Happy Birthday, Illinois!
In honor of Illinois becoming a state on this date in 1818, let's take a look at what we Illinoisans voted as the "Illinois Top 200."
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. It was a joint project of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The State-Journal Register and the Illinois Bicentennial Commission.
The voting is over now, and the people of Illinois have chosen their top 200. (Actually, it’s 201. There was a tie for last place in the very last category.)
Here are the top 3 in each category, as chosen by online voting:
- Movies: The Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, A League of Their Own
- Businesses: Archer Daniels Midland, Deere & Co, Caterpillar, Inc.
- Inventions and Innovations: The Steel Plow, Cell phone, Birth control
- Buildings: Wrigley Field, Dana-Thomas House, Baha’i House of Worship
- Historic Sites: Lincoln's New Salem, Pullman, John Deere
- Scenic Spots: Elsah, Great River Road, Blackhawk Statue
- Museums: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum
- Books: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Jungle, The Devil in the White City
- Authors: Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, Ray Bradbury
- Heartbreaking Moments: Lincoln Shot, Chicago Fire, Tri-State Tornado
- Musicians: REO Speedwagon, Alison Krauss, Nat King Cole
- Artists and Architects: Frank Lloyd Wright, Lorado Taft, Louis Sullivan
- Actors: Dick Van Dyke, Bill Murray, Gene Hackman
- Entertainers: Walt Disney, Bob Newhart, Jack Benny
- Scientists: Enrico Fermi, James Watson, R. Buckminster Fuller
- Athletes: Michael Jordan, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton
- Groundbreaking Women: Lydia Moss Bradley, Betty Friedan, Jane Addams
- Minority Trailblazers: Barack Obama, Black Hawk, Chief Keokuk
- Leaders: Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama
- Unforgettable Moments: Mourning Lincoln, Victorious Cubs, Ending Slavery