Bedford is considered the "Limestone Capital of the World," and as such tried to use its resources to build replicas of both the Great Pyramid of Giza and teh Great Wall of China. The plan was abruptly killed after controversy over the federal government's granting of hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete the project. The ruins of the partially started pyramid still exist, although the wall is just a line of limestone blocks on the ground.
Marcella Gruelle of Indianapolis created the Raggedy Ann doll in 1914.
The first professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne on May 4, 1871.
In Fort Wayne, Syvanus F. Bower designed the world's first practical gasoline pump.