You got it! Grammy nominated Susan Kay “Suzy” Bogguss, was born and raised in Aledo, Illinois, a small town of only 3,700.

Bogguss began her music career at the age of five, when she joined the Angel Choir at her hometown church. Shortly thereafter, she took up multiple instruments, including piano, drums and guitar. She later attended both Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University, graduating with a degree in metalsmithing.

In 1985, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in music. In a short time, she became a headlining performer at the Dollywood theme park. During this time, she also produced her first of several demo recordings, one of which caught the attention of Jim Foglesong, President of Capitol Records.

Bogguss signed with Capitol and continued on to release eight studio albums, working with other artists such as Lee Greenwood, and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In 1999, after a Grammy nomination, and several gold records, she left the record label, but she continues to produce music under her own label, Loyal Dutchess, as well as through a collaboration with Compadre Records.

Learn more:
The official Suzy Bogguss website
Want to keep up with Suzy? Check out her facebook page, for tour dates, videos, music and more!

If you ever find yourself dancing the square dance, then you have officially become a true Illinoisan.

Illinois is among 19 states that have proclaimed square dancing their official dance. However, in 1990 Governor James R. Thompson signed a law that proclaimed square dancing the certified dance of the state. Square dancing is a mixture of many different dances that are influenced by Irish, Spanish and Scottish dancing.

Square dancing usually involves couples in groups of four who are all set up in a square. A fiddle, accordion and banjo play while an instructor prompts a variety of movements.

Learn more:
Find out about going out and square dancing in Illinois.

Astronaut Charles Lacy Veach was born in Chicago in 1944.

After graduating high school in 1962, Veach entered the Air Force Academy and continued into service with the Air Force after receiving his bachelor’s degree. Veach served as a fighter pilot for 14 years and performed over 250 combat missions during the Vietnam War. For his service, Veach received a Distinguished Flying Cross award, an Air Medal, an Air Force Commendation Medal, and a Purple Heart.

He left the Air force in 1981 and accepted a position as an instructor pilot with NASA in 1982 to train astronaut pilots to operate their space shuttles. In 1985 he was selected to become an astronaut and participated on a total of two missions, STS-39 and STS-52.

STS-39, in 1991, was an eight-day mission aboard the Discovery space shuttle in which Veach operated multiple pieces of telescopic equipment in order to document Earths’ atmosphere. STS-52, in 1992, was a 10-day mission aboard the Columbia space shuttle in which the crew was able to deploy the Laser Geodynamic Satellite. Veach logged over 430 hours in space and contributed his expertise in robotics to the development of equipment for the International Space Station.

Shortly after the completion of STS-52, Veach was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away in 1995.

Learn more:
Charles Lacy Veach’s NASA Bio

Tourists can feel like they are “under the sea” at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Before we talk about the aquarium, let’s dive into the history of the man who put so much effort into building it.

John. G Shedd was born in 1850 and first came to fame by Marshall Field and Company the largest wholesale and dry goods business in the world. At its height, the company employed more than 12,000 Chicagoans. Shedd is part of the reason Chicago is what it is today.

Shedd believed that every great city should have an equally great aquarium, so he chose to build one and make it his legacy. Unfortunately, Shedd passed away before the aquarium was completed, so his business colleagues carried out his vision and named the aquarium after him.

The John. G. Shedd Aquarium was the first inland aquarium with permanent saltwater and freshwater habitats. It’s now filled with more than 8,000 marine animals from all around the world.

Experiencing the wonders of the ocean world is a must while in Chicago.

Learn more:
Visit the Shedd Aquarium’s website.
Want to spend a night at the aquarium?
Read more about the history and architecture of the building.
Looking for a job, internship or want to volunteer at the aquarium?

When Bob Dylan asked the audience at Live Aid “Wouldn’t it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?” most people probably shrugged the idea off as another public service announcement from a celebrity.

Rock musicians Neil Young and John Mellancamp joined forces with country legend Willie Nelson in September of 1985 to host the very first Farm Aid festival as a direct result of that question. And they chose Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois as the perfect location for the first event.

The show was put on at a breakneck pace and was a total success, bringing in 80,000 people and raising $9 million for America’s family farmers. Since that first event, Farm Aid has been hosted in Illinois three more times, and the board of directors has grown to include Dave Matthews. On September 22, 2015, Farm Aid will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Learn more:
The Official Farm Aid Homepage
Footage from this year's concert
Farm Aid's YouTube Channel