This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Built on a concrete slab, there is a one-story house where everything is yellow.  The walls are yellow.  The doors are yellow.  All of the furniture is yellow.  The house has yellow beds and a yellow sofa.  What color are the stairs?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Admitted to the American union on December 11, 1816, the “Hoosier State” of Indiana becomes the country’s 19th state.

Here are a few quick facts about Indiana:

• Capital City:  Indianapolis
• State Bird:  Cardinal
• State Flower:  Peony
• State Motto:  The Crossroads of America

The word “Indiana” in Latin means “Land of the Indians.”  Native Americans are the original inhabitants of this territory.  European culture arrives in 1673 when a French trading post is built on the Kankakee River.  In 1679, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claims the territory for King Louis XIV.

Indiana offers a treasure trove of places to visit.  They provide quite a variety of attractions for tourists coming to the “American Crossroads” state.

Indiana Dunes National Park is located along 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan.  Visitors are invited to walk in glacial sands that have been pulled up into nearly 250-foot tall dunes.  In addition to the dunes, hikers experience a thriving ecosystem featuring wetlands, prairies, and old-growth forests.

America’s greatest spectacle of auto racing offers drivers a chance to make history over Memorial Day weekend with the Indianapolis 500.  Since its inaugural race in 1911, racing fans have been coming to the speedway.  On race day, over 250,000 spectators make their way to the Brickyard.

Bedford is rightly called the “Limestone Capital of the World.”  The small city is surrounded by large limestone quarries.  Limestone from Bedford has found its way into prominent buildings around the United States, including the Empire State Building in New York City, and the Pentagon and National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Here are three more significant historical notes from Indiana:

• The famous Raggedy Ann doll is created in 1915 by Indianapolis author and cartoonist, Johnny Gruelle.  Later on, he adds books, songs, and cartoons to the Raggedy Ann collection.
• Wabash becomes the world’s first electrically lighted city on March 31, 1880.
• Fort Wayne hosts America’s first professional baseball game on May 4, 1871.  By the way, Fort Wayne’s Kekiongas won 2-0.

from left to right:  from 1961, Indianapolis 500 speedway with its original bricks (the track is paved for 1962), portion of the limestone quarries near bedford. Indiana dunes national park along lake michigan, Original raggedy ann Stories (1918) written by Johnny Gruelle)  (photographs courtesy of pinterest.)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

There are no stairs–it’s a one-story house.