Illinois Trivia & Tidbits - Page 14

Looking for Illinois trivia? Try our list Illinois little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The 20-foot-tall earth sculptures at Buffalo Rock State Park near Ottawa (pop. 18,307) were built to honor prehistoric American Indians who once inhabited the area. They represent a snake, turtle, catfish, frog, and a water strider.

first appeared: 3/10/2002

Whistling Wings Inc. in Hanover (pop. 836) is the world’s largest mallard duck hatchery, shipping about 200,000 ducklings annually around the world.

first appeared: 3/3/2002

Built in 1835, Hamilton Primary School in Otterville (pop. 120) was the nation’s first free racially integrated school. It was funded by the estate of Dr. Silas Hamilton, a former slave owner from Mississippi who willed that it be built.

first appeared: 2/24/2002

The largest remnant of native tallgrass prairie in Illinois is in the 2,838-acre Goose Lake Prairie State Preserve near Morris (pop. 11,928) in Grundy County.

first appeared: 2/17/2002

The white oak, one of 20 native species of oaks in Illinois, was designated the official state tree in 1973.

first appeared: 2/10/2002

The mascot at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (pop. 20,681) is the fleet-footed Saluki, one of the world’s oldest pure dog breeds, dating back to ancient times.

first appeared: 2/3/2002

The nation’s oldest Danish-American newspaper—Den Danske Pioneer—has been published in Hoffman Estates since 1872. Articles are written in both English and Danish.

first appeared: 1/27/2002

Built in 1947 and restored in 1995, the world’s largest ketchup bottle is actually a 180-foot tall, 140,000-gallon water tower in Collinsville (pop. 24,707).

first appeared: 1/20/2002

The first Illinois State Fair was in Springfield in October 1853. Newspapers asked citizens to clean the streets of old hats and boots, rags, bones, and manure, so the town would look its best. Unfortunately, it rained the first four days.

first appeared: 1/13/2002

The abbreviation “ORD” for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport comes from its original name, Orchard Field. In 1949, the airport was renamed to honor Navy pilot Edward H. “Butch” O’Hare.

first appeared: 1/6/2002

The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet in 1940. About 6,000 of the restaurants are now open around the world.

first appeared: 12/30/2001

Housed in a former grain elevator, the Upper Limits Rock Gym in Bloomington bills itself as the nation’s largest climbing gym.

first appeared: 12/23/2001

So many home kits were ordered by Standard Oil for its coal mine workers in Carlinville (pop. 5,685) in 1918 that Sears, Roebuck & Co. named a five-bedroom model, “The Carlin.” Of the 156 kit homes built in the community, 152 remain standing today.

first appeared: 12/16/2001

With an average daily temperature of 16.6 degrees, December 2000 was the coldest December in Illinois since records began being kept in 1895. The previous record of 17.1 degrees was set in 1983.

first appeared: 12/9/2001

During his high school basketball career from 1987 to 1991, Kevin Rhodes of Canton (pop. 15,288) set the state record for the most 3-point baskets—371. His highest yearly total was 106 in 1990.

first appeared: 12/2/2001

With a surface area of 26,000 acres, Lake Carlyle near Carlyle (pop. 3,406) is the state’s largest man-made lake.

first appeared: 11/25/2001

In 1994, Matt VanVoten of Chicago Christian High School in Palos Heights (pop. 11,260) kicked a 63-yard field goal, which still stands as the state record.

first appeared: 11/18/2001

Between 1850 and 1860, a dozen railroads grew to serve the state, including the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad, which was built west from Chicago beginning in 1852.

first appeared: 11/11/2001

James Dewar, manager of the Continental Baking Co. in Chicago, created Twinkies snack cakes in 1930. Dewar claimed he ate two Twinkies a day until his death in 1985.

first appeared: 11/4/2001

During the 2000 World Freefall Convention in Quincy, 5,732 parachuting enthusiasts from 55 countries made more than 63,000 jumps in 10 days.

first appeared: 10/28/2001

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