A recent report by Forbes magazine ranks Illinois fifth nationwide this year in total startup funding applications. Illinois is neck-and-neck with Texas, with 3.4 percent of the nation’s funding applications and is followed by Washington, Georgia and Colorado.

The report sees a bright future for Illinois startups, with activity “centered on both Chicago and the University of Illinois tech ecosystem” as a sign of significant growth in the future.

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Need funding? 2015 Is A Strong Year For Startups

The Bud Billiken Day Parade has been held on Chicago’s South Side since 1929. Held on the second Saturday in August, the parade’s focus is on educating Chicago youth and the upcoming school year.

Robert S. Abbott, the founder of the Chicago Defender newspaper, came up with the idea for the parade, which is now the second largest annual parade in the country. Over the years, a host of celebrities have participated in the parade, including President Harry Truman, Michael Jordan, Duke Ellington, Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross and Billie Holiday.

Learn more:
Information on the Bud Billiken Parade
Can’t attend in person? Watch the Bud Billiken Parade live on ABC 7 Chicago

For better or worse, cell phones are a cornerstone of our current lifestyle. But they haven’t always been. Martin Cooper of Motorola, a Fortune 500 technology company still headquartered in the Chicago suburbs, invented the cell phone.

Cooper’s 1973 prototype cell phone weighed 2.5 pounds and took 10 hours to charge. All it did was place and receive calls, and Cooper could only talk on it for 35 minutes before the battery died.

Five years later, AT&T launched the nation’s first trial cell service in Chicago.

In 1984, Motorola started selling the first publicly available cell phone. Their size and weight decreased over the years, and the rest is history.

Learn more:
Want to know more about Motorola? Visit the company’s website for a cool timeline of its biggest innovations.
Curious about Martin Cooper? Click here to read the story of the cell phone.

With a career batting average of .276 and 612 home runs, Jim Thome terrorized MLB pitchers during his 22-year career.

James Howard Thome, the youngest of five children, was born on August 17, 1970, in Peoria. Thome went to Limestone High School, attended Illinois Central College and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1989.

Though his professional career got off to a rocky beginning, Thome eventually retooled his swing and made his major league debut in September of 1991. Following the ‘91 season, Thome suffered from injuries but continued to rise through the Indians’ organization to earn a starting spot on the roster in 1994. The Cleveland Indians advanced to the World Series in both the 1995 and 1997 seasons, but lost the series both times. During that time, Thome routinely led the team in home runs, batting average and walks. In the seasons following their 1997 run to the championship, the Indians weren’t as successful, but Thome was able to hit 20 or more home runs in seven consecutive seasons despite suffering a broken hand.

After leaving the Indians organization, Thome went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins, the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles. Thome’s 612 home runs landed him a seventh place spot on the all-time home run list. His 337 home runs for the Cleveland Indians are the most in franchise history. He will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

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Read his stats and bio here

After 13 previous attempts, a group of 164 skydivers from across the globe broke the world record for the largest ever vertical skydiving formation on Friday. Jumping from seven different aircraft, all flown in pre-determined patterns and altitudes, the skydivers flew head-down and formed a giant flower before breaking away and activating their parachutes.

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (World Air Sports Federation) was on hand to verify the jump met the standards necessary to break the former world record title, which was set in 2012 by 138 skydivers. 

The jump took place over Skydive Chicago, a skydiving center located in Ottawa.

Learn more:
Read more: 164 skydivers smash head-down world record in Illinois, some hitting speeds exceeding 200mph – U.S. News & World Report
Looking to skydive in Illinois? Check out Skydive Chicago located in Ottawa