It is said that the first people to settle in Indiana were the Paleo-Indians who moved to Indiana in 8000 B.C. at the end stages of the Ice Age when the glaciers started to melt. Many tools and weapons discovered during the Archaic Age in 5000 B.C. are said to have been made by the ancient civilization of Indiana. By the Medieval period, when the Europeans arrived in the 1500s, large settlements were established. The French explorers arrived in the 1600s, and by the 1700s, trading ports were established. In the 1760s the French-Indian war broke out. The native tribes of Indiana sided with the French Canadians. The British won the war in 1763. After the American Revolution in 1783, the United States defined the Northwest Territory, which later became known as Indiana.
During the Civil War, Indiana played a major role with over 7,000 men enlisted in the Union Army. After the war, many new industries developed in Indiana. Industries like heavy machinery, farming, and mining rose to prominence. After World War II, steel and pharmaceutical companies spread throughout Indiana.
Today Indiana is considered a cultural hub. Books such as “The Hoosier Schoolmaster” and “The Gentleman from Indiana” reflect the socio-cultural factors of the State of Indiana. Indiana is also known for sports such as basketball, NASCAR, and football. The State has a well-built network of roadways, rail tracks, and seaports. Indiana is home to many well-known politicians, singers, and poets, and is famous for its “Hoosier hospitality.” National Indiana Day was created to give recognition to Indiana and its people.
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