As WILL-AM celebrates a century of being on the air, we are sharing a minute-long snippet of Illinois history every weekday in 2022. This daily feature includes memorable people, places and events of that helped shape the prairie state.
Hosted by Illinois Public Media reporter Jim Meadows, the minute of Illinois History will air on WILL-AM/FM at 7:42 a.m. during Morning Edition and 5:32 p.m. during All Things Considered; as well as on WILL-AM in the 1 o'clock hour of Here & Now and at 8 o'clock in the evening. We've also made them available below for all of you history buffs!
It’s December 2nd, and on this day in 1942, Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi directed the world’s first controlled nuclear reaction, with a reactor built underneath the seats of the University of Chicago’s original Stagg Field. Researchers celebrated the event by opening a bottle of Chianti. Successful operation of the reactor was the first major achievement of the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the first nuclear weapons.
It’s December First, and the International Amphitheater opened on Chicago’s south side on this day in 1934. Originally built to host livestock shows, the amphitheater also hosted political conventions, sporting events --- and concerts, including Elvis Presley and the Beatles --- before it was demolished in 1999.
It’s November 30th, and Illinois Governor Henry Horner was born in Cook County on this day in 1878. Horner, a Democrat, became Illinois’ first Jewish governor in 1932. Illinois’ third Jewish governor, JB Pritzker has quoted Horner’s speeches, citing his optimism and determination in the face of the Great Depression.
It’s November 29th, the day that southern Illinois politician Paul Simon was born in 1938. The bow-tied son of a Lutheran minister had a political career that went from state representative to U-S senator. In 1988, Simon was an underdog candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. In a campaign ad, he presented himself as someone who would do the right thing, whether or not it was popular.
It’s November 28th. And on this day in 1968, women from across the United States and Canada met at a YMCA summer camp north of Chicago for the first national gathering of women’s liberation activists. The three-day conference is credited with inspiring women’s liberation efforts across North America in the years that followed.
It’s Thanksgiving Day, a holiday that’s generally traced back to colonial settlers in 17th century New England. By the early 19th century, its popularity was spreading, actively promoted by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the women’s magazine, Godey’s Lady Book.
It’s November 25th, and the University of Illinois’ first FM radio station, WIUC, began regular broadcasts this week in 1942. Newspaper articles at the time described FM radio’s superior, static-free sound, although the signals didn’t travel as far as AM radio.
It’s November 23rd --- and on this day in 1950, a house in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park was firebombed. A few months later, the house was attacked with dynamite. Percy Julian, a research chemist for the Glidden company, moved his family into the house all the same, becoming Oak Park’s first Black residents. Despite the violent attacks, Julian attracted a group of supporters, who welcomed him as neighbors.
It’s November 22nd, the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963.
It’s November 21st, a notable date for Fighting Illini football. On this day in 1914, Illinois beat Wisconsin 24 to nine, ending their season with a perfect seven-and-oh record.
