Illinois Trivia & Tidbits
Looking for Illinois trivia? Try our list Illinois little know facts, tidbits and trivia.
—In 2008, Catherine "Cammi" Granato became the first female inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Born in 1971 in Downers Grove (pop. 48,724), Granato led the U.S. women's hockey team to a gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics.
first appeared: 8/8/2010
—The world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines is Caterpillar Inc., headquartered in Peoria.
first appeared: 7/25/2010
—Harrison Harmonicas in Rockford is the only harmonica manufacturer in the United States. Founded by Brad Harrison, the company makes the B-Radical harmonica, featuring Harrison's design innovations and marketed as the Steinway of harmonicas.
first appeared: 7/11/2010
—Music teachers Don Hamacher and James Griggs founded Dog n Suds, a hot dog and root beer stand, in 1953 in Champaign (pop. 67,518). From the 1950s to the 1970s, the drive-in expanded into a chain of about 600 franchises.
first appeared: 6/27/2010
—To encourage employees to leave their cars at home, the Burke Group, a civil engineering firm headquartered in Rosemont (pop. 4,224), pays employees who ride their bikes to work the IRS reimbursable mileage rate.
first appeared: 6/13/2010
—The state’s last operating drive-in theater on Route 66 is the Sky View Drive-In Theatre in Litchfield (pop. 6,815), open since 1951.
first appeared: 5/30/2010
—The 1876 brick and limestone Amboy Depot Museum is the former depot and division headquarters of Illinois Central Railroad in Amboy (pop. 2,561). Along with the restored 19-room depot, the complex includes a freight house, one-room schoolhouse, steam engine and caboose.
first appeared: 5/16/2010
Opening in 1904 as an amusement park, Ravinia Festival, in Highland Park (pop. 31,365), is the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States. Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Janis Joplin are among the luminaries who have performed at Ravinia. The festival has been the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936.
first appeared: 5/2/2010
—Shelbyville (pop. 4,971) preacher Darrell Best takes his wedding chapel to the bride and groom in a 1942 American LaFrance fire truck converted into a marriage parlor, complete with an altar, pews and pipe organ. Best charges $200, plus $2 a mile.
first appeared: 4/18/2010
In Zion (pop. 22,866), founded in 1901, most of the original streets and boulevards are named after biblical people and places, and include Damascus, Ebenezer, Elijah and Galilee.
first appeared: 4/4/2010
—Among the directing and choreography credits of the legendary Bob Fosse, who was born in 1927 in Chicago, are The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Chicago, Cabaret, Sweet Charity and Dancin’.
first appeared: 3/21/2010
The youngest winner of an Academy Award for best actress is Marlee Matlin, who was 21 when she was honored for her role as Sarah Norman in the 1986 movie Children of a Lesser God. Matlin was born in 1965 in Morton Grove (pop. 22,451).
first appeared: 3/7/2010
The only farmhouse known to have been designed and built by architect Frank Lloyd Wright is Muirhead Farmhouse in Hampshire (pop. 2,900). Completed in 1951, the home today is owned by the Muirhead family and accommodates bed-and-breakfast guests.
first appeared: 2/21/2010
Major league baseball player Shawn Green, born in 1972 in Des Plaines (pop. 58,720), holds the record for earning the most bases-19-in a single game. He set the record while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002.
first appeared: 2/7/2010
In 1983, a day after his 19th birthday, Jimmy John Liautaud opened his first Jimmy John's sandwich shop in a converted garage in Charleston (pop. 21,039). Today, the company that's known for its "freaky fast" service and delivery has more than 800 restaurants.
first appeared: 1/24/2010
Celebrity chefs throughout the United States chop on cutting boards and butcher blocks made by the oldest company in Effingham (pop. 12,384), John Boos & Co., founded in 1887.
first appeared: 1/10/2010
Cynthia Kallile combines two classic comfort foods-meatloaf and cupcakes-at her Meatloaf Bakery in Chicago, where she serves meatloaf in cupcake form with mashes potatoes as icing. Other meat pastries are available.
first appeared: 12/27/2009
Lincoln (pop. 15,369) is the only city named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president. A statue of a watermelon slice commemorates Abraham Lincoln's christening of the town in 1853, using the juice of a watermelon.
first appeared: 12/13/2009
Incorporated in 1959, Carol Stream (pop. 40,438) was named after developer Jay Stream's teenage daughter, Carol, who was seriously injured in a 1957 automobile accident. Fortunately, Carol recovered and has seen her namesake village prosper.
first appeared: 11/29/2009
Eldorado (pop. 4,534) originally was named Elder-Reado after founders Judge Samuel Elder and Joseph Read. Legend has it that a railroad sign painter thought the spelling was incorrect and changed it.
jump to page:
1
, 2
, 3
, 4
, 5
, 6
, 7
, 8
, 9
, 10
, 11
, 12
, 13
, 14
, 15
, 16
, 17
, 18
, 19
first appeared: 11/15/2009
Below are the most recent American Profile articles:
Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:
Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:
