On Aug. 21, the first total solar eclipse visible from the continental United States in nearly 40 years will occur, and Southern Illinois will offer a front row seat. The point of the eclipse’s greatest duration will occur over the Shawnee National Forest.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks the sun. The August eclipse will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina and will be the first one in nearly 100 years to do so.

A total solar eclipse occurs much more infrequently than partial eclipses. While partial eclipses occur between two and five times each year, a total eclipse only occurs approximately once every year and a half, though often it is only visible over the ocean.

Communities across Southern Illinois are celebrating the eclipse in a variety of ways. Southern Illinois University Carbondale has partnered with NASA and the Adler Planetarium to offer a day of events and eclipse viewing in the football stadium. Carterville is hosting a Moonstock festival with Ozzy Osborne headlining. Additionally, there are 12 Illinois state parks within the portion of the state where the eclipse will be visible.

On March 9, 1832, 23-year-old Abraham Lincoln announced he would run for the Illinois State Legislature as a member of the Whig Party. During Lincoln’s race, he ran on a platform centered on improving navigation of the Sangamon River. He was also determined to bring more revenue to the region.

Most of Lincoln’s campaign was spent serving in the Black Hawk War. He joined the militia in April and served two months without seeing the battlefield.  While in the militia, Lincoln was elected by his comrades as their captain, an honor he said which gave him "more pleasure than any I have had since."

When election votes were announced in August, Lincoln had finished eighth in a field of thirteen candidates. He received 277 of 300 votes from his own district.

Two years later Lincoln returned to campaigning and on August 4, 1834 he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly.

Click here to read Abraham Lincoln's first political announcement.

It could be the cheering of the crowd, the wild mascots energizing the crowd or the mounting tension in the last few seconds of a close game, but no matter the reason, high school basketball serves as a focal point for many people. The Prairie State is home to many amazing high school basketball players. The stars of the team are remembered, and the trophies they win are fixtures in high schools around the state as a sign of their success. Not all players go on to play professionally, but they still deserve to be recognized for their contributions to basketball.With the state finals approaching, the Chicago Tribune created a 100 greatest players ever list that spans the course of Illinois’ 118-year-old high school basketball history.  

Read more ...

For many children around the country, March 6 was just another day of the week growing up. For many Illinois children, however, it was Casimir Pulaski Day, which celebrates the life and legacy of Polish Gen. Casimir Pulaski.

Pulaski fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and became known as one of the “Founding Fathers of the American Cavalry”.

Pulaski Day is a particularly important holiday in Chicago, where almost 200,000 Chicagoans are of Polish decent, one of the largest Polish communities in America. Additionally, Polish is the third most commonly spoken language in Chicago behind English and Spanish.

For more information about Casimir Pulaski and the other contributions Chicago’s Polish community has made, visit the Polish Museum of America’s website.