1. On December 10, 1816, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state in the United States of America. The state was originally settled by French explorers in the late 17th century and saw significant growth during the 19th century with the development of the railroad and other industries.

2. On December 10, 1849, the Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed, connecting the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The canal was an important transportation route for goods and people in the mid-19th century and played a key role in the development of Chicago as a major transportation hub.

3. On December 10, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. The event sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. Parks had ties to Illinois, having lived in Detroit for several years and worked for Congressman John Conyers, Jr.'s office in Detroit in the 1960s.

4. On December 10, 1979, Mother Teresa was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Born in Skopje, North Macedonia, Mother Teresa made several trips to Illinois to speak at universities and fundraising events for her charity work with the Missionaries of Charity.

5. On December 10, 2016, the Chicago Cubs won the Major League Baseball World Series for the first time in 108 years, ending the longest championship drought in North American professional sports history. The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in the series, with Game 7 going into extra innings and ending in one of the most memorable sports moments in recent history.