1. In 1825, the Indiana General Assembly chartered the Michigan Road, a major north-south thoroughfare in the state that connected the Ohio River to Lake Michigan. The road played a crucial role in the economic development of Indiana and helped establish Indianapolis as an important transportation hub.

2. On May 8, 1914, the American passenger steamship, the RMS Empress of Ireland, sank in the St. Lawrence River after colliding with a Norwegian coal ship. Among the nearly 1,000 passengers and crew who perished in the disaster were several prominent Indiana citizens, including financier Thomas Taggart and former Congressman George Washington Rauch.

3. In 1945, Indiana native Harry S. Truman became the 33rd President of the United States following the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman, who was born in Lamar, Missouri, but spent much of his childhood in Independence, Indiana, served as President until 1953.

4. May 8, 1963, marked the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, which houses an impressive collection of racing cars and memorabilia dating back to the early days of the Indianapolis 500. The museum is located within the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which hosted its first 500-mile race in 1911.

5. On May 8, 2018, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed a bill into law that legalized sports betting in the state. The move made Indiana one of several states to legalize sports betting following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that invalidated a federal ban on the practice. As of 2021, sports betting is legal and operational in several Indiana casinos and online platforms.