I Like Illinois

April 3, 1866: A year after the repeal of Illinois’ discriminatory “black laws,” abolitionist Frederick Douglass embarks on a Midwestern speaking tour and becomes the first African American to deliver a speech at the Illinois Capitol

April 2, 1908: Actor Buddy Ebsen, perhaps best known for his role as patriarch Jed Clampett on TV’s “The Beverly Hillbillies,” is born in Belleville

April 1, 1996: Olympic gold medal speed skater Bonnie Blair publishes her children’s book, “A Winning Edge”

April 1, 1922: The Illinois State Police begins serving the state with the appointment of its first director, John J. Stack, and the first eight men as highway patrol officers

March 31, 1908: Kenneth “Red” Norvo, an early jazz vibraphonist, is born in Beardstown

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