1) On February 17, 1902, the Illinois General Assembly approved the creation of the Illinois State Historical Library, which would later become the Illinois State Archives. This institution is dedicated to preserving and providing access to Illinois historical records.

2) In 1929, Chicago’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre case was prosecuted by Illinois Attorney General Edward J. Brundage. The case involved the murder of seven members of the North Side Gang in a garage on Valentine’s Day. Five people were convicted and later executed for their involvement.

3) On February 17, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored an NBA record 67 points against the Chicago Bulls at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago. The record still stands as the fourth-highest scoring game in NBA history.

4) In 1972, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Krebs v. Thompson that school districts in Illinois had to provide transportation to students attending non-public schools, including Catholic schools. The decision was controversial and sparked debate over the separation of church and state in education.

5) On February 17, 2012, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich began serving a 14-year prison sentence for corruption charges, including attempting to sell former President Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich’s case was a major scandal in Illinois politics and led to his impeachment and removal from office in 2009.