Twenty-two years ago today, Bonnie Blair won her fifth Olympic gold medal during the XVII Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Blair started skating at a young age and began competing at the age of seven. After graduating from Centennial High School in Champaign, and with support from the Champaign Policemen’s Benevolent Association, Blair traveled with the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Team.

Blair first participated in the Olympics in the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, setting a new world record and winning her first gold medal in the 500 meter competition. She would go on to participate in the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, winning her second gold medal in the 500 meter and another in the 1,000 meter competition. Blair’s participation in the 1994 Winter Games in Norway led to her fourth and fifth gold medals, again in the 500 and 1,000 meter competitions.

Learn more:
Read more about the life and accomplishments of Bonnie Blair

Robert Pershing Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois on February 22, 1918. Wadlow would enter the history books as the “Alton Giant” or World’s Tallest Man.

Standing at 8 feet, 11inches, Wadlow is the world’s tallest man confirmed by Guinness World Records. At 13, Wadlow would be one of the tallest boy scouts at the height of 7 foot 4 inches. At 18, he weighed nearly four hundred pounds and was wearing a size 37 shoe that cost one hundred dollars per pair.

The International Shoe Company would provide Wadlow free shoes as long as he and his dad would travel the country as marketers for the company.

The entire town shut down to attend his funeral with nearly 40,000 signatures in the guest book. He earned the nickname “Gentle Giant” for his demeanor with everyone in the town of Alton, Illinois.

Learn more about Wadlow:
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/tallest-man-ever

Lorraine Hansberry was a trailblazing playwright, author and activist who used her personal experiences of segregation in Chicago to create the revolutionary play, “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Born in Chicago on May 19, 1930, Hansberry and her family faced pressure from growing racial tensions which triggered the Hansberry v. Lee Supreme Court decision, ruling restrictive covenants illegal.

As a young woman, Hansberry persevered and attended the New School for Social Research in New York, where she studied and worked as an editor of a progressive newspaper, Freedom. Her dedication to providing a voice for the voiceless shined through as she wrote about feminism and homophobia in America.

Hansberry used a line from a Langston Hughes poem and the story of a struggling African-American family to create the groundbreaking play “A Raisin in the Sun.”

The landmark 1959 theatrical production made her the first black woman to see her play performed on Broadway. Hansberry became the youngest American and first African-American playwright to win a New York Critics’ Circle award and a 1961 film adaptation starring Sydney Poitier.  

Off Broadway, Hansberry became active in the civil rights movement alongside her friend, Nina Simone. “A Raisin in the Sun” has been adapted numerous times over the years and remains a landmark of American literature and theatre.

Whether you are a seasoned wine connoisseur or have just discovered your favorite variety, today is your day. Wine drinkers across the country are celebrating National Drink Wine Day, a day to enjoy a glass of your favorite Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec. 

Looking to visit an Illinois winery in the Spring? Illinois is home to approximately 100 wineries, from Galena Cellars in Northwestern Illinois to Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda. 

Read more:
Raise your glass! It’s National Drink Wine Day (USA Today)

Maurice White, founder and former leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, traveled to Chicago in the 1960s to study at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. While working under the legendary Chess Records label, he had the opportunity to play with Etta James, Fontella Bass and Ramsey Lewis.

White joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio and traveled the country, returning to Chicago after three years and forming the Salty Peppers group with friends Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. The group composed several songs, including “La La Time,” and starred in commercials that aired in Chicagoland.

White, Flemons and Whitehead relocated to California after a few years and changed the name of their group to Earth, Wind & Fire.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Learn more:
Read more about the life and accomplishments of Maurice White and Earth, Wind & Fire
Watch Stevie Wonder’s Emotional Maurice White Tribute at Grammys (Rolling Stone)