This Week in Illinois History

On May 17, 1955, the Illinois General Assembly approved the official state slogan: Land of Lincoln. Before that, Illinois was known as the Prairie State. But Illinois had an older, unofficial slogan that dates back to the state’s earliest days: the Sucker State. 

On May 15, 1903, Illinois established the nation's first eight-hour workday . . . for children. The new law also set a 48-hour weekly limit on child labor. 

The story of the Haymarket Riot of 1886 actually begins 20 years earlier. After the Civil War, Chicago's labor unions had been pushing for an eight-hour workday instead of the usual 12 to 14. In response, Illinois passed an eight-hour law, but it had loopholes that allowed employ ...  Show more

On April 28, 1941, Illinois Congressman Arthur Mitchell argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that African Americans were entitled to railroad accommodations equal to white passengers. 

On April 22, 1856, crowds cheered and bands played in Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport, Iowa, as a train chugged across the first bridge to span the Mississippi River. The bridge connected the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad in Illinois and the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad ...  Show more