Indiana is famous for the Larry Bird, David Letterman, and the Indy500, but how much do you really know about this busy state? While you might know about basketball and race cars, Indiana is chock full of notable people and an impressive history. Let’s talk about how their famous natives are a slam dunk, race into the Motor Speedway, then take a pit stop for a little history. Don’t worry, we don’t have any spoilers here!
Known as the Hick from French Lick, Indiana-native Larry Bird is known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. This is a bold statement to say about a person, but then so is being the only person in NBA history to have these titles: Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. Starting out as a player for the Indiana Hoosiers, Bird later played for the Sycamores for three years. Though he was elected by the Boston Celtics, he continued to play with his college team, leading them to undefeated victory in the 1978-79 season. When he joined the NBA for the 1979-1980 season, he led the Celtics to a 32-win improvement, and played with them for the rest of his 13 season career, leading them to five NBA finals appearances and three NBA Championships. He was the head coach of the Pacers, which earned him NBA Coach of the Year. Larry Bird believed in his shot and he always made it.
From films such as Racing Heart to Turbo, Cars to Talladega Nights, the Indy 500 has been THE name for race car driving. Once called the Brickyard for its brick-paved track (in 1909), the first official race was held in 1911 and has been going strong after only 2 hiatuses (one for WW1 and the second for WW2), celebrating its 100th race in 2016. This major spectacle originally hosted small events, drawing 15k customers but up to 40k people in crowds. By 1910, the owner, Carl Fisher, repaved the track to prevent accidents, and added a 33-inch concrete wall to surround the arena. When crowds dwindled during that season, the owners of the speedway decided to switch focus to one major race: The 500. Now this event is steeped in tradition, ceremonies, celebrations, and sees crowds of up to 350k a year. Whether you know it as it was initially called, “The International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race” or the “Indy 500,” you’ve heard of it.
The Indy 500 not only remains one of the biggest annual races in the entire world, but it also led to the creation of the small town of Speedway, Indiana. Three years after the track was built, the surrounding area was named Speedway after it. This is one of the earliest examples in history of a residential community planned for the industrial plant workers. Carl Fisher and James Allison not only owned the speedway itself, but also two plants: the Prest-O-Lite factory (now known as Union Carbide Corporation) and the Allison Engine Company (originally an aircraft engine manufacturer and is now Rolls-Royce North America). This town was created to provide residence for the factory workers. Speedway was incorporated into a town in 1926 and the Speedway History District has since been listed onto the National Register of Historic Places since 2005. As of the 2020 census, the town that holds this international event has a population of nearly 14k.
If you head to Indianapolis for a basketball game or to Speedway for the race, you’re likely to travel on the I-465, a beltway started in 1955. Construction for this interstate ran from 1959-1970 and consisted of plans to create a series of segments that would surround the major city. Now this interstate connects Indianapolis to 6 major interstates: I-65, I-69, I-70, and I-74 and provides additional access to I-65 via I-865. In 2000, David Letterman (another Indianapolis native) had quintuple bypass surgery. Two year later, he joked that the I-465 should be renamed the David Letterman Bypass, following the gag up with a call to the mayor on his show, Late Show with David Letterman, offering $10 million for the honor and to cover the cost of changing all the signs. However, in 2011, the Indiana General Assembly decided that I-465 should instead be named the USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway, “in memory of the brave soldiers who lost their lives when the USS Indianapolis was sunk in the Pacific during WW2.” Signs for this change have been erected in some locations along the loop, but the highway is still often referred to as “465" by most locals.
Whether you go to Indiana for a basketball game, head to Speedway for the Indy 500, or are traveling through across the I465 or USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway, remember that Interstate Signways made the signs that guided the way!
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