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 Facts About Illinois
  The first Europeans to explore
Illinois were Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette in 1673. The
French surrendered the area in 1765 and the British ruled until 1778. The
Territory of Illinois was created in 1809 and it became a state in 1818.
The broad flat lands were produced by glaciers, which leveled ridges and
filled valleys over the northern two-thirds of the state. The fertile
prairies are drained by more than 263 rivers, most of which flow to the
Mississippi and Ohio system. The Illinois is the largest river within the
state. Illinois had the first skyscraper and currently, the nation's
tallest building, the Sears Tower, is in Chicago. Chicago is one of the
busiest railroad centers in the U.S. and one of the busiest airports is
here also. Illinois is strong in mail order sales and exports. It is among
the top states in the production of corn and soybeans. Cattle and hogs are
also principal sources of agricultural income. Other main crops include
wheat, hay, and sorghum. Minerals produced here are coal, fluorspar, and
oil; Illinois ranks high among the states in the production of coal.
Capital:
Springfield
Population: 12,713,634
Entered the Union: December 3, 1818
As the: 21st State
Motto: State Sovereignty, National
Union
Nickname: Prairie State
Flower: Native Violet
Bird: Cardinal
Song: Illinois
Origin of Name: Algonquin Indian for
"warriors"
Points of Interest: Central Illinois
is noted for shrines and memorials associated with the life of Abraham
Lincoln. In Springfield are the Lincoln Home, the Lincoln Tomb, and the
restored Old State Capitol. Other points of interest are the home of
Mormon leader Joseph Smith in Nauvoo and, in Chicago: the Art Institute,
Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Adler
Planetarium, Merchandise Mart, and Chicago Portage National Historic Site.
Bordering States: Indiana, Iowa,
Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
Numerous Facts & Trivia:
Ottawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy and Alton
hosted the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates that stirred interest all over
the country in the slavery issue.
The first Aquarium opened in Chicago, 1893.
The world's first Skyscraper was built in Chicago, 1885.
Home to the Chicago Bears Football Team, Chicago Blackhawks hockey team,
Chicago Bulls basketball team, Chicago Cubs and Chicago Whitesox baseball
teams, Chicago Fire soccer team.
The first Mormon Temple in Illinois was constructed in Nauvoo.
Peoria is the oldest community in Illinois.
The Sears Tower, Chicago is the tallest building on the North American
continent.
Metropolis the home of Superman really exists in Southern Illinois.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site--most sophisticated prehistoric native
civilization north of Mexico
Illinois had two capital cities, Kaskaskia, and Vandalia before
Springfield.
The NFL's Chicago Bears were first known as the "Staley Bears". They were
organized in 1920, in Decatur.
Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution abolishing slavery. 1865
On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and a small band of scientists and
engineers demonstrated that a simple construction of graphite bricks and
uranium lumps could produce controlled heat. The space chosen for the
first nuclear fission reactor was a squash court under the football
stadium at the University of Chicago.
Des Plaines is home to the first McDonald's.
Dixon is the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan.
Springfield is the state capital and the home of the National Historic
Site of the home of President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln.
Chicago is home to the Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station, the only
buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire.
Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president he served in the Illinois
legislature and practiced law in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln is buried
just outside Springfield at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site.
Carlyle is the home of the largest man-made lake in Illinois.
Illinois has 102 counties.
Ronald Wilson Regan from Tampico became the 40th president of the United
States in 1980.
The highest point in Illinois is Charles Mound at 1235 feet above sea
level.
The ice cream "sundae" was named in Evanston. The piety of the town
resented the dissipating influences of the soda fountain on Sunday and the
good town fathers, yielding to this churchly influence, passed an
ordinance prohibiting the retailing of ice cream sodas on Sunday.
Ingenious confectioners and drug store operators obeying the law, served
ice cream with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Objections then
was made to christening a dish after the Sabbath. So the spelling of "sunday"
was changed. It became an established dish and an established word and
finally the "sundae".
The round Silo for farm storage of silage was first constructed on a farm
in Spring Grove.
The Illinois state dance is square dancing.
Illinois has more units of government than any other state (i.e., city,
county, township, etc.). Over six thousand. One contributing reason may be
the township governments, which are generally six miles square.
The worst prison camp during the Civil War in terms of percentages of
death was at Rock Island.
Illinois boasts the highest number of personalized license plates, more
than any other state.
The University of Illinois Conservatory is 37 feet high at its apex.
In 1905, president of the Chicago Cubs filed charges against a fan in the
bleachers for catching a fly ball and keeping it.
Chicago's Mercantile Exchange building was built entirely without an
internal steel skeleton, as most skyscrapers; it depends on its thick
walls to keep itself up
The abbreviation "ORD" for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes from the
original name Orchard Field. O'Hare Airport was named in honor of
Lieutenant Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare.
The trains that pass through Chicago's underground freight tunnels daily
would extend over ten miles total in length.
The slogan of 105.9, the classic rock radio station in Chicago: 'Of all
the radio stations in Chicago...we're one of them.'
In Mount Pulaski, Illinois, it is illegal for boys (and only boys) to hurl
snowballs at trees. Girls are allowed to do that however.
In Illinois Michael is the top name chosen for boys. Emily is the most
chosen name for girls.
Illinois is known for its wide variety of weather. Major winter storms,
deadly tornadoes and spectacular heat and cold waves.
The first birth on record in Chicago was of Eulalia Pointe du Sable,
daughter of Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable and his Potawatomi Indian wife
in 1796.
Chicago's Mercy Hospital was the first hospital opened in Illinois.
The first animal purchased for the Lincoln Park Zoo was a bear cub, bought
for $10 on June 1st, 1874
The University of Chicago opened on October 1, 1892 with an enrollment of
594 and a faculty of 103.
New York Sun editor Charles Dana, tired of hearing Chicagoans boast of the
world's Columbian Exposition, dubbed Chicago the "Windy City."
Comedy showcase "Second City" was founded on North Wells Street in a
former Chinese laundry in 1959
Chicago's first African American mayor, Harold Washington, took office in
1983
The 4 stars on the Chicago flag represent Fort Dearborn, the Chicago Fire,
the World's Columbian Exposition, and the Century of Progress Exposition.
The Chicago Public Library is the world's largest public library with a
collection of more than 2 million books.
The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility
in the world you can drive a car through.
The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick's Day.
The world's largest cookie and cracker factory, where Nabisco made 16
billion Oreo cookies in 1995, is located in Chicago.
Learn more at 50states.com
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