Given its central location on the map and its position on the Great Lakes, Illinois has been a long-time hub of America’s transportation system, which includes the relatively recent introduction of the Interstate Highway System.
Twelve primary (one- and two-digit) interstate routes pass through Illinois, the most of any state in the nation: Interstates 24, 39, 55, 57, 64, 70, 72, 74, 80, 88, 90 and 94. This extensive interstate network not only connects Illinois with relatively close cities such as, St. Louis, Des Moines and Milwaukee, but far-off locales such as, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, Baltimore and Boston. It also is possible to travel to all of Illinois’ neighbors solely by interstate highway.
Learn more:
The Interstate Guide is an extensive reference for the entire Interstate Highway System.
The Federal Highway Administration is the official site for the Interstate Highway System.
Sean Hayes was born on June 26, 1970 in Glen Ellyn. His childhood was filled with laughter and joking with his siblings. Growing up without a father, he made sure he viewed the positive in his life more than anything else. Hayes’ talents were channeled towards comedy throughout his high school years, and after graduation, he pursued voice and acting at Illinois State University.
Hayes started performing in theatres around Chicago after he completed training with the Second City improv troupe. In 1995, Hayes moved to Los Angeles to audition for several different gigs. He is most famous for playing the hilarious, flamboyant Jack McFarland on “Will & Grace.” Hayes went on to win an Emmy Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards from his role on the show.
After the show ended in 2006, Hayes played several guest roles on programs, such as, “30 Rock,” “Portlandia,” and “Parks & Recreation.” He also owns a production company, Hazy Mills, which has launched the series “Grimm” and “Hot in Cleveland.”
Learn more:
Sean Hayes' IMDb profile
Sean Hayes Biography
Before Mikan entered DePaul University in 1942, players of his height — he was 6’10 — were considered inferior to those who were shorter and more nimble. Still, first-year DePaul coach Ray Meyer believed Mikan could use his height as an advantage and turned the clumsy freshman into one of the most dominant players of his time.
Mikan could use his height to shoot a hook shot with either hand over any defender, and used his size and strength to defend in the low post. Mikan was so dominant that the NCAA had to add a rule to prevent Mikan’s goaltending — swatting the ball away as it was coming down toward the basket.
His dominance continued into the NBA, which also changed rules to counter Mikan’s ability. In 1951, the foul lane was widened to 12 feet —dubbed “the Mikan Rule” — which kept big men from parking under the basket. A few years later, the NBA instituted a shot clock to prevent teams from merely passing the ball just to keep it away from Mikan.
After his playing career ended, Mikan had a brief foray into coaching and then devoted his time to his law practice. In 1967, he became the commissioner of the fledgling ABA and was the person responsible for that league’s iconic red-white-and-blue basketball.
Mikan died in 2005 from complications of diabetes. His legacy lives on in his hometown of Joliet, where there is a mural and a statue dedicated to “Mr. Basketball.”
Learn more:
Check out Mikan’s career statistics from his time with the Lakers as well those from his college days
A compilation of highlights from Mikan’s pro career
Herbie Hancock was born in in Chicago in 1940 and showed promise on the piano at an early age. By age 11, his classical music training had led him to perform a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Eventually, Hancock moved to New York after leaving college, quickly making a name for himself. In 1962, he recorded his first solo record, “Takin’ Off,” which is notable for the tune “Watermelon Man.” The record also put him on the radar of fellow Illinoisan Miles Davis, who recruited Hancock for the famed trumpeter’s so-called “Second Great Quartet.”
Davis exerted a profound influence on Hancock as a composer and bandleader, and following Davis’ foray into electric instrumentation, Hancock formed Headhunters. Hancock used electric pianos and early synthesizers with Headhunters, and that group pioneered the jazz-funk genre in the early 1970s, with such songs as “Chameleon” and a reworked version of “Watermelon Man.” He continued pushing musical boundaries during the next several years, and in the early 1980s, he scored a huge hit with “Rockit,”which was heavily influenced by the burgeoning hip-hop/breakdance scene.
Today, Hancock is still an active performer, performing with artists such as, The Roots, Flying Lotus and Kanye West.
Learn more:
Read his biography from Blue Note Records, his first record label.
Hancock has an extensive discography of more than 200 releases.
John Belushi was born on January 24, 1949, in Chicago.
Belushi, one of four children, was raised in Wheaton and attended Wheaton Central High School. Taking to acting early, Belushi started his own comedy group in 1971 and was promptly asked to join the cast at The Second City. It was here that he would meet fellow “Blues Brothers” actor Dan Akroyd. After his work in “National Lampoon Lemmings,” Belushi and his girlfriend Judith Jacklin moved to New York to work for “National Lampoon” magazine, and the couple married in December of 1976.
In 1975, he became a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” where he would eventually create characters like Samurai Futaba and the Blues Brothers. During his tenure with the show, Belushi developed a bad drug and alcohol addiction that affected his ability to perform, and caused him to be fired numerous times. In 1978, Belushi made the film Animal House where he played John Blutarsky, a drunken degenerate fraternity brother.
Eventually he left “Saturday Night Live” in 1981 to pursue a film career, and he created four movies of which three (“1941,” “Neighbors” and “The Blues Brothers”) co-starred fellow SNL-alum Dan Akroyd. Following these films, Belushi starred in the romantic comedy “Continental Divide” and pursued multiple other film projects. However, on March 5, 1982 John Belushi was found dead in his hotel room in Hollywood, California after overdosing on drugs the night before. Belushi was 33 years old.
Learn more:
John Belushi's IMDb profile
Soul Men: The Making of The Blues Brothers (Vanity Fair)