Frances McDormand was born on June 23, 1957 in Chicago. During her childhood, she moved around continuously with her family until they settled in Pennsylvania. While in Pennsylvania, she became interested in acting and graduated as the only theatre major of her year from Bethany College in West Virginia. After college, she entered Yale Drama School.

When she finished school, she moved to New York looking for work and in 1982, she traveled to Trinidad to perform in a play. This is where she made contacts with Joel and Ethan Coen, who were casting their debut horror film, Blood Simple. McDormand won the lead in the film, which received good reviews and jump-started her career.

McDormand has appeared in many different films and received numerous awards. She has a total of 3 Oscars’ for movies Mississippi Burning, Fargo, and Almost Famous.

Learn more:
Frances McDormand on IMDb
Frances McDormand – NY Times Biography

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert was born in Urbana 73 years ago this week. Ebert first began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1966, quickly gaining attention and notoriety for his work.

Ebert won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975, becoming the first film critic to win the award. That same year, he teamed with Chicago Tribune movie critic Gene Siskel on a new television show called Opening Soon at a Theater Near You. The show, which would run in various forms until 2010, was broadcast in over 175 television markets.

Even with declining health, Ebert continued writing movie reviews for the Sun-Times. He was the first film critic to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored by the Director’s Guild of America with an Honorary Life Member Award in 2009.

Learn more:
RogerEbert.com
Roger Ebert – IMDb Profile
Roger Ebert’s Biography

What exactly is biomass? Well, it’s the biological material derived from living or recently living organisms. When it comes to energy, biomass is often used to mean plant-based material, but biomass can equally be derived from both animal and vegetable material.

Biomass has helped Illinois become more energy-sufficient and has helped the state lower waste disposal costs and address odor and water quality issues.

Illinois’ Clean Energy Community Foundation is a main supporter of biomass projects.

In 2011, Eastern Illinois University opened a renewable energy center. The center houses four boilers, two that burn biomass, while the others burn natural gas. The center has provided heat and power to buildings and classrooms across campus.  By switching to renewable energy, EIU has reduced its annual carbon dioxide emissions significantly.

Learn more:
Renewable Energy Center - Eastern Illinois University
How Biomass Energy Works - Union of Concerned Scientists

Bob Woodward, who teamed up with Carl Bernstein in reporting on the infamous Watergate scandal, was born in Geneva.

Woodward has worked for the Washington Post since 1971, and is a renowned American journalist and non-fiction writer. His work contributed greatly to the Post winning two Pulitzer Prizes – first for his work on the Watergate scandal, and then for his coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

While he is best known for his work as an investigative journalist, he has authored 16 non-fiction books, all of which have been national bestsellers. 

Learn more:
Bob Woodward: Full Biography
The Woodward and Bernstein Watergate Papers – University of Texas at Austin

Historically, the greater Chicagoland area has always been a massive transportation hub. The Chicago Stockyards were one of the largest providers of meat throughout the country, and the invention of the refrigerated rail car allowed for further development of the region as a shipping titan. Even exceptional tragedies like the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 seemed unable to derail this economic powerhouse. For over 150 years, Chicago acted as the middle man between the coasts, ensuring that valuable goods made it to their desired locations.

Today, the region leads in logistics distribution. The massive CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Joliet focuses on moving international traffic to and from the West Coast. The center acts as an “inland port,” strategically located near major expressways and waterways.

Learn more:
Read more about the current rankings for shipping distribution logistics in the U.S.
See some amazing historical photographs documenting Chicago’s history as a transit hub