Brave. Courageous. Bold. All words used to describe legendary Western lawman Wyatt Earp. But novels, films and TV shows often overlook his reckless youth in Illinois, where he earned a reputation as a thief, swindler and pimp ..read more

A popular Chicago Mayor and champion to the city's overlooked immigrant communities is struck down by an assassin’s bullet, a bullet that was meant for someone else ..read more

Carl Sandburg, author, journalist, folk singer, and poet of the people, appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois ..read more

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No longer considered a planet, but always number nine in our hearts. This week in Illinois history, we celebrate the discovery of Pluto by Streator native Clyde Tombaugh ..read more

Illinois was barely two months old when it experienced its first duel, an intoxicated altercation over a horse that destroyed the lives of two families ..read more

When flooding and ice jams threatened these northern Illinois communities, the people fought back, with Dynamite ..read more

The 1985 Bears lineup is one of the greatest in NFL history. This cast of colorful characters dominated the league before shuffling right over the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XX ..read more

The late, great actress Betty White might have ended up hot in Cleveland, but she was born right here in Illinois. Learn about Oak Park's very own Golden Girl on This Week in Illinois History ..read more

The Twinkie, America’s model junk food, got its start in Illinois. Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930 at the Continental Baking Company in River Forest. Manager James Dewar noticed that the equipment used to make the company’s small, baked strawberry shortcakes sat idle when strawberries were out of season. He came up with the idea to inject the spongy yellow cakes with a fluffy, white cream filling, and the Twinkie was born ..read more