Did you know the 400-pound lithium-ion battery used to power the Chevy Volt was developed in Illinois?

Argonne National Laboratory is located near Lemont. In 2011, the scientists at Argonne revolutionized the production of hybrid cars with a breakthrough development that lead to the creation of a 400-pound lithium-ion battery that powers the Chevy Volt in electric mode.

Argonne’s scientists were able to alter the battery’s chemistry to allow it to last longer, run more safely and perform better than other electric car batteries.

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Argonne's role in developing the Volt battery
Argonne National Laboratory

Aaron Montgomery Ward started his mail order business in Chicago in 1872. While companies at the time were putting out single page mail order ads, Ward was the first to send out a multiple-item price list. The catalog targeted the rural consumer who wanted the comforts of city life. Ward’s catalog made such comforts available to rural communities.

In 1896 Ward’s catalog began receiving competition from the Sears and Roebuck Company, who began to put out their own catalog. Although neither company puts out a mail-order catalog anymore, Ward’s catalog is still regarded as an influential relic from American life. 

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Read more about Montgomery Ward

The Second City’s public transportation system is still second only to New York’s. Between the Chicago Transit Authority’s “L” and suburban Metra, the Chicagoland area is still one of the nation’s leaders. On an average weekday, 1.7 million riders take the CTA, with another 300,000 riding Metra.

In total, the Chicago metropolitan area’s commuter rail lines connect more than 100 communities with 386 stations, 19 rail lines and more than 1,300 miles of track. Chicagoland’s rail lines help reduce pollution and road congestion and provide millions of people an affordable option to reach jobs, shopping and entertainment facilities throughout a six-county area.

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Read more about the “L” and the CTA
Read more about Metra
Learn about Chicago’s position as the most important railroad center in North America

While dialysis was first successfully designed and implemented in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation of that country in 1943 by Dr. Willem Johan Kolff, the initial device was crude at best.

When Baxter International CEO William B. Graham discovered Dr. Kolff’s device, he saw potential and the Deerfield, Illinois company began design and production of its own dialysis machines in 1956.

This modern medical device is now used for countless patients the world over in treating numerous kidney disorders such as acute renal failure and hemophilia.

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Single-minded Man Of Vision (Chicago Tribune)

Born in Alton, but raised in East St. Louis, Davis received his first trumpet at the age of 13. At the age of 18, he left home and traveled to New York City to attend Julliard. However, he left Julliard in order to become a full-time jazz musician. After Julliard, Davis played in Harlem night clubs with Charlie Parker. In 1946, he made his first recording as a band leader.

Throughout the 1950s, Davis played a major role in the development of bebop jazz. During the 1960s, he continually changed his style, forming bands with various members. His work in the 1960s is attributed to the formation of jazz fusion; a mixture of jazz and rock.

It was Davis’ ability to experiment and push the limits of jazz music that made him so well-known. His capacity to be innovative in his music earned him nine Grammy awards, and the honor of being the first jazz musician to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Miles Davis is one of the most renowned and respected jazz musicians to have ever lived. His legacy will continue for generations.

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Biography of Miles Davis
Miles Davis Official Website