Indiana

William Fritz "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis Jr.

(1929-1991)

Professional Wrestler

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Washington Park North Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°51'17.9"N, 86°11'58.9"W

William Afflis started as a professional football player, but realized he could make more money beating people up. So he became "Dick the Bruiser" and entered the world of professional wrestling. Bruiser's career highlights are impressive: 20 times tag team champion, 16 times singles world champion, and countless other awards including tag team of the year and many hall of fame inductions. He was a early version of an antihero in wrestling.

Erwin George "Cannon Ball" Baker

(1882-1960)

Motorcycle and Race Car Driver

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°49'27.2"N, 86°10'03.0"W

Cannon Ball Baker was a speed enthusiast. He set many records in both motorcycles and race cars. His notoriety earned Erwin Baker the nickname that would stay with him until he died.  He held a record of driving from New York City to Los Angeles in only 53.5 hours. He was also named the first commissioner of NASCAR.

James Baskett

(1904-1948)

Actor

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°49'22.6"N, 86°10'34.4"W

James Baskett was primarily a small-name actor until he got his break on "The Amos 'n' Andy Show" where he played Gabby Gibson. But he will be best remembered for playing Uncle Remus and singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in Disney's Song of the South movie. Interestingly, Disney uses the song frequently in promotions and in the theme parks, but simultaneously tries to brush the film under the rug for the stereotypical portrayals of African Americans in the film. James Baskett would win an honorary Academy Award for the role a mere three months before his passing. It was the first Oscar won by a black man.

Gaston Chevrolet

(1892-1920)

Automobile Designer, Race Car Driver

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°43'54.0"N, 86°09'57.5"W

Gaston Chevrolet was one of the three pioneering Chevrolet brothers. He, along with older brothers Louis and Arthur, designed faster, stronger automobiles early in the car industry. Gaston was the winner of the 1920 Indianapolis 500. But sadly, he passed away only six months later in an automotive accident at Beverly Hills Speedway.

Louis Chevrolet

(1878-1941)

Automobile Designer

Fame-O-Meter-4/10

Resting Place-Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°43'54.0"N, 86°09'57.6"W

Louis Chevrolet was probably the most famous of the Chevrolet brothers. Of course, the automobile brand Chevrolet is famous now, but in the early 1900s the brothers were just beginning to experiment with creating the car of their dreams. Flint, Michigan, would be the early headquarters for the Chevrolet brand. The brothers designed a newer, more power car, but they had several failed companies. Louis tried to create boats and planes before his time was done. But the brothers' biggest early success was in automotive races--a place where Louis lost his younger brother Gaston.

Oscar Charleston

(1896-1954)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Floral Park Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°46'00.7"N, 86°13'14.2"W

Baseball Hall of Famer Buck O'Neil described Oscar Charleston as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Tris Speaker all rolled into one. Ty Cobb said Charleston was the best player he had ever seen. Oscar Charleston was regarded by many as the best player to ever play the game. Charleston was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976 as they inducted more players from the Negro Leagues. Charleston played for 33 years! An example of his ability was the 1921 season: .434 average, led the league in triples, doubles, home runs, and stolen bases. The fact that he isn't more famous only speaks to the segregation that pervaded the sport and the country at the time. Who knows what Charleston could have achieved playing in Major League Baseball?

Stanley Coveleski

(1889-1984)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Saint Joseph Cemetery, South Bend

GPS Coordinates-

41°40'10.2"N, 86°20'54.3"W

Stan Coveleski was a big leaguer for 14 seasons, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and New York Yankees. He was a spitballer before it was made illegal. He was known for durability, pitching an entire 19-inning game in 1918 for the Cleveland Indians. He also pitched three complete games for the Indians in the 1920 World Series agains the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers). He was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 by the Veterans' Committee who considers players who did not make it in during their years of eligibility.

Richard Jordan Gatling

(1818-1903)

Inventor

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°49'02.9"N, 86°10'22.6"W

Richard Jordan Gatling was an inventor of many innovative products and machinery, but his namesake machine gun was what made him famous. Able to fire rounds much quicker using new technology, the gun saw action from the end of the Civil War to the the Spanish-American War. It was so popular it was also used by armies worldwide at the time. His company later merged with the Colt arms company.

President Benjamin Harrison

(1833-1901)

President, Politician, Lawyer

Fame-O-Meter-5/10

Resting Place-Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis

GPS Coordinates-

39°49'08.1"N, 86°10'32.5"W

Benjamin Harrison, grandson of former president William Henry Harrison, was notable for having a term between the two terms of Democrat Grover Cleveland. Under his term the United States passed the Sherman-Antitrust Act, appointed four judges to the Supreme Court, added electricity to the White House, oversaw six new states being added to the country, and many other events.

Jim "Ultimate Warrior" Hellwig

(1959-2014)

Professional Wrestler

Fame-O-Meter-6/10

Resting Place-West Point Cemetery, West Point

GPS Coordinates-

40°20'36.2"N, 87°02'07.2"W

Anyone who watched pro wrestling in the 1980s and 90s knows Jim Hellwig--or more accurately knows his in-ring persona, The Ultimate Warrior. Blazing to the ring before using superhuman power moves and speed, Hellwig was a fixture in several wrestling promotions, but had his best run in the WWE, then WWF, where he defeated Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 6.  Known for not always getting along with others in the business, Warrior made amends with many and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame before passing away just days later.

Rose "Rosie the Riveter" Monroe

(1920-1997)

Military Icon

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Abundant Life Memorial Gardens, New Albany

GPS Coordinates-

38°21'20.1"N, 85°48'13.6"W

The women's empowerment and factory icon Rosie the Riveter was  based on several women who contributed to the World War II effort. Rose Monroe was one of those, and some would argue the inspiration for, women doing anything a man could do. Rosie the Riveter does share her name after all. Do you see a likeness there? 

William Scholl

(1882-1968)

Inventor, Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Pine Lake Cemetery, La Porte

GPS Coordinates-

41°38'17.0"N, 86°44'26.4"W

More well-known simply as "Dr. Scholl" William Scholl was the master of the foot. He reportedly produced over 1000 new products for foot health during his lifetime. He was interested in how he could help people have less foot pain, and his namesake brand has outlived him, still providing comfort to those who need his products.