If you want to read a great American fantasy, science fiction, horror or mystery novel, one of Ray Bradbury’s books may be the choice for you.

Bradbury, born in Waukegan, is an American novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet. He is well known for Fahrenheit 451, which some call his masterpiece. He is also known for books such as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man.

Bradbury’s works won him an Emmy Award and a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2004, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. He was the honoree for his “incomparable contributions to American fiction.” He also has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for the many movies based off of his books.

He ended up writing almost 50 books, as well as poems and essays. He even wrote the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick.

Learn more:

Visit Ray Bradbury’s official website (http://www.raybradbury.com/)
Interested in buying one of his books? Browse the full list (http://www.raybradbury.com/books/books.html)

During the summer of 1893, Chicago hosted its first World’s Columbian Exposition – more commonly known as the World’s Fair.

The event, which ran from May through October, commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World.

Among the most famous inventions featured at the 1893 World’s Fair was the Ferris wheel built by engineer George Ferris. The wheel was 250 feet tall and had 36 cars, each of which could hold 60 riders, or more 2,000 people per ride.

The 1893 fair also helped to popularize a variety of American food products, including Aunt Jemima pancake mix, Juicy Fruit gum, Cracker Jacks and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

In all, 46 nations participated in the fair, which drew about 27 million visitors during its six-month run. The best attendance day was on Chicago Day, Oct. 9, 1893, when more than 700,000 people enjoyed the fair.

The 1893 World’s Fair cost more than $27 million, not including more than $3 million that was spent by state, federal and foreign governments on their own exhibit buildings. The Jackson Park lakefront site alone cost $5 million to construct. More than 630 acres of Chicago property was used for the fair.

A few of the buildings constructed for the fair remain, including the Palace of Fine Arts, which now is home to the Museum of Science and Industry, and the World’s Congress Auxiliary Building, which today is the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dr. James D. Watson is most famous for his work with Francis Crick in the discovery of the genetic blueprint for life. It was on April 25, 1953, that Watson, Crick, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins published their groundbreaking study on DNA.

James Watson was born in Cook County on April 6, 1928, and raised by his family in Chicago, attending South Shore High School. He enrolled at the University of Chicago at the age of 15 and graduated in 1947, later attending Indiana University and earning a Ph.D. in zoology in 1950.

He would continue to publish throughout his life. In 1968, he published “The Double Helix,” which gave his account of the discovery of DNA. The book would later be considered one of the 100 best non-fiction books by the Modern Library Publishing House. He is also credited with creating the format for virtually all modern-day science textbooks.

Watson would later run the U.S. government’s Human Genome Project from 1988 to 1992.

For more information about James Watson:

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1962/watson-bio.html

Yesterday, the Illinois and Michigan Canal celebrated its 168^th birthday. Opened on April 10, 1848, the canal was built to connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, leading to expanded growth of the Chicago region.

In 1822, the United States Congress approved a land grant for the young state to start building the canal. Construction would officially begin in 1836, but was delayed because of an economic depression that struck the country.

The canal was finished in 1848 at a cost of $6.2 million. The canal started functioning by mule-drawn towlines that would pull commodities from lock to lock along paths that ran the entirety of the 96 mile canal. By the early 1870s, the mules would be replaced by steam-propelled boats.

However, the expansion of railroad greatly diminished the use of the canal. In 1933, the canal ceased to operate entirely. The Civilian Conservation Corps would later restore several of the original 15 locks in an attempt to preserve history. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a law that created the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.

Many communities arose from the creation of the canal, including Joliet, Lockport, Ottawa and La Salle.

For more information:

To learn more about the Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail: click here.

Born in Blue Island, IL and raised in Lynwood, IL, the major league power slugger is a three-time MLB All-Star and even won the Silver Slugger Award, which goes to the best offensive player at each position, in 2011.

Granderson got his start playing baseball and basketball for Thornton Fractional High School, where he posted stellar numbers, leading to a scholarship to play baseball for the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames. After his junior season, he was named Second-Team All-American after recording a standout .483 batting average, but not all of Granderson’s achievements came on the field. He graduated the next year with a double major in business administration and business marketing.

He made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers in 2004, helping lead his team to the 2006 World Series, and in 2007, became only the second player in franchise history to have at least 30 doubles, 15 triples, 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a single season.

After being traded to the New York Yankees in 2009, he was voted an All-Star for the first time. During his tenure with the Yankees, he would become the first player to record 40 home runs, 10 triples and 25 stolen bases in a single season! He finished fourth in MVP voting that year.

In December 2013, he agreed to a four-year contract with the Yankees’ cross-town rival, the New York Mets. In 2015, he helped the New York Mets win the National League Championship and return to the World Series for the first time since 2000.

Off the field, Granderson founded the Grand Kids Foundation, benefiting education in inner cities, and even authored a children’s book. His total commitment to the next generation has garnished the praise of figures such as Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Learn more

Look up a complete archive of Curtis Granderson’s career stats.

Visit his official ESPN page for more information about Granderson’s career.