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TBT: Illinois’ First railroad locomotive begins operation in Meredosia

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Thursday, November 08, 2018 03:38 PM

On this day in 1838, Illinois’ firstTBT First Locomotive railroad locomotive began operating in the village of Meredosia in Morgan County.

The locomotive traveled back and forth along a 12-mile stretch of track, which was one of the earliest segments of Illinois’ first railroad between Quincy and Danville.

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Did you know? The first mobile cell phone was invented in Schaumburg by Martin Cooper

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Wednesday, October 31, 2018 01:38 PM

2007Computex e21Forum MartinCooperDid you know? The first handheld cell phone was developed by Martin Cooper of Schaumburg.

Martin left his first job at Teletype Corporation in Chicago in 1954 and joined Motorola, Inc. (Schaumburg, Illinois) as a senior development engineer in the mobile equipment group. He developed products including the first cellular-like portable handheld police radio system, produced for the Chicago police department in 1967. His inspiration for a cordless phone came from an episode of Star Trek when Captain James T. Kirk opened his communicator.

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Morton, Illinois: "Pumpkin Capital of the World"

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Wednesday, October 17, 2018 02:31 PM
  • agriculture
  • Morton
  • Pumpkin

ILI pumpkin 300x200The pumpkin has been a North American staple since before long before the arrival of European settlers, and Illinois farmers continue the big orange squash’s long tradition by growing more pumpkins than anywhere else in the world. Illinois grows 90-95 percent of the pumpkins used in processed goods, with most of the processing taking place in Morton, Illinois – which has claimed the title of “Pumpkin Capital of the World” since 1978.

In 1920, Morton developed a canning plant, now owned by Nestle/Libby’s. The plant covers 5,000 acres of fertile farmland devoted to producing pumpkins.

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Tourism in the suburbs continues record growth

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Tuesday, October 16, 2018 10:24 AM

Woodfield mall generalVisitors to Illinois hit an all-time high in 2017. It marked the seventh consecutive year of record-breaking tourism in the state, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism.

In the last year, the amount of money people spent in the name of travel and fun across Illinois increased by 3.3 percent. That’s an increase of $1.1 billion from 2016.

The suburbs, in particular, are thriving. Cook County saw a 3.1 percent jump in tourism spending, while in Will County, spending was up by 5 percent, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s Economic Impact of Domestic Travel on Illinois Counties.

A new dining pavilion at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, a renovated golf course in Addison, the additional of Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee, a slew microbreweries popping up in the Northwest suburbs and new hotels and restaurants being built are facilitating the increase in tourism in the area. 

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More Articles …

  1. Artist of the Month - William Butler
  2. On This Day - October 13, 1938
  3. Ninth annual Great Highwood Pumpkin festival will attempt to break World Record
  4. IDOT's I-55 and Lake Shore Project wins top award in national transporation competition
  5. Artist of the Month - Stanley Bly
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