1. On November 28, 1805, William Clark (of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition) traveled through the area that is now Chicago, noting the abundance of sassafras trees and predicting that the area would become a major center of trade and commerce.

2. On November 28, 1837, Illinois became the 21st state to join the Union. The state's name comes from the Illiniwek, a Native American tribe that lived in the region before the arrival of European settlers.

3. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln designated Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. This proclamation was largely influenced by Sarah Josepha Hale, a writer and editor who had lobbied for the holiday for many years.

4. On November 28, 1892, hundreds of miners in Springfield, Illinois went on strike to demand better pay and improved working conditions. The strike lasted for several weeks and was marked by violent clashes between the miners and company security forces.

5. Novelist Ernest Hemingway was born on November 28, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, and his works often draw on his experiences as a soldier, journalist, and adventurer.