On Feb. 1, 1865, Illinois became the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which officially ended slavery and involuntary servitude. Ratifying the 13th Amendment was one of President Lincoln’s top priorities.
Lyman Trumbull, a U.S. senator from Alton, co-authored the amendment that passed Congress and was sent to the states for ratification on Jan. 31, 1865.
Illinois would begin going back to the future in 1952, when Robert Zemeckis was born in Chicago. He has since become known as a very prolific film writer and director. Collectively, his movies have made over $4 billion at the global box office.
From 2020 to 2021, Eastern Illinois University saw a 13 percent increase in its spring enrollment. This enrollment increase is even larger than the 2018 to 2020 increase of nine percent.
The most famous road in America, traveled on by generations, is a symbol of unlimited mobility and freedom of the road. Route 66 is iconic for America’s highway culture – and it starts right here in Illinois.
It was created in 1926 as part of the numbered highway network and became the preferred road west. It quickly gained fame as the shortest route between the Midwest and the west coast as it passed through the American Southwest.