74 years ago this week, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bob Woodward was born in Geneva, Illinois. Woodward grew up in Wheaton, Illinois and was the son of an Illinois judge. As a teenager, Woodward worked in his father’s law office. It was here that he first began investigating. He snooped through his father’s legal files and discovered private information about many local residents.

After graduating from high school in 1961, Woodward headed to Yale University where he studied journalism. After college, he served as a communications officer in the United States Navy for five years. In 1970, Woodward was hired by the Washington Post for a two-week trial run. After two weeks, he was let go from the Post. Woodward was disappointed, but he refused to give up on journalism. Soon he began working as a reporter at the Montgomery Sentinel, which was located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He worked there for one year before the Washington Post gave him another chance.

In 1973, when he was just 30 years old, Woodward won his first Pulitzer Prize for his stories that broke the Watergate Scandal, which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Woodward’s successful reporting on Watergate made him a household name and one of the most influential figures in the history of American media.

In 2002, Woodward won his second Pulitzer Prize for his work reporting on the September 11th terrorist attacks. Aside from his reporting for the Post, Woodward has authored more than fifteen books on American politics, twelve of them best sellers. Today, Woodward works as an associate editor for the Post.

Chicago has a long history with beer. The first brewery opened in Chicago in the same year or shortly after the city was incorporated. Today, Chicago is home to more than 150 breweries. Increasingly, breweries from around the nation are distributing their product within Chicago.

The latest to join the craft brew scene in Chicago is Blue Point Brewing, based in Patchogue, New York. Blue Point beers are now available in bars and retailers and will soon be available at the United Center and Wrigley Field. Other recent arrivals include Toppling Goliath from Decorah, Iowa, Odell Brewing from Fort Collins, Colorado and Short’s Brewing from Bellaire, Michigan.

Out-of-town breweries, such as California-based Lagunitas and Milwaukee-based Like Minds Brewing have opened breweries and taprooms of their own in Chicago, making the Second City a second home.

The chief economist of the Brewers Association told Crain’s Chicago Business that due to the large size of Chicago’s beer market, newcomers do not need to seize an extensive share of the market in order to be successful. Craft beer drinkers tend to switch brands more frequently than previous generations, making variety an important component among retailers. Overall, craft beer comprises 13 percent of the U.S. market.

Craft beer buyers tend to favor local products in their purchasing decisions, so in order for an out-of-town beer to be successful, it must be distinct. With local favorites in Chicago such as Half Acre Beer Company and Revolution Brewing, and new breweries like On Tour Brewing Company opening frequently, out-of-town beers have extensive competition.

For over a hundred years, Illinois universities have produced talented graduates who have gone on to create businesses and help spur Illinois' economy. Over the past five years, alumni of Illinois universities raised more than $9 billion in funding and started more than 1,100 companies.

Illinois university startups surged to record highs last year. A study by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition found that between 2012 and 2016, Illinois universities produced more than 800 startups. That’s almost 100 percent more than the number created between 2009 and 2013. Of those 800 startups, about 600 are still running or were acquired by another business, and almost 500 remain in Illinois.

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Did you know?

It is a well-known fact that Springfield is the third town to serve as capital of Illinois after Kaskaskia and Vandalia both held the distinction during the state’s early days, but did you know Abraham Lincoln’s role in changing the location of Illinois’s capital city?

180 years ago this spring, State Representative Abraham Lincoln and the eight other legislators representing Sangamon County convinced their colleagues to support moving the Illinois state Capital from Vandalia to Springfield.

When the state was first settled, much of the population was concentrated in southern Illinois, so the territorial capital was in Kaskaskia. As the population shifted to the north over time, the capital was moved to Vandalia. The legislature specified that Vandalia was to remain the official center of state government for 20 years, as lawmakers knew that people would continue to settle in northern Illinois.

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