This Week in Illinois History

This Week in Illinois History

This Week in Illinois History provides a 90-second snapshot of an event significant to Illinois history. Join Host Clint Cargile as he covers big events while also exposing little-known pieces of Illinois history.

Episodes

This Week in Illinois History: Birth of Wyatt Earp, the Peoria Bummer (March 19, 1848)

March 14, 2022 • 2 mins
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.
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This Week in Illinois History: Chicago Mayor killed by assassin (March 6, 1933)

March 7, 2022 • 1 min
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.
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This Week in Illinois History: Carl Sandburg named state Poet Laureate (February 28, 1962)

February 28, 2022 • 1 min
Carl Sandburg, author, journalist, folk singer, and poet of the people, appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois.
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This Week in Illinois History: Birth of Alton’s Gentle Giant (February 22, 1918)

February 28, 2022 • 1 min
None
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This Week in Illinois History: Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto (February 18, 1930)

February 14, 2022 • 1 min
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.
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This Week in Illinois History: Illinois’ First Duel (February 8, 1819)

February 14, 2022 • 1 min
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.
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This Week in Illinois History: Fighting Winter Floods with Dynamite (late January to early February, 1938)

January 31, 2022 • 1 min
When flooding and ice jams threatened these northern Illinois communities, the people fought back, with Dynamite.
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This Week in Illinois History: Bears shuffle over Patriots at Super Bowl XX (January 26, 1986)

January 31, 2022 • 1 min
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.
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This Week in Illinois History: Betty White born in Oak Park (January 17, 1922)

January 31, 2022 • 1 min
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.
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This Week in Illinois History: Fudge Fever of ’85 (January 13, 1985)

January 17, 2022 • 1 min
Thirsty for some fudge? This week, we revisit the story of Canfield’s Diet Chocolate Fudge Soda, the Chicago-based beverage that created a fad and a fizzle in the 1980s.
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This Week in Illinois History: The DeKalb County Soil Improvement Association (January 5, 1912)

January 3, 2022 • 1 min
The DeKalb winged ear logo is recognized around the world. Its origin traces back to one of the nation’s first organized farm associations.
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This Week in Illinois History: Josephine Cochrane patents the dishwasher (December 28, 1886)

December 27, 2021 • 1 min
Cleaning up after your holiday parties? Pause to thank Illinoisan Josephine Cochrane for making your life a lot easier.
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This Week in Illinois History: Raggedy Ann creator Johnny Gruelle born (December 24, 1880)

December 20, 2021 • 1 min
No other character personifies early 20th-century, pop-culture Americana better than Raggedy Ann, the creation of Arcola, Illinois, native Johnny Gruelle.
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This Week in Illinois History: Moving Shawneetown (December 14, 1937)

December 20, 2021 • 1 min
After a great flood nearly destroys one of Illinois’ oldest towns, the state takes a huge step. It moves the whole town to higher ground.
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This Week in Illinois History: Popeye creator E. C. Segar born (December 8, 1894)

December 20, 2021 • 1 min
Chester, Illinois native E. C. Segar spent years working as a struggling cartoonist until he created one of the world's most iconic characters: Popeye the Sailor.
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This Week in Illinois History: World’s first man-made nuclear reaction (December 2, 1942)

December 20, 2021 • 1 min
At the height of World War II, scientists in the U. S. raced to build a nuclear weapon before Germany. One of the first stages of this race, the harnessing of nuclear energy, took place beneath the grandstand of a football field in Chicago.
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This Week in Illinois History: Joseph Glidden patents barbed wire (November 24, 1874)

December 20, 2021 • 1 min
Barbed wire may seem like a simple invention, but when it was invented in the 1870s, it changed the world, made millions for its creators and put DeKalb, Illinois on the map.
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This Week in Illinois History: Bessie Coleman departs for Paris (November 20, 1920)

December 20, 2021 • 1 min
Bessie Coleman had to travel to Paris, France to fulfill her dream of becoming a pilot. Though her life came to a tragic end, she inspired generations of Black women.
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This Week in Illinois History: First train in Illinois (November 8, 1838)

November 10, 2021 • 1 min
In early November 1838, the first railroad in Illinois went into operation. The train went on a symbolic, eight-mile run, introducing the state to the transportation that would dominate the next century.
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This Week In Illinois History: The great horse epidemic (early November, 1872)

November 1, 2021 • 1 min
In late 1872 a horse epidemic brought the nation to a standstill. Never before had the country’s ability to conduct business been so paralyzed.
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