Did you know: Lincoln Park Zoo is the oldest public zoo in the nation

• Lincoln Park Zoo

Did you know Lincoln Park Zoo is the oldest public zoo in the nation? Chicago’s free zoo got its start after New York’s Central Park gifted two pairs of swans to the zoo in 1868.

Today, the zoo is home to nearly 200 unique species from around the world. The variety of animals is endless, from critically endangered eastern black rhinoceroses to Jamaican iguanas – which were previously thought to be extinct.

Lincoln Park has more than 2,000 individual plants representing more than 1,200 species on their 49-acre landscape that creates an urban oasis home to native birds, frogs, fish, turtles, insects and more.

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The Matrix’s architects

• Chicago
• Pride
• Matrix
• Wachowski Sisters

As The Architect in “Matrix Reloaded” once said, “The first matrix I designed was quite naturally perfect. It was a work of art. Flawless. Sublime.” But did you know the real architects of the Matrix were born in Chicago?

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Illinois leads the Midwest in number of Fortune 500 companies

• Economy
• Business

A new report shows that Illinois remains one of the best states for big-name companies to set up shop.

The 2021 ranking of Fortune 500 companies includes 38 companies with their headquarters located in Illinois. With 38 of the nation’s top companies calling Illinois home, the state has more Fortune 500 companies that any other state in the Midwest. This number is the highest number of Fortune 500 companies in Illinois since 2001.

Several of Illinois’ companies that rank in this top tier include State Farm Insurance, Boeing, Kraft Heinz, and McDonalds. Illinois’ highest ranked company is Walgreens Boots Alliance which is ranked 16th. Companies are ranked based on revenue brought in over the last year.

The full 2021 report of Illinois based Fortune 500 companies can be found on the Fortune website.

Did you know: Singer and actor Burl Ives was born in Hunt City, Illinois

• Arts & Culture
• Did you know?

The popularity of folk music in Illinois can be traced back to the folk and gospel musician that Carl Sandburg described as “America’s mightiest ballad singer.” Illinois’ own Burl Ives was born this day in 1909.

Burl Ives was born in Hunt City, a small town in Jasper County, as one of seven siblings in a farming family. Ives took to singing early and would perform in public, either alone or with his siblings. As a teen, he learned to play guitar and banjo, and learned scores of English, Irish, and Scottish folk ballads passed down through his family over their years in the United States.

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