While dialysis was first successfully designed and implemented in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation of that country in 1943 by Dr. Willem Johan Kolff, the initial device was crude at best.

When Baxter International CEO William B. Graham discovered Dr. Kolff’s device, he saw potential and the Deerfield, Illinois company began design and production of its own dialysis machines in 1956.

This modern medical device is now used for countless patients the world over in treating numerous kidney disorders such as acute renal failure and hemophilia.

Learn more:
Single-minded Man Of Vision (Chicago Tribune)

Born in Alton, but raised in East St. Louis, Davis received his first trumpet at the age of 13. At the age of 18, he left home and traveled to New York City to attend Julliard. However, he left Julliard in order to become a full-time jazz musician. After Julliard, Davis played in Harlem night clubs with Charlie Parker. In 1946, he made his first recording as a band leader.

Throughout the 1950s, Davis played a major role in the development of bebop jazz. During the 1960s, he continually changed his style, forming bands with various members. His work in the 1960s is attributed to the formation of jazz fusion; a mixture of jazz and rock.

It was Davis’ ability to experiment and push the limits of jazz music that made him so well-known. His capacity to be innovative in his music earned him nine Grammy awards, and the honor of being the first jazz musician to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Miles Davis is one of the most renowned and respected jazz musicians to have ever lived. His legacy will continue for generations.

Learn more:
Biography of Miles Davis
Miles Davis Official Website

It isn't really a "tiny town in Western Pennsylvania." It's Woodstock, Ill.

In 1992, Woodstock became the temporary home for the filming of most scenes of the now-classic comedy movie, "Groundhog Day." Woodstock is a far northwest suburb of Chicago, about 10 miles from Wisconsin.

Illinois native Bill Murray, Andie McDowell, Chris Elliott, director/writer (and Illinois native) Harold Ramis and the rest of the cast and crew came to Woodstock to film a comedy about a news reporter who goes to Punxsutawney, Pa., to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities, where a group of local officials drag poor groundhog Punxsutawney Phil out of his hibernation. If the critter sees his shadow, it supposedly means six more weeks of winter. Weather keeps the reporter and his crew overnight, but he begins waking up to the same day every day.

Woodstock has capitalized on the notoriety with a weeklong festival, including walking tours of the iconic sites in the movie. The film also brought greater attention and tourism to Punxsutawney itself. Bill Murray and Harold Ramis have both served as honorary grand marshal for the Groundhog Day celebrations in Punxsutawney.

"Groundhog Day" is ranked #8 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Fantasy."

Illinois was the first state to ratify the amendment prohibiting slavery.

On January 31, 1865, Illinois Governor Richard J. Oglesby got word that the U.S. House of Representatives had finally given its blessing to the controversial 13th Amendment, clearing the way for it to be sent to the states for ratification.

The very next morning, Gov. Oglesby paid the legislature a visit and impressed on them the importance of immediate ratification. Three and a half hours later, both chambers had approved it. After the Land of Lincoln led the way, 26 other states followed. On December 18 of the same year, the abolition of slavery officially became the law of the land.

Learn more:
Harp Week - The 13th Amendment

You can leisurely change channels while comfortably sitting on the couch thanks to an Illinois inventor. Eugene Polley, an engineer at Chicago-based Zenith Electronics, created the first wireless TV remote control in 1955.

Polley was a Chicago native who attended the City Colleges of Chicago and the Armour Institute of Technology—now the Illinois Institute of Technology.

In 1935, he we went to work for Zenith as a stock boy earning 40 cents an hour. He worked his way up through the company and in 1955 designed the Flash-Matic wireless remote.

The Flash-Matic used a beam of visible light to turn a TV on and off and to change channels. Later styles of remotes used sound and eventually infrared light.

He received a $1,000 bonus for his invention, and in 1997, Polley and a team of engineers received an Emmy for their pioneering work.

Learn more:
New York Times on Eugene Polley