October 25 Illinois History Minute

It’s October 25th, and on this day in 1940, the U-S Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Hansberry versus Lee. Carl Hansberry was a Black man who bought a home in a south side Chicago subdivision, only to find his ownership challenged by a pre-existing covenant that barred African-Americans. The U-S Supreme Court ruled in Hansberry’s favor on a technicality. Carl Hansberry’s daughter, Lorraine Hansberry, wrote a play inspired in part by the dispute, “A Raisin in the Sun”.The horror-slasher movie “Halloween” was released on this day in 1978.

Its director, John Carpenter, also co-wrote the screenplay and composed the film’s music. “Halloween” was the first entry in a film franchise that was mostly set in the fictional Illinois town of Haddonfield, featuring the seemingly unstoppable serial killer Michael Myers.