National Illinois Day is celebrated Dec. 7 each year to commemorate the Land of Lincoln and Prairie State. From the Windy City down to Southern Illinois, the state has a lot to offer.
Today, Illinois is the fifth most populous state in the U.S. Illinois became a state on Dec. 3, 1818 and was the 21st state to enter the Union. The General Assembly adopted the state slogan, "Land of Lincoln," in 1955.
Today is Walt Disney’s birthday! He was born in Chicago’s Hermosa community in 1901. His name has since become synonymous with entertainment and enchantment.
Disney attended McKinley High School in Chicago, where he took drawing and photography classes and was a contributing cartoonist for the school paper. At night, he took courses at the Art Institute of Chicago.
In 1919, after pursuing careers as a newspaper artist and an advertisement animator, Disney decided to open his own animation business. Disney was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1923, but soon moved to Hollywood with his brother Roy and began the Disney Brothers’ Cartoon Studio, which later became Walt Disney Studios.
Cats and dogs are very loving animals. Sometimes, they need a home to spread that love. Dog Patch helps animals find loving homes. The organization has been in Naperville for over 25 years. Despite their name, Dog Patch also takes care of cats.
Dog Patch originally started with puppies and kittens from breeders they considered reputable. However, they grew to believe the industry was not taking proper care of animals. As a result, they made the switch to taking care of rescue animals. They work with Puppy Rescue 911 in order to get pets out of poor situations and into the arms of loving families.
These days, Thanksgiving traditions include football, family, turkey and pumpkin pie, but it started as a holiday simply to remind Americans to give thanks for one another.
In 1863—in the middle of the Civil War—Illinois’ very own Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving would be celebrated nationally on the final Thursday in November. Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote the nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” is said to be the one who convinced President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, after writing letters to him for 17 years.