Today is May 20, 2012. The Indian Creek massacre occurred in LaSalle County on this day in 1832. The massacre stemmed from a settler’s refusal to remove a dam that jeopardized a food source for a nearby Potawatomi village. After the Black Hawk War began, between 40 and … Continue reading →

• of People: On this day in 1987, Harold Lee Washington, a lawyer and politician, who became the first African-American mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death, died.
• of Places: The Village of Liberty was incorporated on this day in 1959.
• of Things: On this day in 1996, Central Illinois experienced a terrible ice storm

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• of People: On this day in 1773, Shadrach Bond, the first Governor of Illinois, was born
• of Places: The Village of Campbell Hill was incorporated on this day in 1875.
• of Things: On this day in 1942, In the first treason trial ever held in Illinois, sentence was passed in Chicago federal court on three German-Americans and their wives. The men were sentenced to death, the women to fine and imprisonment.

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• of People: On this day in 1954, Former baseball player, Glenn Brummer, was born in Olney, Illinois.
• of Places: The Village of Tennessee was incorporated on this day in 1872.
• of Things: On this day in 1950, Peoria had its earliest sub-zero temperature on record, with a low temperature of 1 degree below zero. This stood as a November record until 1977. Ironically, the all-time November record high was recorded earlier that month.

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• of People: On this day in 1829, Shelby Moore Cullom, the 17th Governor of Illinois was born
• of Places: No Illinois Municipalities were incorporated on this day.
• of Things: On this day in 1987, Two Chicago television stations were hijacked by an unknown pirate dressed as Max Headroom.

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• of People: On this day in 1944, Dick Durbin, a U.S. Senator from Springfield, Illinois, was born in East St. Louis, Illinois.
• of Places: The Village of Peoria Heights was incorporated on this day in 1898.
• of Things: On this day in 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Vandalia on its nationwide tour, returning to Pennsylvania from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.

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• of People: On this day in 1900, Chester Gould, a cartoonist and creator of Dick Tracy, who drew the comic strip for 46 years from his home in Woodstock, Illinois, was born.
• of Places: The Village of Kenney was incorporated on this day in 1875.
• of Things: Daniel Pope Cook, an Illinois politician whom Cook County is named in honor of, printed his first editorial on his pet-project — advocating statehood for the Illinois territory.

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• of People: On this day in 1834, Dr. Silas Hamilton, who moved to Illinois to free his slaves following a failed experiment at a peaceful slave house in the south, died in Otterville, Illinois.
• of Places: No Illinois Municipalities were incorporated on this day in Illinois History.
• of Things: A strong tornado struck the city of Marion, in southern Illinois, causing $30 million damage. The tornado destroyed 45 homes and damaged nearly 300 more. The tornado was on the ground for about 1-1/2 miles.

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• of People: Ivan Albright, a magic realist painter and artist from North Harvey and Warrenville, Illinois passed away, on this day in 1983.
• of Places: The Village of Ohlman was incorporated on this day in 1957.
• of Things: On this day in 1992, the Centennial Building in Springfield’s Capitol Complex was renamed in honor of the late Michael J. Howlett, the first Democrat to serve four consecutive terms in state office.

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• of People: Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., better known as Rock Hudson, the famous actor, was born in Winnetka, Illinois, on this day in 1925.
• of Places: The Village of Cobden was incorporated on this day in 1875.
• of Things: On this day in 1834, William L.D. Ewing was inaugurated Governor to complete the unexpired term after Gov. Reynolds’ resignation.

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• of People: Actor and pianist, Noah Gray-Cabey, was born in Chicago on this day in 1995.
• of Places: The Village of Browning was incorporated on this day in 1882.
• of Things: On this day in 1955, an early morning tornado moved across Union County, in southern Illinois. It tore roofs off homes and demolished other buildings along its path, from southwest of Jonesboro to Anna.

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• of People: Witty columnist, Franklin Pierce Adams (Wikipedia Entry), was born in Chicago on this day in 1881.
• of Places: The City of Berwyn was incorporated on this day in 1901.
• of Things: On this day in 1995, a plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment (women’s suffrage) was dedicated in the Capitol next to the statue of Lottie Holman O’Neill, the first woman elected to the General Assembly.

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• of People: McLean Stevenson, the actor who played Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on the TV series M*A*S*H, was born in Normal, Illinois, on this day in 1927.
• of Places: The Village of Deer Park was incorporated on this day in 1957.
• of Things: On this day in 1962, Illinois became the first state to ratify the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the paying of a poll tax as a requisite for voting in federal elections.

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• of People: Josh Bell, a professional baseball player that plays third base for the Baltimore Orioles, was born in Rockford, Illinois, on this day in 1986.
• of Places: The Village of Oak Park was incorporated on this day in 1901.
• of Things: On this day in 1909, the first comprehensive urban development program ever offered to an American city was published, and the Cherry, Illinois mine disaster killed 259 men.

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