When you think of music on television, the first thing that pops into your head might be MTV. But in the ‘60s and ‘70s, music shows were television staples before there was a channel dedicated to them. One of the most popular was “Soul Train,” founded by Chicago native Don Cornelius in his hometown in 1970.

Some of the program’s first guests were regional musicians with a modicum of fame and success. “Soul Train” was first broadcast as a local show on WCIU-TV as a daily program in Chicago. The following year, the show moved to Los Angeles where it also came into national syndication. Cornelius was the host of his show from its inception until 1993, when he resigned as host. He remained a solid creative force with the show until 2006.

For his part, Cornelius had just quit his job as a Chicago police officer when he decided to go into television. After bouncing around in odd jobs after returning from the Korean War, the journalism major decided television would be a good medium for what he saw as a young people’s format: civil rights and soul music, both incredibly popular when the show started.

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Learn more about Don Cornelius
For more on the original Peace, Love and Soul music program Soul Train, click here

Oprah Winfrey made her television debut in 1976 in Baltimore, hosting the television chat show People Are Talking. Winfrey moved to Chicago in 1984 to host AM Chicago, a morning show on ABC 7 that had struggled with ratings before Winfrey’s arrival. Once on the show, Winfrey helped turn around the struggling production and eventually landed her own talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Before The Oprah Winfrey Show went into national syndication, Oprah starred in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple, which earned her an Academy Award nomination. The Oprah Winfrey Show went into national syndication on September 8, 1986, and quickly became one of the most popular television shows in the nation.

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Visit Oprah’s official website

If you’re a tennis fan, you’ve probably heard of tennis champion Jimmy Connors.

Connors was born on September 2, 1952 in East Saint Louis. He was introduced to tennis at a young age by his mother, who was a former professional tennis player. Connors claim to fame was his two-handed backhand stroke, which was also taught to him by his mother.

Connors trained with tennis champion Pancho Segura when he was 16, eventually attending school at the University of California Los Angeles. He only attended college for a year, however, because he wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming a full-time professional tennis player.

It wasn’t a difficult beginning to Connor’s professional career. He started out by winning three Grand Slam tournaments and became the sport’s number one ranked male player, which he held for 159 consecutive weeks. Over the next 10 years, he won four more U.S. Open Singles titles, along with the 1982 Wimbledon Men’s Championship.   

Connors competed in his last match in 1996 and finished with a men’s open-era record of 109 singles titles, 1,337 victories, eight Grand Slam Singles and two doubles championships. He was also ranked in the top 10 in the world for 16 consecutive years.

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Visit Jimmy Connor’s official website

Author Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in Chicago on September 1, 1875, spending the first years of his life in the Windy City before moving to Idaho on his brother’s ranch in 1891. Although he enlisted in the Army upon graduation, he was discharged after Army physicians discovered a heart problem in 1887. Burroughs returned to Chicago in 1904.

Edgar first began having his works of fiction published in 1912 while working as a pencil sharpener wholesaler. It was during this time that he began to really delve into his writing and developed one of his most beloved characters, Tarzan. A few years later, after achieving much success, he purchased a large ranch in California, which he named “Tarzana.”

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The man responsible for many of our nightmares, Wes Craven, earned a degree in English and psychology from Wheaton College in Illinois. He then went on to obtain a master’s degree and pursue a career in the film industry.

Craven created the iconic Freddy Kruger character that terrified viewers for years.

Known for the “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” franchises, Craven went on to win a number of awards throughout his career.

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Official Wes Craven website