April 27, 2024
Amelia Earhart and her Indiana connections: Encore
 She vanished more than 75 years ago over the South Pacific while attempting to fly around the world in a Lockheed Electra 10E twin-engine airplane sponsored by Purdue University. That's just one of the connections between famous aviator Amelia Earhart and the Hoosier state.
She was particularly associated with Purdue, which has the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of artifacts associated with the famous aviator, whose disappearance in 1937 remains a mystery.
To explore the sky-high stack of Earhart links to Indiana, Purdue staff writer and historian John Norberg, an aviation expert, joins Nelson for an encore broadcast of one of the most popular shows in our Hoosier History Live archives with the original show from 2012.
During the final two years before Amelia Earhart vanished, she was a sort of visiting celebrity-in-residence on the West Lafayette campus, where she was a career counselor for women students, and where she lectured and conducted conferences. She also was an adviser to the university's department of aeronautics.
 Despite her fame, "Lady Lindy" chose to stay in a women's dorm (then known as South Hall, today it's part of Duhme Hall) and eat with students in the cafeteria.
In 1935, the same year she joined the Purdue faculty, Earhart visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She became the first woman to receive an official position during the Indianapolis 500. serving as a race official. Earhart also demonstrated a parachute training device before the race began.
The pioneer aviator was just 39 years old when she disappeared with her navigator, Fred Noonan, while flying from New Guinea to the Howland Islands. She was attempting to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.
Purdue's sponsorship of her Lockheed Electra included arranging for financial assistance from Indianapolis business leader J.K. Lilly and other donors. The huge collection of Earhart memorabilia at Purdue includes some of her flight suits, logs and diaries, lecture notes, poems and even a pre-marital agreement with her husband, George Putnam.
 Amelia Earhart wasn't a native Hoosier. Born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1897, Earhart earned her pilot's license in 1922 and within a month set an altitude record (14,000 feet) for a woman aviator.
Subsequently, her list of record-breaking achievements included becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, and two years later setting a speed record (181 mph) for a woman in flight.
Invitations to establish a relationship with Purdue apparently were appealing for several reasons. She liked the fact that engineering and mechanical training were fully open to women students, and she was appreciative that, in 1935, Purdue was the only university in the country with its own airstrip.
Our guest John Norberg has written extensively about Earhart's colorful life. During our show, he confirms various accounts about the impact of her stay on the Purdue campus. They include an appeal by women students to administrators after they observed the celebrity aviator in slacks. Under a dress code enforced in the mid-1930s, women students at Purdue were prohibited from wearing slacks.
Latest Podcast Available!
April 06, 2024 -Civic education: The need for a refresh Click here for podcast.
For a complete list of show podcasts and show enewsletters, please go to ARCHIVES on our website.
Roadtrip: Eleutherian College in Madison County
Amy Lamb of the Indiana Historical Society will tell us about free African-Americans who had the opportunity to study at Historic Eleutherian College near Madison, Ind.
The college site is actually in the country; from Madison go north on State Road 7 and turn east on State Road 250, and soon you will come upon the beautiful village of Lancaster and see the college, a three-story limestone building, on your left.
Eleutherian College was one of only a few institutions before the Civil War to intentionally adopt a model of multiracial and coeducational education. Its location less than 10 miles from the slave state of Kentucky made it exceptional among its peer institutions.
Social media volunteer sought for Hoosier History Live
Hey, more and more of our stuff is online. But can people find it? And do people even know that if you click on a podcast link, you can generally hear it?
I'm Molly Head, Hoosier History Live's producer, and if you'd like to post old show podcasts on Facebook, email me at molly@hoosierhistorylive.org. Be aware that I'm an aging baby boomer, and sometimes I like to talk on the phone! Not just text or email.
I create all the initial Facebook posts for Hoosier History Live. Somehow, last week's show had like 22 shares on Facebook. That means 22 people or organizations "forwarded" our post about that week's show.
By the way, we try to keep our website, www.hoosierhistorylive.org, kind of our "information central" on what's going on with us. On its home page, you can also sign up for our free weekly enewsletter.
Also on our website you can click on our ARCHIVES section, you can also pull up old show podcasts and old show enewsletters. Our ARCHIVES are a work in progress. And a shout out to our mighty tech team of Corene Nickel and Ryan DeRome.
As for people who don't like Facebook, I've found that it is easy for me to "get rid" of people or organizations who say negative or dumb things. AS with ALL media, consider the source of what you are reading or listening to!
Yes, this means that I am the editor of what I read or look at. But that's okay! We should all be the editors of what we read or look at! We should all be discerning!
Just remember to look for the yellow Hoosier History Live logo on all of our media.
Trivia prizes sought
Our "History Mystery" on air contest continues to be very popular! If you are an organization or business that would like to contribute tickets or admissions, please contact our host Nelson at nelson@hoosierhistorylive.org.
Prizes must fit in a standard business envelope. Hoosier History Live prefers to "snail mail" prizes to our trivia winners. And If prizes are time sensitive, they need to be offered well in advance of the event so that we can get them out in time.
Who can you see in this “Hoosier History Live Photo Album” . . .
Swipe through these photos gleaned from the last fourteen years of Hoosier History Live production!
And would you believe that radio technology has completely changed tech wise since we first went on the air in 2008 at WICR? Can you find Bobby Plump, Chris Gahl, Connie Zeigler, Tom Ridley, Bonnie Britton, Tiffany Benedict Browne, Eunice Trotter, David Baker, Lefty Huntzinger, Keira Amstutz, Cowboy Bob, Janie of “Popeye and Janie”, K.P. Singh, Pam Fraizer, and Dark Rain Thom? The voices of so many Hoosiers blended together over the years to make Hoosier History Live such a unique archive.
And thanks to Richard Sullivan of Monomedia for creating this group of images.
What people are saying about Hoosier History Live
"...Are fulfilling a valuable role..."
"Hoosier History Live is a haven of trustworthy knowledge. Molly Head and Nelson Price are fulfilling a valuable role in making quality scholarship about our state readily available to on-the-go listeners, expanding how we engage with the history and culture of Indiana."
-Wayne Hastings, Bloomington listener and library science student
"...A great service with the creation of independent media..."
"Both Nelson Price and Molly Head do the public a great service with the creation of independent media project Hoosier History Live. The program adds considerably to the public IQ, at a time when intelligence is much needed."
- Tom Cochrun, former news anchor, WTHR-TV Channel 13 Indianapolis
"... an intelligent, well-researched program..."
"I’ve loved listening to Hoosier History Live during the pandemic as an intelligent, well-researched program to escape the news for an hour."
-Lee Little, JD, MLS, Research Librarian, Indiana University
"...'Live' - and 'Lively' as well..."
"Hoosier History really is 'Live' - and 'Lively' as well. The program brings to new audiences the delight and wisdom that comes with knowing more of our past and our connections as Hoosiers."
- James H. Madison, Emeritus History Professor, Indiana University
"...interactive, more entertaining and more 'relevant'..."
"As museums and educational institutions scramble to make their offerings more interactive, more entertaining and more 'relevant', Hoosier History Live seems to have mastered that formula."
- Glynis Worley, rural Bartholomew County listener
"...a great way to learn more about history..."
"The links on the Friday Hoosier History Live enewsletter are a great way to learn more about history, and from a variety of sources."
- Jill Ditmire, Omni Media Specialist
"I love the podcasts..."
"I love the podcasts! I work on Saturdays and cannot always hear the live broadcasts. Sometimes I also like to listen a second time."
- Terri Gorney, Fort Wayne listener
"...infuses joy into the pursuit of history..."
"Nelson Price, more than anyone I know, infuses joy into the pursuit of history. And that joy rings out loud and clear on the radio show, Hoosier History Live."
- Marsh Davis, President, Indiana Landmarks
"... a compelling and engaging project..."
"Molly Head and Nelson Price are Indiana-based visionaries who have created a compelling and engaging media project with Hoosier History Live. Podcasts, website, enewsletter, and live call-in radio show; it’s all there!"
- Keira Amstutz, President and CEO, Indiana Humanities
"...does more to promote Indiana history..."
"Hoosier History Live does more to promote Indiana history than does any single source."
- Andrea Neal, Indianapolis author and educator
"...always a great show"
“Hoosier History Live is always a great show. We did a small sponsorship as a gesture of support, and I didn’t think a little history show would have much impact. But many people mentioned to me that they had heard our credit on the radio.”
- G.B. Landrigan, Realtor, Certified Residential Specialist
"...a great way to represent what I do..."
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with Nelson Price and the Hoosier History Live team. I feel being on the show was a great way to represent what I do with motorsports history. I am particularly excited by the show's new distribution through a podcast and making it accessible live through the Web.”
-Mark Dill, owner, FirstSuperSpeedway.com
"...great value to sponsors..."
"Hoosier History Live has amassed a vast library of content over the years, both with the show audio and newsletter material. I believe that the Hoosier History Live content has great value to sponsors and advertisers via widespread online distribution. Nowhere else do you find the fresh new material each week, the depth of stories, the richness of detail, and the long-term consistency."
- John McDonald, CEO, ClearObject in Fishers, Indiana, Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing IT company in Indiana for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
"...enthusiastic, curious and knowledgeable..."
"Hoosier History Live is a perfect place to consider and reconsider history ... not just what happened in the past, but what it may mean in the present. Nelson Price is the perfect host: enthusiastic, curious and knowledgeable. Tune in to Hoosier History Live and be prepared to be surprised."
- James Still, playwright in residence, Indiana Repertory Theatre
"...I want to call in!..
"No, I haven't heard of another call-in talk radio show about history. Our airwaves are now full of the worst vitriol! Give me the phone number for the show. I want to call in!"
- Ken Burns, speaking at a preview of his film "The War" at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, April 18, 2007
"Another Hoosier History Live endorsement from a Hoosier in California ..."
"Hoosier History Live is a bright spot in my media constellation. I also frequently forward your weekly enewsletters to friends around the globe. I may now be a Californian, but my Hoosier interest is endless. The podcasts and streaming are good tools. By all means, persevere!"
- Tom Cochrun, former news anchor, WTHR-TV Channel 13 Indianapolis
"From a Hoosier who knows her books..."
"Fills a niche for the lover of Indiana history."
- Kathleen Madinger Angelone, retired bookstore owner
Podcast listening, and Hoosier History Live copyright policies
We still do a live radio show every Saturday from noon to one broadcasting on WICR 88.7, but more and more of our listeners are listening to our podcasts, which are basically audio copies of our live shows. Our website is www.hoosierhistorylive.org, and you can sign up at our website to get our free weekly newsletter.
At the top of our newsletter and website we put notice, and links, to our newly published podcasts. We also provide a link to ARCHIVES, which is a list of our past enewsletters and published podcasts.
 If you have a preferred podcast provider like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you can use their search function to call up Hoosier History Live as well. Look for the yellow Hoosier History Live logo.
We copyright our work, and we have a crew of very talented people putting it together. But we WANT you to share it! We believe that learning should be accessible to everyone! You are welcome to copy, link to, or forward any of our Hoosier History Live material. Just please do not edit it! Our underwriter logos and voiced credits are on our material; and these underwriters make our work possible.
| 
