early movie critic for The Indianapolis Star, she wrote The New Yorker’s “Letter from Paris” under the pen name Genêt from 1925 to 1975.
- Why it matters
- Her profiles were celebrated, and she won the National Book Award in 1966 for Paris Journal: 1944–1965.
- Indiana connection
- Grew up in Indianapolis, graduated from Tudor Hall School for Girls in 1909 and led the local Woman’s Franchise League in 1917.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Writers, journalists and artistsErnie Pyle
1900–1945
- Born
- Near Dana, Vermillion County, Indiana
- What they did
- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose writing as a World War II correspondent made him famous.
- Why it matters
- He was killed by a Japanese machine gunner’s bullet on Ie Shima, near Okinawa, on April 18, 1945, while on assignment.
- Indiana connection
- Born on a tenant farm outside Dana and studied journalism at Indiana University. His birthplace home is now a museum in Dana.
Source: Ernie Pyle World War II Museum
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Writers, journalists and artistsHoagy Carmichael
1899–1981
- Born
- Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana
- What they did
- Songwriter of “Stardust,” “Heart and Soul,” “Georgia on My Mind” and “Lazybones.”
- Why it matters
- Considered one of the most important American songwriters of the 20th century, he won an Academy Award in 1951 and joined the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971.
- Indiana connection
- Born and raised in Bloomington, earned a law degree from Indiana University in 1926 and is buried in Bloomington.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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SportsMarshall “Major” Taylor
1878–1932
- Born
- Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
- What they did
- Set a one-mile record at Indianapolis’s Capital City Track in 1896 and went on to set world records from a quarter mile to two miles.
- Why it matters
- He won the 1899 world one-mile professional cycling championship and U.S. circuit titles in 1899 and 1900 as cycling’s first African American champion, despite the discrimination he faced.
- Indiana connection
- Born in Indianapolis; his marker is at 38th Street and the Monon Trail, near the old track site.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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SportsJohn Wooden
1910–2010
- Born
- Hall, Indiana
- What they did
- An All-State player at Martinsville High School and a star at Purdue University, where he was called the “Indiana Rubber Man.”
- Why it matters
- He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1960 and is remembered as a legendary college coach.
- Indiana connection
- Born in Hall, starred at Martinsville and Purdue, and played professionally for the Indianapolis Kautskys.
Source: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
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SportsLarry Bird
born 1956
- Born
- West Baden, Indiana
- What they did
- Led Springs Valley High School to a sectional championship and led Indiana State University to the 1979 NCAA championship game before starring for the Boston Celtics.
- Why it matters
- He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
- Indiana connection
- Grew up in the French Lick area and played college ball in Terre Haute.
Source: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
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Everyday Hoosiers and reformersLevi and Catharine Coffin
Levi: 1798–1877
- What they did
- Quaker abolitionists who moved from North Carolina because they opposed slavery and lived in Newport (now Fountain City) from 1826 to 1847. Levi sold goods not produced by enslaved labor.
- Why it matters
- Levi’s Reminiscences (1876) documented their work in the Underground Railroad, the network of people who helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
- Indiana connection
- Their house in Fountain City, built about 1839, is a National Historic Landmark and state historic site.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker · Indiana State Museum historic site
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Everyday Hoosiers and reformersOswell Wright
c. 1810s–1875
- Born
- Maryland
- What they did
- A free Black man who bought land in Corydon in 1849. In 1857 he was arrested by Kentuckians and later convicted for helping an enslaved person escape.
- Why it matters
- He lost his own freedom for helping someone else gain theirs, serving in the Kentucky Penitentiary until June 1864.
- Indiana connection
- Lived in Corydon and died there on March 31, 1875.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Everyday Hoosiers and reformersRyan White
1971–1990
- Born
- Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana
- What they did
- Diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 after a contaminated hemophilia treatment, he was kept out of school in his hometown and fought to return. He was welcomed at Hamilton Heights High School in 1987.
- Why it matters
- He raised national awareness of AIDS and spoke before the Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic. The Ryan White CARE Act, which funds HIV/AIDS treatment, passed soon after his death.
- Indiana connection
- A Kokomo native whose family moved to Cicero. He was named a Sagamore of the Wabash.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Everyday Hoosiers and reformersMay Wright Sewall
1844–1920
- What they did
- An educator and arts supporter who co-founded the Indianapolis Equal Suffrage Society (1878), the Girls’ Classical School and the Indianapolis Propylaeum.
- Why it matters
- She helped establish the International Council of Women in 1888, served as its president from 1899 to 1904 and later worked for international peace.
- Indiana connection
- Moved to Indianapolis in 1874. She died one month before the 19th Amendment was ratified.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Everyday Hoosiers and reformersSarah Parke Morrison
1833–1919
- Born
- Near Salem, Washington County, Indiana
- What they did
- Her petition helped lead Indiana University to vote in 1867 to admit women on equal terms with men. She enrolled and became IU’s first female graduate in 1869.
- Why it matters
- In 1874 she became IU’s first female faculty member and pushed for women to be represented among its faculty and leaders.
- Indiana connection
- Born near Salem; studied and taught in Bloomington.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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Everyday Hoosiers and reformersDr. Mary Holloway Wilhite
1831–1892
- Born
- Montgomery County, Indiana
- What they did
- Graduated from Penn Medical University in 1856 and opened a practice in Crawfordsville, becoming one of the first trained female physicians in Indiana.
- Why it matters
- She helped found the Montgomery County Orphans’ Home and the county’s Woman Suffrage Association (1869), and advocated for equal pay for equal work.
- Indiana connection
- Born and raised in Montgomery County and practiced in Crawfordsville.
Source: Indiana Historical Bureau marker
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