July 1 Illinois History Minute

It’s July First. And on this day in 1969, Governor Richard Ogilvie signed a bill creating Illinois’ first state income tax. The tax had passed on a bipartisan vote. But when the Republican Ogilvie invited Democratic legislative leaders to the signing ceremony, they refused to come. Illinois’ original state income tax was a flat 2-point-5 percent for individuals and four percent for corporations. It’s gone up since then.

On this day in 1910, Charles Comiskey opened White Sox Park on Chicago’s south side. The new ballpark was nicknamed the “Baseball Palace of the World”, but within three years, its name changed to Comiskey Park. Before closing in 1990, Comiskey Park hosted more than six-thousand Major League Baseball games, plus pro football, soccer, and the Beatles.