1. In 1833, the city of Chicago was incorporated. Originally a small outpost on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago quickly grew into a bustling metropolis and became one of the most important cities in the United States.

2. In 1857, the Dred Scott decision was handed down by the US Supreme Court. The decision, which found that black Americans had no right to sue in federal court and that slavery could not be banned in the territories, helped to fan the flames of sectional tensions that ultimately led to the Civil War.

3. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony visited Peoria, Illinois and delivered a speech on women's suffrage. Anthony was a well-known activist in the movement to secure voting rights for women, and her visit to Illinois helped to galvanize support for the cause throughout the state.

4. In 1943, the U.S. government opened the Braidwood Nuclear Reactor in Wilmington, Illinois. The reactor was part of the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb during World War II. While the Braidwood Reactor was not directly involved in the creation of the bomb, it played an important role in developing the technology that would later be used to power nuclear submarines and generate electricity.

5. In 1985, the first McDonald's restaurant opened in Moscow, Illinois. McDonald's had been trying to open a restaurant in the Soviet Union since the mid-1970s, but had faced resistance from Soviet authorities. The opening of the Moscow restaurant was a major milestone in the globalization of fast food and a sign of the increasing interconnectedness of the world.