June 21 Illinois History Minute

It’s June 21, the day in 1892 when former Congressman Adlai E. Stevenson of Bloomington was nominated to be Grover Cleveland’s vice-presidential running mate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Cleveland went on to win a second non-consecutive term as president. Stevenson enjoyed being vice-president, notably presiding over the Senate, where he was praised for dignity and non-partisanship.

Actor Michael Gross was born in Chicago on this day in 1947. He played Michael J. Fox’s dad in the 1980s TV sitcom Family Ties. He’s also known as survivalist Burt Gummer, who battled giant wormlike monsters in the “Tremors” movies.