1. In 1887, the University of Illinois was founded in Urbana-Champaign. It is now one of the largest and most prestigious public research universities in the United States.

2. On October 4, 1927, the first World Series game was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-4.

3. The first woman to be elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, Mary Ann G. McMorrow, was sworn in on October 4, 1992.

4. On this day in 1930, Charles Lindbergh visited his childhood home in Little Falls, Minnesota, while on a tour promoting the aviation industry. He was greeted with a parade and a speech from the Minnesota governor.

5. In 2003, Governor Rod Blagojevich declared October 4 to be "Hispanic Heritage Day" in Illinois, in recognition of the significant contributions that Hispanic Americans have made to the state's culture and economy.