Illinois Birthday Bicentennial Includes Top 200 Results For State Favorites

Today is December 3rd, 2018, and 200 years ago today, on December 3rd, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union.

The Illinois Top 200 project allowed people to vote online for the top things in Illinois history, from books and buildings to entertainers and scientists, as part of the state’s 200th birthday celebration. This was a collaboration with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The State-Journal Register and the Illinois Bicentennial Commission.

Illinois.gov

Here are the top 3 online voting winners in each category:

Unforgettable Illinois Moments:
#1 Mourning President Lincoln, #2 The Chicago Cubs Winning World Series,  #3 Ending Slavery

Remember folks, online anonymous voting means you may not agree with the results.
(See above, where the Cubs are listed by voters as more important than Illinois being the first state to ratify the 13th amendment, which officially ended slavery)

Here are some of the other vote winners:

  • Illinois Movies: The Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, A League of Their Own
  • Illinois Businesses: Archer Daniels Midland, Deere & Co, Caterpillar, Inc.
  • Illinois Inventions and Innovations: The Steel Plow, Cell phone, Birth control
  • Illinois Buildings: Wrigley Field, Dana-Thomas House, Baha’i House of Worship
  • Illinois Historic Sites: Lincoln’s New Salem, Pullman, John Deere
  • Illinois Scenic Spots: Elsah, Great River Road, Blackhawk Statue
  • Illinois Museums: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum
  • Illinois Books: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Jungle, The Devil in the White City (I read this one, and fair warning, it will keep you up at night)
  • Illinois Authors: Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, Ray Bradbury
  • Illinois Musicians: REO Speedwagon, Alison Krauss, Nat King Cole
  • Illinois Actors: Dick Van Dyke, Bill Murray, Gene Hackman
  • Illinois Entertainers: Walt Disney, Bob Newhart, Jack Benny
  • Illinois Athletes: Michael Jordan, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton
  • Illinois Groundbreaking Women: Lydia Moss Bradley, Betty Friedan, Jane Addams
  • Illinois Minority Trailblazers: Barack Obama, Black Hawk, Chief Keokuk

See the full Top 200 list with more detail by clicking HERE 


Susan Saunders signature