Naval Station Great Lakes, located near North Chicago in Lake County, was commissioned in 1904 by President Theodore Roosevelt and dedicated in 1911 by President William Howard Taft. The original base was composed of 39 buildings and was designed by Jarvis Hunt, an Illinois architect. World War I would see a dramatic increase in the size of the base, with nearly 800 buildings on site at the end of the war.

Throughout World War II, more than one million sailors trained at Great Lakes. During this time, the base played an integral part in the government’s efforts to racially integrate military forces. In 1942, Great Lakes was selected to begin training African-American sailors. While originally these classes were segregated, separate classes were dismantled a few years later and all training courses were integrated.

Today, an average of 40,000 recruits pass through the Recruit Training Command annually.

Learn more:
Read more about the Golden Thirteen, a group of thirteen men who became the first African-American servicemen to complete officer training for the Navy
Read more about the history of Naval Station Great Lakes

Home to the Super Museum and a 15-foot bronze statue of one of America’s favorite superheroes, Metropolis, Illinois is home to all things Superman. The Southern Illinois community, located along the Ohio River on the Kentucky-Illinois state line, was declared the “Hometown of Superman” by DC Comics in January 1972. A few months later, the Illinois Legislature passed a resolution similarly declaring the town Superman’s hometown.

Planning a trip to or through Metropolis? Be sure and check out the Super Museum, named the “#1 Small Town Attraction in America” and home to more than 20,000 items from enthusiast Jim Hambrick, including toys, movie props, costumes and promotional materials from various Superman movies and TV series.

If visiting the area in June, be sure and visit the annual Superman Celebration, which includes special events, movie screenings and more.

Learn more:
Visiting Metropolis? Click to learn more about scenic Southern Illinois

You can leisurely change channels while comfortably sitting on the couch thanks to an Illinois inventor. Eugene Polley, an engineer at Chicago-based Zenith Electronics, created the first wireless TV remote control in 1955.

Polley was a Chicago native who attended the City Colleges of Chicago and the Armour Institute of Technology—now the Illinois Institute of Technology.

In 1935, he we went to work for Zenith as a stock boy earning 40 cents an hour. He worked his way up through the company and in 1955 designed the Flash-Matic wireless remote.

The Flash-Matic used a beam of visible light to turn a TV on and off and to change channels. Later styles of remotes used sound and eventually infrared light.

He received a $1,000 bonus for his invention, and in 1997, Polley and a team of engineers received an Emmy for their pioneering work.

Learn more:
New York Times on Eugene Polley

The Second City comedy troupe debuted 56 years ago today at a former laundromat on Chicago’s North Side. Since their first performance, Second City has become known worldwide and produced popular comedic artists including Dan Aykroyd to John Belushi and Bill Murray.

In 1976, Second City started a late-night television show with John Candy, Harold Ramis and George Wendt. A host of Second City comedians have performed on “Saturday Night Live,” beginning almost immediately after the show debuted in the mid-1970s.

Today, Second City performs at comedy clubs in Chicago, Southern California and Toronto, Canada.

Learn more:
Read more about the history of The Second City

Former pro football player and current analyst for NBC’s “Football Night in America” Rodney Harrison was born December 15, 1972 in Markham. Harrison attended Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, where he starred under legendary coach Dave Mattio. After starting for three years as safety for Marian, Harrison earned a scholarship to play at Western Illinois University, where he became an All-American.

Harrison was drafted in the 5th round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and went on to become the starting safety as rookie. The 1994-95 Chargers went on to play in Super Bowl XXIX against the San Francisco 49ers. Following the 2002 season, Harrison signed with the New England Patriots and subsequently won two Super Bowls with the team and playing in a fourth in 2008.

Harrison retired in 2009 and joined NBC Sports’ “Football Night in America.” Harrison ended his career as a two-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowler and as one of only 12 players in the history of the NFL to record at least 20 interceptions and 20 sacks in his career.

Learn more:
Rodney Harrison’s biography
Read more about Harrison’s stats during his NFL career here