1. On April 21, 1865, the funeral train carrying the body of President Abraham Lincoln made its way through Illinois on its journey from Washington D.C. to Springfield. Thousands of mourners came to pay their respects as the train passed through cities such as Chicago, Joliet, and Bloomington.

2. In 1899, the University of Illinois held its first "Dads' Day," which would later become a tradition at many colleges and universities across the country. The event was designed to bring fathers and their college-aged children together for a day of activities and celebration.

3. Illinois native and aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh made his first solo flight on April 21, 1923, while attending a flight training program in Nebraska. Just four years later, Lindbergh would become the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

4. On April 21, 1967, the Chicago White Sox played their first game at the newly constructed Comiskey Park. The stadium, which would eventually be replaced by a new facility in 1991, was home to the White Sox for over 80 years and hosted multiple All-Star Games and World Series.

5. The legendary blues musician Muddy Waters was born on April 21, 1913, in Mississippi, but he would later make Chicago his home and become a key figure in the city's blues scene. Over the course of his career, Waters helped influence and shape the sound of modern blues music, and he was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.