1. On March 11, 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired in the state of Illinois when Confederate sympathizers attacked a train carrying Union troops in the town of Cairo.

2. In 1933, on March 11, the first recorded case of a tornado being successfully predicted occurred in the town of Beardstown, Illinois, thanks to the pioneering work of meteorologist John P. Finley.

3. On March 11, 1986, the Illinois state legislature passed a bill establishing the Illinois Lottery, which has since become one of the most popular forms of gambling in the state.

4. Chicago's notorious "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre" actually took place on March 11, 1929. It was a gangland hit orchestrated by Al Capone, and it left seven members of a rival gang dead.

5. On March 11, 2011, a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. The disaster had a significant impact on the Illinois economy, as the state is home to many Japanese-owned businesses.