1. On January 11, 1818, the Illinois Territory was established by an act of Congress, paving the way for Illinois to become the 21st state in the union less than two years later.
2. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States and one of the nation's most revered leaders, delivered a speech in Springfield, Illinois on January 11, 1860 that is now widely regarded as one of the defining moments of his political career.
3. The Chicago Cubs, one of the oldest and most beloved baseball teams in the United States, were officially incorporated on January 11, 1871.
4. On January 11, 1999, Illinois made history by becoming the first state in the nation to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18.
5. The Illinois state legislature approved a bill on January 11, 2011 that legalized same-sex civil unions, making Illinois the sixth state to do so at the time.