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IndyEncyclopedia The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis is a home for knowledge about the Circle City’s past and present.

In his lifetime, motorsports broadcaster Bob Jenkins attended every Indianapolis 500 from 1960 through 2020, missing onl...
05/15/2026

In his lifetime, motorsports broadcaster Bob Jenkins attended every Indianapolis 500 from 1960 through 2020, missing only two races. So it was meant to be when he became the new "Voice of the 500" in 1990, after several years of reporting from other positions around the Speedway. Jenkins held the title for 8 years.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/bob-jenkins/
Image: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson with Bob Jenkins and Howdy Bell at the track on race day, 1997; Image Credit: Indiana University Indianapolis

In 1948, Sid Collins, a new radio announcer for WIBC, earned an assignment as a track announcer at the Indianapolis 500-...
05/13/2026

In 1948, Sid Collins, a new radio announcer for WIBC, earned an assignment as a track announcer at the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. He went on to become the “Voice of the 500,” a position he held for over 20 years. Collins, who achieved worldwide fame for his broadcasts, originated the phrase “the greatest spectacle in racing,” which became synonymous with the race itself.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/sid-collins/
Image: Sid Collins, 1974; Image Credit: Indiana University Indianapolis

Mary Elizabeth Bostwick was a trailblazing journalist in Indianapolis. During the 1920s she became a stunt reporter. Dis...
05/11/2026

Mary Elizabeth Bostwick was a trailblazing journalist in Indianapolis. During the 1920s she became a stunt reporter. Disguised as a mechanic in a car driven by Howdy Wilcox, she was the first woman to ride in a race car during practice for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/mary-elizabeth-bostwick/
Image: Mary Bostwick with Howdy Wilcox, 1922; Image Credit: IndyStar

During the 1920s and 1930s, Charlie Wiggins was the fastest and most accomplished African American race car driver in Am...
05/08/2026

During the 1920s and 1930s, Charlie Wiggins was the fastest and most accomplished African American race car driver in America. Wiggins first entered his car in the 1925 annual Gold and Glory Sweepstakes, which the Colored Speedway Association had established the year before as the African American version of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. His first Gold and Glory Sweepstakes win came a year later. He won back-to-back race victories in 1931, 1932, and 1933.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/charles-edwin-charlie-wiggins/
Image: Charlie Wiggins, n.d.; Image Credit: IndyStar

Thanks to Ray Harroun’s driving prowess and his Marmon "Wasp," an Indy resident and Indy-made car were the first to win ...
05/06/2026

Thanks to Ray Harroun’s driving prowess and his Marmon "Wasp," an Indy resident and Indy-made car were the first to win the initial Indy 500 in 1911. Harroun won the race in 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 8 seconds for an average speed of 74.6 miles per hour.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/ray-harroun/
Image: Driver Ray Harroun and his #32 Wasp, 1911; Image Credit: Indiana University Indianapolis

What to get revved up for the Indy 500? How about visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum? Opened in 1956 as a p...
05/04/2026

What to get revved up for the Indy 500? How about visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum? Opened in 1956 as a place to showcase racing vehicles and IMS history, it began with 12 cars on display. Today you can see over 150 vehicles.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/indianapolis-motor-speedway-hall-of-fame-museum/
Image: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, 1985; Image Credit: Indiana University Indianapolis

We all know that the home of the Indy 500 is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). But did you know that the first race...
05/01/2026

We all know that the home of the Indy 500 is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). But did you know that the first race at IMS was actually a hot-air balloon race? On June 5, 1909, the first U.S. National Balloon Race launched from the as yet unfinished IMS track.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/indianapolis-motor-speedway/
Image: Balloons are readied for the National Championship Balloon Race, 1909; Image Credit: Indiana University Indianapolis

Born on this day in 1842 was Frances Connecticut Stout. She and her husband, Benjamin, operated one of the first Black-o...
04/29/2026

Born on this day in 1842 was Frances Connecticut Stout. She and her husband, Benjamin, operated one of the first Black-owned stalls at the Indianapolis City Market in the late 1800’s.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/frances-connecticut-stout/
Image: Frances Connecticut Stout and her husband Benjamin in front of their home, n.d.; Image Credit: Indiana Historical Society

On this day in 1904, Lillian Thomas Fox organized the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs as part of the N...
04/27/2026

On this day in 1904, Lillian Thomas Fox organized the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs as part of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. The federation's founding purpose aimed to organize Black women’s clubs and promote Black community life under the motto: “Step by step we reach the heights.”

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/indiana-federation-of-colored-women-s-clubs/
Image: Indiana State Federation of Colored Women’s Club, ca. 1927; Image Credit: Indiana Historical Society

For more than a century, City Market has weathered fires, renovations, and reinventions to serve as one of Indianapolis’...
04/24/2026

For more than a century, City Market has weathered fires, renovations, and reinventions to serve as one of Indianapolis’s go‑to spots for local food, community, and everyday bustle. From early‑morning produce vendors in the 1900s to lunchtime favorites and farmers markets in the later half of the century, it’s long been a place where Indy gathers.

Learn More: https://indyencyclopedia.org/city-market/
Image: Vendor at City Market, 1923; Image Credit: Indiana Historical Society

Hoosiers celebrated the first Earth Day with the rest of the nation on April 22, 1970. We stepped up and held clean-up c...
04/22/2026

Hoosiers celebrated the first Earth Day with the rest of the nation on April 22, 1970. We stepped up and held clean-up campaigns, educational events, and marches to raise awareness about the effects of rising levels of pollution on our environment and health.

Image Credit: The Indianapolis Star, Apr 12, 1970

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