Route 66 turns 100 years old on Nov. 11, 2026! On Feb. 9, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Department of Agriculture joined the Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission and tourism partners from across the state to celebrate the official kickoff of the Route 66 Centennial, marking 100 years since the creation of the highway. Also known as the “Mother Road,” Route 66 begins in Chicago and runs through the heart of Illinois — connecting communities and travelers for a century.

Black History Month has seeds planted in Illinois, thanks to Carter G. Woodson!

Woodson, known as the “Father of Black History Month,” attended the University of Chicago and attained both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history in 1908, eventually earning a PhD in history from Harvard University in 1912 and becoming the second African American to do so.

Several years later, Woodson returned back to Chicago for the National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, honoring what was the 50^th anniversary of the freedom of enslaved peoples occurring on the June 19, 1865—now acknowledged as Juneteenth. The celebration lasted from Aug. 22 – Sept. 16, 1915 and was hosted at the Chicago Coliseum.

On Feb. 1, 1865, Illinois became the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which officially ended slavery and involuntary servitude.

As the Civil War drew to a close and a Confederate surrender seemed increasingly likely, President Lincoln was determined to use the opportunity to put a permanent end to slavery in the United States. This was no easy feat, and Lincoln expended a significant amount of his political capital to do so. It was his home state of Illinois that backed the president first, with the General Assembly voting to adopt the amendment by a large majority.

In 1908, Illinois schoolchildren voted for the State Tree. They could select from native oak, maple and elm. The native oak was chosen as the State Tree. There are many kinds of oak in Illinois, so a special vote was taken in 1973 to pick the type of oak for the State Tree. Schoolchildren voted to make the white oak the Official State Tree of Illinois.

On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21^st state to join the Union. This followed Illinois’ status as a territory since 1809, which represented a much larger border including Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota and Michigan.

The capital in 1818 was Kaskaskia, and in 1819 became Vandalia. At the time Illinois became a state the population was 34,620 residents. Most of the land in Illinois was largely unsettled. Many Native American tribes were pushed off their land and conflicted with colonists following Illinois’ statehood. The state’s first elected governor was Shadrach Bond, who ran without opposition. While Illinois joined as a free state, slavers were grandfathered in and were allowed to keep their slaves. Slavery was eliminated gradually, though anti-Black laws and other forms of segregation and institutionalized racism persisted.

Illinois is the fifth largest economy, sixth largest state by population and 25^th by land area. The state’s area is near that of England or Nepal. Illinois matches Turkey by economy, making it equivalent to the 16^th largest economy on Earth when measured by nominal GDP. The state topped national economic development rankings in 2024.