Illinois Trivia & Tidbits - Page 4

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

—Ship models used in the movies Cleopatra, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Ben-Hur and Tugboat Annie are among more than 200 on exhibit at the National Museum of Ship Models and Sea History in Sadorus (pop. 426).

first appeared: 4/22/2007

—The state’s oldest operating hotel is the DeSoto House, opened in 1855 in Galena (pop. 3,460). Guests have included Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas and William Jennings Bryan.

first appeared: 4/8/2007

—A 198-foot-tall cross stands near the intersection of interstate highways 57 and 70 in Effingham (pop. 12,384) and is intended as a beacon of hope to the estimated 50,000 travelers who pass by each day.

first appeared: 3/25/2007

—In 1992, Chicago-born William Pinkney became the first African-American to sail solo around the world, passing its five southernmost capes. Because his boat was rigged with a satellite-powered computer and short-wave radio, schoolchildren worldwide were able to follow his two-year voyage.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

—Encompassing about 44,000 acres, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Marion (pop. 16,035) supports a diversity of plants and wildlife, though explosives were manufactured there during World War II.

first appeared: 2/27/2007

—In 1893, brothers Frederick W. and Louis Rueckheim introduced a confection of popcorn, peanuts and molasses—later trademarked as “Cracker Jack”—at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

first appeared: 2/11/2007

—In the early 1800s, German settler William “Tutty” Baker founded Freeport (pop. 26,443), building a trading post on the Pecatonica River and offering free ferry rides and meals to travelers. Hence the name “free port.”

first appeared: 1/28/2007

One of the first drive-through banking services opened in 1946 at Exchange National Bank in Chicago. Tellers behind bulletproof glass greeted motoring customers, who conveniently used the bank’s sliding drawers to make their transactions.

first appeared: 1/14/2007

—An 1850s authentic working Dutch windmill, Fabyan Windmill, whirls in the Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva (pop. 19,515). The five-story windmill was featured on a 1980 U.S. postage stamp.

first appeared: 12/17/2006

—Volunteers raised money and manpower to build the Franklin Creek Grist Mill in Franklin Grove (pop. 1,052). Opened in 1999, the reconstructed mill is near the site of the original 1847 water-powered mill on Franklin Creek.

first appeared: 12/3/2006

—In 1885, Swiss immigrant John Meyenberg founded Helvetia Milk Condensing Co. in Highland (pop. 8,438) to make unsweetened evaporated milk. The company sold the milk under different names in different markets, but the popular “Pet” trademark was registered in 1895.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—Music comes from on high in Centralia (pop. 14,136), where a 65-bell carillon rings out concerts downtown. A professional carillonneur climbs 173 steps in the bell tower to play the bells.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—The Northwest Passage Root Beer Saloon in Alto Pass (pop. 388) serves a variety of micro-brewed draft root beer in frosty mugs and toasts itself as the world’s first root beer saloon.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—The World Shooting and Recreational Complex opened to the public in September in Sparta (pop. 4,486). With more than 1,500 acres, including 250 acres of water, the complex offers 100 trap fields, two sporting clay courses, skeet stations, a cowboy action shooting corral and a 3-D archery range.

first appeared: 10/8/2006

New York native Isaac Swan founded Canton (pop. 15,288) in 1825 and named it on the mistaken belief that the location was diametrically opposite Canton, China.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

Bonny Jain, 12, of Moline (pop. 43,768), won the 2006 National Geographic Bee and a $25,000 scholarship in May by naming the mountains that extend across much of Wales from the Irish Sea to the Bristol Channel. (Answer: Cambrian)

first appeared: 9/10/2006

Kid chefs Isabella Gerasole, 10, and her sister, Olivia, 8, won a James Beard Foundation Award for excellence in the culinary world in May for their kids' cooking show, a Webcast at www.spatulatta.com. The giggling gourmets are from Evanston.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

One of the largest Hindu temples in North America opened in 2004 in Bartlett (pop. 36,706). The ornately carved marble and limestone, 22,400-square-foot shrine is topped with 16 domes and gold-plated spires and has 151 pillars.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Hot water for the World's Largest Laundromat, the sudsy shop's actual name, is compliments of 36 solar panels, the state's largest solar-energy roof installation. The laundry business in Berwyn (pop. 54,016) has 301 coin-operated machines.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

Springfield savors its spicy title as "Chilli Capital of the World," bestowed by the state Legislature in 1993. The city has a history of chili parlors, canneries and chowhounds. Community leaders prefer spelling out their title with a double dose of "Ls."

first appeared: 7/16/2006

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