Honoring the achievements and essential roles played by women in American society was the impetus behind the first official celebration of women’s history in 1982. Originally lasting just a week, the National Women’s History Project lobbied Congress to make the event month-long, succeeding in 1987 when the first “Women’s History Month” was celebrated.

International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, similarly highlights the achievements and accomplishments of women across the globe. This year’s theme is “Pledge for Parity,” celebrating women's contributions to social, economic, cultural and political achievements but highlighting the work that still needs to be done to achieve full gender parity.

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Women’s History Month
International Women’s Day

Michael Peña was born in Chicago on January 13, 1976. His parents are both originally from Mexico. He attended Hubbard High School in West Lawn. After high school, he got his first acting role after auditioning at an open casting call for To Sir, with Love II.

Peña has appeared in four movies that were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award: Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Babel and American Hustle. Two of the four won the award.

He was once quoted saying, “I'm just an actor. If it's drama, I add as much humor as the part will stand. And if it's a comedy, add as much drama as you can, so it balances out; you don't wanna be too serious.”

Lovie Smith was born on May 8 in Gladewater, Texas and grew up in nearby Big Sandy. He played football in high school and at the University of Tulsa, where he was a two-time All-American at linebacker and safety.

After assistant coaching at a number of colleges, he began his NFL career as a linebacker coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996. Five years later, he moved on to serve as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, a position which would take him to Super Bowl XXXVI. In 2004, Smith was hired as the head coach for the Chicago Bears. Smith led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI in 2006 and to the NFC Championship Game in 2010.

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Illinois turns the page with hiring of Lovie Smith as football coach – Chicago Tribune

Illinois may have become a state in 1818. But one town started long before that in Illinois history. The first settlement in Illinois was Fort Crevecoeur in 1680, or modern-day Peoria. The fort would also be one of the first European buildings to be built in the Midwest.

Later the town would receive the name of Peoria after the Native American Peoria Tribe, which was a part of the Illinois Confederation. The town of Peoria, Arizona was named after Peoria, Illinois because the founders of the Arizona suburb of Phoenix wanted to name it after their hometown.

Today, the city of Peoria is the seventh most populist city in the state with a population of over 115,000. The city is home to the world headquarters of Caterpillar. Downtown Peoria was also home to the first Bergner’s Department store, which closed in 1986.

For more information about Peoria: http://www.peoria.org/Home

Grosse Point Lighthouse, located in Evanston along the Lake Michigan shoreline, was first illuminated on this day in 1874. The lighthouse was built by the federal government as Chicago’s role as a hub for lake transportation was drastically increasing.

The lighthouse is situated along a particularly shallow section of Lake Michigan that caused many shipwrecks in the years prior to construction. A tragic accident between a passenger steamer and lumber-carrying schooner in 1860 resulted in an estimated 300 deaths, only increasing pressure to build a lighthouse warning ships of shallow waters and guiding them to Chicago.

The lighthouse was electrified in 1923, decommissioned in the mid-1930s and has only been used intermittently since 1945 to direct passenger cruisers. The grounds surrounding the lighthouse were named a National Historic Landmark in 1999, making Grosse Point the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes to be named a National Historic Landmark.

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Read more about the history of the Grosse Point Lighthouse