1. In 1839, the city of Springfield was officially incorporated as a town after the Illinois General Assembly passed a law creating a board of trustees to govern the area.

2. On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, but he made a brief stop in Chicago on his way home to Memphis. A crowd of over 5,000 fans, many of them teenage girls, met him at the Midway Airport and followed his car all the way to his hotel.

3. Illinois has been the site of several devastating tornadoes over the years, and one of the worst occurred on March 24, 1945. The tornado hit the small town of West Frankfort, killing 17 people, injuring more than 200, and causing millions of dollars in damage.

4. In 1985, the Chicago Cubs made a bold trade on March 24, sending promising young shortstop Larry Bowa and a minor league player to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for veteran infielder Ryne Sandberg and minor league pitcher Mike Diaz. The deal turned out to be a steal for the Cubs, as Sandberg went on to become one of the best players in franchise history.

5. On March 24, 1979, the controversial Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania suffered a partial meltdown, leading to fears of a catastrophic release of radioactive materials. While the accident did not occur in Illinois, it had a significant impact on the state's energy industry and contributed to a decline in public support for nuclear power.