1. On August 18, 1864, a group of Confederate soldiers attempted to raid the town of Chester, Illinois, but were met with resistance from Union soldiers stationed at Fort Kaskaskia. The Confederate soldiers were eventually forced to retreat.
2. In 1920, on August 18th, the 19th amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. Illinois played a significant role in the fight for suffrage, and was one of the first states to ratify the amendment.
3. On August 18, 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair concluded in New York. Many Illinois residents attended the iconic festival, and the event marked a turning point in the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
4. In 1991, on August 18th, the first version of the Linux operating system was released by Finnish computer programmer Linus Torvalds. Today, Linux is widely used in everything from smartphones to supercomputers.
5. On August 18, 2013, seven tornadoes touched down in central Illinois, causing significant damage to several towns and resulting in two deaths. The tornado outbreak was unusual for its timing, occurring outside of the traditional tornado season.