If you want to read a great American fantasy, science fiction, horror or mystery novel, one of Ray Bradbury’s books may be the choice for you.

Bradbury, born in Waukegan, is an American novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet. He is well known for Fahrenheit 451, which some call his masterpiece. He is also known for books such as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man.

Bradbury’s works won him an Emmy Award and a nomination for an Academy Award. He ended up writing almost fifty books, as well as poems and essays. He even wrote the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick.

Learn more:
Visit Ray Bradbury’s official website
Interested in buying one of his books? Browse the full list

Billy Pierce, known as one of the most powerful pitchers of the 1950s, played for the Chicago White Sox from 1949 until 1961.  During his career with the Sox, Pierce was the starting pitcher in three All-Star games and led the American League in pitching 21 complete games. Pierce also led the American League in both 1955 with a 1.97 ERA and in 1953 with 186 strikeouts.

Before playing for the White Sox, Pierce played a brief stint for the Detroit Lions from 1945 until 1949. Pierce was born and raised in suburban Detroit. After his baseball career ended, Pierce returned to Illinois, setting in Evergreen Park, a Chicago suburb.

In 2006, Pierce was initiated into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and a statute in his honor was placed at U.S. Cellular Field in 2007.

Learn more:
Former White Sox star Billy Pierce dies at 88
Billy Pierce – Baseball Statistics

Today, National Cheesecake Day is celebrated across the country, a day to indulge in your favorite flavor of this popular dessert.

Eli’s Cheesecake, located on the far Northwest Side of Chicago, is a family-owned small business that has been making hand-decorated cheesecake desserts since 1980. In honor of National Cheesecake Day, Eli’s is offering free shipping on internet orders on all 9” cheesecakes.

Learn more:
The history of Eli’s Cheesecake
National Cheesecake Day deals at The Cheesecake Factory

U.S. News and World Report recently released the findings of their 26th annual hospital scorecard, which evaluates nearly 5,000 hospitals and ranks them on a series of criteria.

Based on the study, Illinois has eight nationally ranked hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago), Rush University Medical Center (Chicago), Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood), University of Chicago Medical Center (Chicago), Advocate Christ Medical Center (Oak Lawn), Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital (Winfield), Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge) and St. Alexius Medical Center (Hoffman Estates).

In addition, Northwestern Memorial Hospital was ranked 11th on the Honor Roll listing, which lists hospitals that excel in complex specialty care.

Learn more:
Best Hospitals 2015-16: an Overview

Nearly 110 million tourists visited Illinois in 2014, a nearly four percent increase from 2013. While in Illinois, those tourists generated over $2.5 billion in sales taxes for the state, which is an increase of nearly $135 million from last year.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity estimates more than 300,000 Illinois jobs are tied to tourism.

Learn more:
Visiting Illinois? Check out the Enjoy Illinois website for attractions across the state