1. In 1865, Mary Surratt, one of the conspirators in Abraham Lincoln's assassination, was hanged in Washington D.C. However, it is interesting to note that Surratt's family had ties to Illinois - her son, John Surratt Jr., had attended the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois.

2. On July 2, 1917, the East St. Louis race riot erupted. This was one of the bloodiest and most destructive race riots in American history, with estimates of up to 200 African Americans killed and thousands of others injured or left homeless.

3. The famous aviator Amelia Earhart was born on July 2, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. While not an Illinois native, Earhart did have strong ties to the state - she attended college at Columbia College (now Columbia University) in Chicago, and her first flight instructor was Anita Snook, a pioneering female aviator from Urbana, Illinois.

4. In 1962, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was established in Springfield, Illinois. This institution houses the world's largest collection of artifacts related to Abraham Lincoln, as well as numerous other exhibits and educational resources.

5. Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made history on July 2, 2016, becoming the first player in Cubs history to hit three home runs and two doubles in a single game. This performance helped lead the Cubs to a 11-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.