| Abraham Lincoln |
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"We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched
and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were
produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
(1863) |
| President |
Illinois |
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| Entered the Union: Dec. 3, 1818 (21) | Capital: Springfield | |
| State Nicknames: Prairie State • Land of Lincoln | ||
| State Motto: State sovereignty, national union | ||
| Origin of Name: Algonquin for “tribe of superior men” | ||
| State Tree: Live Oak | State Bird: Cardinal | |
| State Animal: White-tailed Deer | State Flower : Violet | |
| State Song: “Illinois” | ||
| National Forests: 2 • State Parks: 43 • State Forests: 5 | ||
| Famous for: Abraham Lincoln Historic Sites, Sears Tower | ||
| Famous Illinoisans: Jack Benny (comedian), Black Hawk (Sauk Chief), Harry Blackmun (US Supreme Court), John Chancellor (TV commentator), Jimmy Connors (tennis), Miles Davis • Benny Goodman (jazz), Walt Disney (film animator), Ernest Hemingway • Ray Bradbury (authors), Wild Bill Hickok (scout), Dan Fogelberg • Burl Ives (singers), Quincy Jones (composer, producer), Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan (Presidents), Carl Sandburg (poet), Oprah Winfrey (TV host) Charlton Heston • Rock Hudson • Bill Murray • Bob Newhart • Richard Pryor, Raquel Welch (actors) | ||
| Native Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birds on this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make. | ||
| State Fair: Springfield, Illinois |
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| Illinois Attractions | ||||||||||
| Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) | ||||||||||
| Skiing in Illinois | ||||||||||
| Listen to Cardinal's Song | ||||||||||
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| Illinois Wildlife Park Gallery | ||||||||||
| Illinois Homeschooling | ||||||||||
| Illinois Resorts | ||||||||||
| In 1673, French explorers canoed down the Mississippi River, the western boundary of Illinois and went northward on the Illinois River.Cahokia, the first permanent settlement in Illinois, was a fur-trading post established in 1699. | ||||||||||
| The end of the French and Indian War gave all land east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain in 1763. During the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), George Rogers Clark of Virginia and a group called the “Big Knives” raided English forts in Illinois. They captured Kaskaskia and Cahokia and made Illinois part of the county of Virginia. | ||||||||||
| In 1858, Abraham Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for the U.S. Senate. Lincoln’s stand against slavery during several debates in Illinois, gave him national attention. He lost the election, but became president of the United States two years later. Six southern states seceded from the Union and the Civil War (1861-1865) began after Lincoln’s inauguration. | ||||||||||
| Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln" as Abraham Lincoln spent most of his life there. | ||||||||||
| Inventors John Deere and Cyrus McCormick made their fortunes in Illinois by improving farm machinery. | ||||||||||
| The tallest man in the world was born in Alton in 1918. He weighed 491 pounds and stood 8 feet, 11 inches tall and wore a size 37 shoe. | ||||||||||
| The Home Insurance Building was built in 1885 in Chicago, becoming the world’s first modern skyscraper. | ||||||||||
| The tallest building in the U.S. is the Sears Tower in Chicago | ||||||||||
| Chicago is the nation's third largest city. | ||||||||||
| Illinois is the sixth most populous state in the country. | ||||||||||
| A replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa stands in the town of Niles. | ||||||||||
| Illinois' Ethnic Roots: German 19.6%, African 15.1%, Irish 12.2%, Mexican 9.2%, Polish 7.5%. | ||||||||||
| Religion in Illinois: 80% Christian (49% Protestant, 30% Catholic, 1% Other), 16% No Religion, 4% Other Religions | ||||||||||
| Reagan, our 40th President, was born in Tampico in 1911. | ||||||||||
| The Dairy Queen franchise was first opened in Joliet, Illinois, on June 22, 1940. | ||||||||||
| Thanksgiving Day |
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Thanksgiving Day November 28, 2024
In 1621, 52 Pilgrims and approx. 50 Native Americans celebrated a 3-day feast thanking God for His blessings enabling their survival in the New World. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. |
| Advent |
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December 1, 2024
Advent begins 4 weeks before Christmas and remembers the longing and waiting of God's people for the coming of the Messiah. |
| Bill of Rights Day |
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December 15, 1791
Bill of Rights Day Celebrating the 10 amendments to the Constitution which protect individual rights by placing specific limits on government power. These freedoms do not exist in many countries of the world. |
| Christmas Day |
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December 25th Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. This joyous festival
is enjoyed by Christians and nonChristians alike all over the world.
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