Cape Canaveral, Florida (April 13, 2025) - It was 55 years ago today that the world held its breath as three astronauts began a harrowing journey back to earth after an explosion aboard Apollo 13 crippled their spacecraft.
Apollo 13 lifted off on time from the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, April 11, 1970 at 2:13pm EST. The first 55 hours and 55 minutes of the mission went smoothly until, just over 3/4 of the way to the Moon, shortly after the one and only TV transmission of their journey, Apollo 13 had a problem.
A liquid oxygen tank exploded, pushing the flight off course, robbing the capsule of breathable oxygen and fuel for power generation.
An accident investigation board later found that upgrades to the tank, designed by American Rockwell, had overlooked thermostatic switches while being made to work with higher voltage test equipment at the Kennedy Space Center. These switches were likely welded shut during preflight tests allowing temperatures in the tank to rise to over 12 times the original design's limits.
Systems, including guidance, were shut down to conserve power. Over the next 6 hours, the astronauts with assistance from flight controllers on the ground, manually calculated a free return trajectory to get them back home.
The crew used the on board sextant, which required no power, to determine their position looking for two stars from a list of 37 known to the guidance computer. This a common task used many times during all Apollo missions to provide updates to the guidance, but was particularly complex for Apollo 13.
Had everything gone to plan, NASA’s third mission to land astronauts on the moon would have deployed a pallet of science instruments and brought back samples from humanity’s first visit to the lunar uplands. Instead, 55 years ago this month, Apollo 13 “had a problem.”
Indianapolis, IN (October 20, 2020) - On this date in 1987, an Air Force jet attempting to make an emergency landing, crashed into a bank and then a hotel near the airport, killing ten people.
All of those killed and injured were on the first floor of the hotel when the jet, gliding without power, glanced off the flat roof of a bank, hit the ground, then bounced up and smashed into the hotel marquee. Fire covered much of the center-front of the building.
''It was like skipping a rock,'' said Robert Duncan, staff lawyer for the Indianapolis Airport Authority.
The pilot, Maj. Bruce Teagarden, 35, of Mt. Morris, Pa., ejected seconds before the single-engine A-7D Corsair crashed at 9:15 a.m.
He parachuted into a parking lot less than two blocks from the crash site, said Robert Spitler, acting director of the Airport Authority.
Teagarden apparently was following approved procedure after his aging jet fighter lost power.
Marion County medical examiners said all ten of those killed may have been hotel employees. Three had been positively identified and one tentatively identified by 8:00 p.m., said Dennis Nicholas of the coroner`s office. Dental records must be used to identify the five other victims.
The four for whom names were available were hotel employees: Beth Louise Goldberg, 30; Emma J. Brownlee, 37; and Brenda Joyce Henry, 26, all of Indianapolis; and Allen Manter, 18, of Amo.
Six people were injured. Thomas Murray, 41, of Indianapolis, was listed in critical condition with third-degree burns over 95 percent of his body. Darryl Crenshaw, 28, a firefighter, was in serious condition. Betty Gonzales, 52, a hotel employee, was in fair condition, with second-degree burns over 10 percent of her body.
Davis Bosan, 21, of Mattoon, Ill.; John Cameron, 43, of Wauwatosa, Wis. and pilot Teagarden were treated at area hospitals and released. Teagarden was released to military medical authorities.
None of the three customers and six employees in the bank, Bank One, was injured when the plane tore off two-thirds of the building`s roof and collapsed the southwest corner of the structure.
''It`s hard to imagine there were human beings that walked away from it, but they did,'' said Fred Roesner, head of security for Bank One.
Some of the hotel`s guests were also counting themselves among the fortunate. Nearly half of the previous night`s 107 guests had checked out before 9:00 a.m., said a spokesman for the Ramada chain in Tucson. And more than 50 guests attending an engineering conference at the back of the hotel were unscathed when the plane hit, said Neil Sullivan, a spokesman for the Marion County Sheriff`s Department.
But those gathered near the lobby were not so fortunate. The plane disintegrated on impact, with parts of it hurtling 75 feet into the hotel, said Larry Curl, Wayne Township deputy fire chief.
''It looked like it was exploding from the inside. There was a sheet of flame, then an explosion,'' said Shirley Heaton, an employee at Indiana National Bank, across the street from the Ramada Inn.
Lori Leisen, secretary for H.L. Yoh, a technical service firm across the street from Bank One, said: ''I saw something real big and dark come in front. I heard the explosion and saw the fireball.'' Windows of cars in the parking lot blew out from the intense heat, she said.
''There wasn`t anything we could have done. The heat was atrocious. It was a holocaust,'' she said.
City firefighters, who gathered at the airport when Teagarden radioed that he was in trouble, averted what probably would have been a greater disaster by arriving at the hotel within minutes to extinguish the flames, said Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut.
Emergency workers late Tuesday night were still trying to account for some guests, Marion County Sheriff Joe McAtee said at a news conference. He added that it was likely these guests had checked out before the crash and had not called to notify authorities, as they have been asked to do. No more bodies were expected to be found, he said, because the hotel had been thoroughly searched several times.
Teagarden had failed an attempted instrument landing through a low cloud ceiling and apparently was heading the plane toward an open field when he bailed out.
''He came through the clouds and was making a right turn and said he would have to get out,'' Spitler said.
Shortly before 9:12 a.m., Teagarden, flying west at 31,000 feet from Pittsburgh to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas on a proficiency cross-country training mission, notified Indianapolis air-traffic controllers that he had lost power in his single jet engine and was urgently seeking a landing site.
He was given a choice of landing at Terre Haute, 44 miles due west, or Indianapolis, 15 miles north, said James McCue, airport operations manager.
''It was up to the pilot to determine which,'' said Spitler.
Teagarden, of the 4450th Test Group Squadron at Nellis, told the tower he would land at Indianapolis, and controllers tried to guide him in, McCue said. He could not see the runway because there was an 800-foot cloud ceiling and light fog, Spitler said. Spitler said Teagarden came over the airport too high, so the control tower tried to take him around to another runway. The plane had lost too much power to complete the maneuver.
''The major made the best decision he could have made,'' said Col. Bruce L. Johnson, a senior public relations officer at Ft. Benjamin Harrison Army Base, near Indianapolis.
An Air Force source told The Tribune that, if a power failure occurs during the final landing approach, the pilot ''is only a second or two from the ground.'' ''The orders are to do what you can when you have control of the aircraft and then get out'' if control is lost, the source said.
McCue said the Vietnam-era fighter had lost its thrust and was gliding when it went down.
He speculated that the force of the pilot`s ejection from the jet could have pushed the plane down, deflecting it from its course toward open fields beyond the hotel.
Haunted Indiana - The Willard Library, located in Evansville, Indiana, was built in 1881 by William Carpenter, known locally as a pioneer of public charity. Victorian Gothic in design, the brick building stands two stories tall, with a tower and ornate window arches. Being the oldest library in the state of Indiana, it contains a treasure trove of local historical archives and genealogy materials.
It also has a ghost. An apparition reportedly roams the hallways and library rooms. She became known as the Lady in Grey, since she was dressed in an 1800’s period grey dress with a matching grey shawl. First seen in the late 1930’s by a custodian, who soon quit his job in fear of seeing her again, she’s been viewed countless times since.
Patrons and employees alike have witnessed water turning on and off, touches on their hair, unexplained noises, and items being moved. After numerous sightings, the library installed a series of web cams around the library, allowing viewers from around the world to search for her from the comfort of their own homes.
The results have been phenomenal. People from all around the world have captured images of the grey lady as she roams the library in the middle of the night. Some even see her during the daytime, lingering in the children’s room or browsing the titles in the library.
During the mid 1970’s, when the library was under construction, the lead librarian, a woman named Margaret Maier, reported that the ghost went home with her. Her son didn’t believe her until he saw the apparition for himself.
He witnessed a woman in a long grey dress climbing the staircase to the second floor in their house. When he went to investigate, she vanished before his eyes. After construction was completed, the Lady in Grey soon returned to the library.
The special collections librarian also experienced the apparition. She was reading a book, while walking out of the second story staff room. As she passed a stack of books, she stopped short, catching something out of the corner of her eye. When she looked up, she found herself face to face with the ghostly figure.
On September 26, 1983, Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov was in command at Serpukhov-15, a bunker where the Soviets monitored their satellite-based detection systems. Shortly after midnight, panic broke out when an alarm sounded signaling that the United States had fired five Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or ICBMs, toward Russia.
The warning was a false alarm—one of the satellites had misinterpreted the glint of sunlight off clouds near Montana as a missile launch—but to the Soviets, it appeared the United States had started a nuclear war.
Protocol demanded that Serpukhov-15 report any signs of a missile launch to the Soviet high command, but Petrov had a hunch the warning was an error. He knew the new satellite system was mistake-prone, and he also reasoned that any nuclear strike by the Americans would come in the form of hundreds of missiles, not just five.
With only minutes to make a decision, Petrov chose to ignore the blaring warning alarms and reported the launch as a false alarm—a move that may have averted a nuclear holocaust.
The incident remained classified until after the Cold War ended, but Petrov later received several humanitarian awards for his extraordinary actions, and was even honored by the United Nations.
Indianapolis, IN (September 15, 2020) - The Indiana Broadcaster Association is hosting a special Thursday, September 17 screening of the movie Hoosiers at Tibbs Drive-In, 480 South Tibbs Avenue. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and sit outside of their vehicle, but everyone must comply with social distancing guidelines put in place by Tibbs Drive-In.
All the proceeds from the special event will be donated to support the historic Hoosier Gym in Knightstown which has been deeply impacted by COVID-19. The Knightstown locale served as the home gym for the “Hickory Huskers” in the 1986 movie.
Tickets to the Tibbs Drive-In event are $11 per person are available now for advance purchase through HelpHoosierGym.com. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. The screening will begin with sundown at 8:30 p.m.
Attendees will have the chance to win several door prizes including:
An autographed Larry Bird basketball
Victor Oladip Indiana Pacers “Hickory Edition” Replica Jersey
Indiana Pacers “Hickory Edition” shirts and hats
A full-size Hoosiers movie poster signed by screenwriter Angelo Pizzo and director David Anspaugh
A Hoosiers Eleven Life Lessons from Hoosiers book signed by author and Hoosier Gym Event Coordinator Bob Garner and by Brad Long (who portrayed “Buddy” in the movie.)
Indianapolis, IN (July 22, 2020) - Roncalli High School, located on the south side of Indianapolis will soon change their school nickname from the “Rebels” to a new name to be decided by the Roncalli community, school officials announced today.
Father Robert Roberson, interim president of Roncalli High School said he will appoint a special task force this summer to explore alternative names and symbols that will “better reflect our Catholic mission and honor the legacy of our patron, Angelo Roncalli.”
“The confusion and negative connotation attached to the name Rebels are also a source of concern as we move forward over the next 50 years,” said Terese Carson, vice president for institutional advancement. “We have had alumni and community member express concerns about how this nickname can be misunderstood, particularly as it relates to our deep commitment to honoring the dignity of every person, as Christ calls us to do.”
Roncalli has used the “rebel” mascot and nickname since its creation in 1969, out the consolidation of two different Catholic high schools. The school was named for Pope John XXIII, whose family name was Roncalli. According to the school’s website, the nickname was in homage to him. John XXIII was “referred to by some in the church as a rebel.”
Indianapolis, IN (May 22, 2020) BGI — Save the dates, the 90th Marion County Fair will be held July 4-12 at the Marion County Fairgrounds located at 7300 East Troy Avenue. It was originally scheduled for June 19-28, but officials decided to postpone the fair until July, when the county would likely will be nearly completely re-opened.
Purdue Extension, which oversees the state’s county fairs, has prohibited in-person meetings and events until July 1. They issued a statement that allows counties to open fairs if that county reaches the final stages in the Back on Track plan issued by state officials. They have also developed virtual models for counties that may not meet the state’s requirements for Stage 5.
Accordingly, county fairs would have to maintain required physical distancing , offer daily health screenings for all employees and volunteers, and increase their hand sanitizing stations and cleaning stations.
The Marion County 4-H continues its partnership with the fair, and the chapter has participated in physical distancing events, including scheduled webinars.
Right now, admission to the fair is only $5.00 per day, and a 10 day pass will set you back just $25.00.
The Marion County Fair was established in 1930 as a street fair in New Bethel or Wannamaker. Following several moves in the Wannamaker area, it was relocated onto 123 acres of land at Troy Avenue and Fisher Road. There are presently 17 permanent buildings on the grounds.
Beech Grove, IN (May 19, 2020) BGI - As the days and nights are starting to get warmer, some of us will be craving a quick, comforting weeknight meal. This Hoosier Sausage and Potato recipe fits the bill perfectly.
You could also serve this for breakfast with a side of eggs and a hot cup of coffee on a lazy weekend morning.
A delicious and easy meal
How to Make Hoosier Sausage and Potatoes:
Ingredients
1.5 lbs. smoked pork sausage, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2.5 lbs. medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
¾ tsp. creole seasoning
Instructions
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray unless you use a liner*
Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir.
Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
*Use a slow cooker liner for easy clean up. You can find these with the plastic storage bags in the grocery store.
Cape Canaveral, Florida (April 13, 2020) - It was 50 years ago today that the world held its breath as three astronauts began a harrowing journey back to earth after an explosion aboard Apollo 13 crippled their spacecraft.
Apollo 13 lifted off on time from the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, April 11, 1970 at 2:13pm EST. The first 55 hours and 55 minutes of the mission went smoothly until, just over 3/4 of the way to the Moon, shortly after the one and only TV transmission of their journey, Apollo 13 had a problem.
A liquid oxygen tank exploded, pushing the flight off course, robbing the capsule of breathable oxygen and fuel for power generation.
An accident investigation board later found that upgrades to the tank, designed by American Rockwell, had overlooked thermostatic switches while being made to work with higher voltage test equipment at the Kennedy Space Center. These switches were likely welded shut during preflight tests allowing temperatures in the tank to rise to over 12 times the original design's limits.
Systems, including guidance, were shut down to conserve power. Over the next 6 hours, the astronauts with assistance from flight controllers on the ground, manually calculated a free return trajectory to get them back home.
The crew used the on board sextant, which required no power, to determine their position looking for two stars from a list of 37 known to the guidance computer. This a common task used many times during all Apollo missions to provide updates to the guidance, but was particularly complex for Apollo 13.
Had everything gone to plan, NASA’s third mission to land astronauts on the moon would have deployed a pallet of science instruments and brought back samples from humanity’s first visit to the lunar uplands. Instead, 50 years ago this month, Apollo 13 “had a problem.”
