Pharmacist and businessman Charles Walgreen, best known for founding Walgreen’s pharmacy, enlisted with the 1st Illinois Volunteer Calvary at the start of the Spanish-American War. While serving in Cuba, he contracted malaria and yellow fever, which he would battle for the rest of his life.

After being discharged, Walgreen returned to Chicago and worked as a pharmacist for Issac Blood. When Blood retired, Walgreen bought the store from him. He soon acquired other stores, and built his famous chain of pharmacies — Walgreen's.

Walgreen revolutionized the drug store industry, introducing several new innovations: lunch counters, soda fountains and malted milk. By 1927, Walgreen had become an undeniable success, having established 110 stores.

Walgreen was also inducted into the Labor Hall of Fame.

His son, Charles Rudolph Walgreen, Jr., and grandson, Charles R. Walgreen III, both shared his name and played prominent roles in the company he founded.

Learn more:
The life of Charles Walgreen

Elijah Parish Lovejoy became a martyr for the abolitionist movement and freedom of speech on this day in 1837.

Lovejoy’s newspaper, The St. Louis Observer, was a religious paper that advocated for the abolition of slavery. After seeing a slave, Francis J. McIntosh, burned at the stake, his editorials became more adamant against slavery.

His writings were cause for hatred from Southerners and slave-holders, which forced him to move his newspaper to Alton after his press was wrecked by a mob in St. Louis.

On November 7, 1837, Lovejoy was killed while defending his press. His battle for the abolition of slavery and freedom of speech is often remembered for resonating throughout the country. For members of the press, he is a reminder of the importance of the freedom of speech and of the press.

“As long as I am an American citizen and American blood runs in these veins, I shall hold myself at liberty to speak, to write, and to publish whatever I please on any subject.” –Elijah Lovejoy

Learn more:
Biography of Elijah Parish Lovejoy
A Martyr on the Altar of American Liberty
Elijah Parish Lovejoy @ Encyclopædia Britannica
Elijah Lovejoy: “The Martyr Abolitionist"
Monument to Elijah Parish Lovejoy in Alton

Bob Odenkirk, who played the quirky but knowledgeable attorney Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad, was born in Naperville on October 22, 1962.

Odenkirk is the second of seven children, and spent much of his childhood writing comedy in his spare time. After graduating from Naperville North High School, he enrolled at Southern Illinois University where he worked for the school’s radio station. He eventually moved to Chicago and joined the improv theater Second City before landing a writing job with Saturday Night Live. Odenkirk won an Emmy Award during his four years of writing for SNL, and left the show in 1991. Following his departure, he began to establish himself in the film industry, appearing and writing for The Ben Stiller Show, Get a Life, The Larry Sanders Show, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Mr. Show with Bob and David, Curb your Enthusiasm, How I Met Your Mother and Arrested Development.

After being cast as Saul Goodman by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, Odenkirk cemented himself in the forefront of mainstream television. He consistently appeared on all five seasons of the show alongside Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. Breaking Bad received 108 industry awards and 260 nominations in total.

After the show concluded, the network announced that a spinoff program would be created centered around Odenkirk’s character titled Better Call Saul. It will begin airing in 2015. Bob Odenkirk currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Naomi and their two children.

Learn more:
Private Newspaper, the official website of Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk's IMDB profile
Follow Bob Odenkirk on Twitter

Carol Mosely Braun was born in Chicago on August 16, 1947. She earned her political science and law degrees from the University of Illinois and began working as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago in 1973.

Moseley Braun served in the Illinois House of Representatives for ten years, beginning in 1978, before she was elected recorder of deed for Cook County, Illinois.

In 1992, Moseley Braun defeated Democratic incumbent Senator Alan Dixon in the primary. Then, she went on to defeat Republican opponent Richard Williamson to become the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate.

She was also the first woman to defeat an incumbent U.S. Senator in an election and the first and only female Senator from Illinois. She later served as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand.

Learn more:
Carol Moseley Braun's profile on Biography.com
United States Senate Biography
Encyclopedia Britannica

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), set in the fictional Illinois town of Haddonfield (somewhere between Pontiac and Dwight in Livingston County), introduced horror audiences to the menacing Michael Myers, or “The Shape” as he was referenced in the film’s closing credits.

The iconic (and seemingly immortal) horror villain is well known for the snow white mask he wears. What you might not be aware of is that his mask started out as a Star Trek Captain Kirk Halloween mask before being eerily transformed by the movie crew. What led them to use this mask? According to the producers, the mask had a blank, emotionless look they liked and costing only $1.98 at the time, it was much cheaper than creating a face from scratch.

To date, there have been nine films in the franchise to feature Myers, including two installments of a recent reboot. Michael doesn’t appear to be finished just yet either. In April 2014, The Weinstein Company announced that another new film is currently in development.

Learn more:
More information on the Halloween series
Frequently asked questions about the original Halloween film