Inmate No. 40892-424, better known as former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, had hoped to he would be able to return home early. Those hopes were dashed by a the federal […]
Category: Illinois / regional
200 Years of Illinois: Playing the Numbers
On July 30, 1974, the state government of Illinois changed the dream life of its citizens. That day, the first state lottery tickets went on sale. Opened as a cabinet level […]
Trivia Friday
Answers below. 1. Alta Saunders (nee Gwinn) co-founded the U. of I. chapter of the Delta Gamma sorority. Along with her sister Delta Gammas, Alta spearheaded the purchase of the […]
200 Years of Illinois: Darnell’s Folly
Summer is definitely the season for aerial tragedy in the Midwest. On July 26, 1911, Professor Harry Darnell took his place in that sad lore. Darnell stands tall in the […]
200 Years of Illinois: The Other Airship Disaster
Yesterday marked an unusual 97th anniversary. On July 21, 1919, an airship owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber cruised over Chicago, a pair of training runs that interested and […]
200 Years of Illinois: Goodbye Norma Jean
On July 17, 1972, disaster struck in Oquawka, for on that day a bolt from dark skies struck down a 6,500-lb. elephant named Norma Jean. The star of the Clark & […]
Oh Knowledge Obscura
Answers below. 1. The 1994 Illini defense boasted one of the most talented linebacker corps in Big Ten history. Dana Howard won the Butkus Award, teammate Kevin Hardy would earn […]
200 Years of Illinois: Follow that Bison
On July 15, 1805, William Rector undertook an important, if arduous, task. By government order, he was to survey the Buffalo Trace, also known as the Vincennes Trace, a makeshift […]
Oh Knowledge Obscura
A small plate o’ University of Illinois trivia to help you pass that long Friday before the holiday break: 1. A fictional genius named Sivasubramanian Chandrasegarampillai created the HAL 9000 in […]
200 Years of Illinois: Black Hawk Eternal
Lorado Taft was at the height of his powers when he created The Eternal Indian, the towering concrete statue that watches over the Rock River in Lowden State Park near Oregon. […]
200 Years of Illinois: Union Forever
In 1862, as the Civil War raged and a Confederate victory seemed quite possible, many of the tensions unleashed by the war found a stage in Pekin. There, on June 25, […]
Throwbacklist Thursday
The month of June brings countless pleasures to the Midwest. Few exceed the overwhelming presence of fresh produce at semi-affordable prices. At last, we can put aside the beyond-tired apples […]