1. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected the first African American President of the United States. Obama served as a senator from Illinois before becoming President and had his election night celebration in Chicago's Grant Park.
2. In 1875, the state of Illinois adopted the first Civil Rights Act in the United States. The law ensured that African Americans and other minorities were entitled to equal protection under the law and could not be discriminated against in employment or accommodations.
3. In 1994, George Ryan was elected Governor of Illinois. During his time in office, he commuted the death sentences of all death row inmates and imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in the state.
4. In 1972, the Illinois Central Gulf train collided with an Amtrak passenger train in Chicago, killing 45 people and injuring over 300 others. The accident led to improvements in train safety and regulations.
5. In 1988, the first transatlantic fiber optic cable reached Illinois, connecting the state to Europe and the rest of the world through faster and more reliable telecommunications technology. This helped to transform the state's economy and increase its connectivity to the global market.