On this day: Buckminster Fuller’s birthday

• Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
• Invention
• Architecture

The famed architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller was born on this day in 1895. For a significant portion of his career, Fuller lived and taught in Illinois.

Richard Buckminster Fuller was born in his home state of Massachusetts on July 12, 1895. After receiving an education from Harvard College, he worked odd jobs and briefly served in the U.S. Navy during World War I while continuing to improve his skills in machining and inventing.

Fuller developed many ideas and inventions, largely focused on providing practical and inexpensive shelter or transportation. Some of Fuller’s earlier inventions included the Dymaxion car and his most famous endeavor, the popularization of Geodesic Domes.

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Illini alumnus named to USA Olympics team

Alex Diab, a Glen Ellyn native and gymnast who formerly attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named an alternate for the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He will be ready to step in for any Team USA member who is injured and will now train and travel with the team.

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Spend your summer at an Illinois water park

Residents and tourists looking to beat the heat this summer have a great selection of city pools and waterparks across Illinois. Here are some of the state’s popular waterparks.

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Illinois earns top spot in annual sustainability rankings

• Economy
• Clean Energy

Illinois’s commitment to sustainability has been recognized in the rankings from Site Selection Magazine. This year, the state earned the coveted top spot, ranking first in the list of U.S. states.

Site Selection magazine uses their annual ranking to provide a resource for companies when deciding where to expand their business with a focus on sustainable development. The magazine looks into development of green energy, green-certified buildings, incentives for green development, redevelopment of brownfields (locations where former industries have left toxins or other environmental dangers) and how well the states are meeting their own environmental goals.

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