Did you know the “Long Count Fight” took place in Illinois?

When thinking of boxing, nothing comes to mind more than the classic Rocky Balboa training scene. Everyone feels a sense of victory when Rocky reaches the top of the stairs. But did you know Illinois is home to another classic boxing moment?  On September 23, 1927, world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and former champion Jack Dempsey faced off in a 10-round rematch. Their first match was exactly 364 days prior, where Gene Tunney took the win with a ten round unanimous decision. In 1926 Dempsey had been the popular champion, almost more celebrity than fighter. While Tunney was the underdog, obsessed with beating the champion. Dempsey’s 1926 defeat by Tunney was viewed as a shocking upset.

The year 1927 was no different. While Tunney had won the year prior, Jack Dempsey was the favorite to win again, with the public heavily betting on him. 104,000 people flooded Soldier Field to witness the historic rematch. The match would be another 10 rounds between the two heavyweight champions.  The first 6 rounds passed by as any normal boxing match. In the 7^th round, things took a turn. Dempsey hit Tunney with a left hook and clean up combination that sent him down. In boxing, a knockout occurs when the referee reaches a count of ten seconds. For a fleeting moment, the former champion tasted victory again. But then, Tunney got up at the 9 count.

However, it was not a clear come back for Tunney. Fans on either side went wild, as 5 seconds were lost when Dempsey failed to retreat to the “neutral corner” immediately after his hit. The rules stated the referee could not begin his count until Dempsey arrived in this corner. What should have been 14 seconds down, and a knock out, was only 9 official seconds. After he got up, Tunney went on to win the entire match and beat Dempsey for a second time.

What should have been a victory for a formerly defeated champion, turned into a two-year running heavyweight championship for the underdog. The 5 precious seconds lost forever made this fight known in boxing history as the Long Count Fight.

Illinois scientist may have discovered a new way to restore memory loss

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, a time to raise awareness of the disease and its effects worldwide. An Illinois scientist may have discovered a new way to restore memory loss from the disease. The University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine conducted a study led by Professor Orly Lazarov, which focused on boosting the production of neurons in the brain cells of mice.  This new research may lead to the possibilities of advancing the current state of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The hippocampus is the area of the brain that allows individuals to remember things, such as where they have placed their keys. The research conducted at UIC focused on mice with a mutation of Alzheimer’s that impacts the hippocampus area of the brain. Through neurogenesis process, scientists focused on deleting a gene called Bax, by boosting new neurons into cells. These new neurons prompted the memory in mice showing significant improvement in the mice’s function, performance, and ability to remember.  The mice showed enhancements in spatial recognition, which is a skill that helps distinguish spatial relations, such as knowing how to drive home. The contextual memory of the mice also advanced, which is the ability to memorize specific emotions, people and places.

This month, many people raise worldwide awareness to the fact that over 50 million individuals suffer from Dementia, with 50-60% of them suffering from Alzheimer’s. In the state of Illinois alone, Alzheimer’s is growing into a public health crisis, with over 230,000 people aged 65 and older living with the disease. While there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s, this study conducted in Illinois brings great hope on treating and focusing on the diseases cause,  opening the possibilities for new ways to better treat Alzheimer’s. To learn more about this study read here.

Manufacturing Matters: Illinois led the nation in new manufacturing job growth in July

• Employment
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• Manufacturing

Illinois created more new manufacturing jobs in July than any other state, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The news came on the heels of the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s announcement last month that the statewide unemployment rate continues to drop, ending July with slightly lower unemployment than in June. Non-farm industries added more than 31,000 Illinois jobs in July, including 6,300 in manufacturing – more than any other state during the same time period.

Manufacturing is the state’s largest industry by contribution to state GDP, but also to local economies’ growth. For example, manufacturing occupations in Rock Island County, which borders the Mississippi River on Illinois’ western border, generate almost $5 billion in total annual economic output for the county through three major manufacturing subsectors: farm machinery and equipment manufacturing, fluid milk manufacturing, and meat processing.

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Did you know the Third Pan American Games were held in Chicago?

When it comes to sports, the City of Chicago is known for producing and housing some of the most iconic athletes. But did you know that it is home to the third Pan America Games? The Pan American Games, founded in 1932, is an international multisport competition that came to the forefront as a result of representatives of Latin American delegations proposing a regional Games for the Americas, at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Due to World War II, the first official games were postponed until Feb. 23, 1951, in which Bueno Aires hosted the inaugural Pan American Games.

Fast forward to 1959, the Pan American Sports Organization decided to bring the games to United Stated for the first time in Pan American Games history. After Cleveland, Ohio backed out of the bid to host the Games, Chicago put in a bid and was successful. Not only did the City of Chicago make history as the first American city to host the Games, but this event also shed light on the rich culture the Windy City has. The games went from August 27 to September 7, hosting 2,200 athletes and 25 countries competing in 166 events over the course of 18 sports.

At the time most Chicago residents were more interested in attending a White Sox game, but for the first time the United States were in a position to send an Olympic-caliber team to the Pan American Games, making it exciting for spectators and sports enthusiast in the Midwest. With some of the greatest competitors to date, including tennis legend Althea Gibson, sprinting track star Wilma Rudolph, and future NBA Hall of Famers Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, this was a sight to see. The world’s greatest boxer Muhammed Ali was expected to participate in these games, but at seventeen years old he lost  to Amos Johnson in the trials, who went on to win gold.

All in all, Chicago will forever go down in history as the first American city to host the Pan American Games, changing the landscape of the games for American sports fans.