July 21 Illinois History Minute

It’s July 21st, and writer Ernest Hemingway was born on this day in 1899 in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. After spending time as an ambulance driver in World War One and a reporter in Toronto, Hemingway lived for a time in Chicago, where he met his first wife, Hadley Richardson. Together, they moved to Paris, and Hemingway began writing the fiction that would make him famous.

Comedian and actor Robin Williams was born on this day in Chicago, in 1951. He moved to California in his teens, and launched a career in standup comedy, which led to his breakout role in the TV sitcom Mork and Mindy.