1. In 1922, the Chicago Tribune launched its first crossword puzzle. This newspaper, founded in 1847, remains a major daily paper in the city, with a circulation of over 400,000.

2. On June 16, 1949, the first nuclear reactor in the world to produce electricity for a power grid went online at the Argonne National Laboratory in DuPage County, Illinois. The Experimental Breeder Reactor I generated enough electricity to light four light bulbs.

3. Abraham Lincoln was nominated for president at the 1860 Republican National Convention on June 16, which was held at the Wigwam convention center in Chicago. The nomination followed a series of debates and speeches, including Lincoln's famous "House Divided" speech in 1858.

4. The Illinois State Police was formed on June 16, 1922, as a specialized law enforcement agency to combat bootlegging and organized crime during the Prohibition era. Today, the agency employs over 2,900 officers and staff across the state.

5. The legendary blues musician Muddy Waters, who is widely regarded as the "father of modern Chicago blues," was born on April 4, 1913, in Mississippi. However, he moved to Chicago in 1943 and became a major player in the city's blues scene, recording such classics as "Mannish Boy" and "Hoochie Coochie Man" in the 1950s and 60s. On June 16, 1983, Muddy Waters died in his Westmont, Illinois, home at the age of 70.