Nickname: Land of Lincoln Date Ratified: December 3, 1818 (21st) Capital: Springfield [caption id="attachment_1994" align="aligncenter" width="210" caption="Map of Illinois"] [/caption]

• Nearly 65% of Illinois' population lives in the northeastern corner of the state, in the Chicago metropolitan area.
• For nearly 100 years, Chicago was the second most populous city in the United States, earning it the nickname, "The Second City." Chicago's population shrank from 1960 through 1990, while the population of Los Angeles increased, with Chicago dropping to 3rd most populous in the 1990 census.
• The first McDonald's was opened by Ray Kroc in Des Plaines in 1960.
• The Chicago Pile-1, built in 1942 on the campus of the University of Chicago, was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor.
• Robert Wadlow, who stood nearly 9 feet tall, making him the tallest man in recorded history, was born in Alton, Illinois.
• The world's first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885. The Home Insurance Building was 10 stories, 138 feet, tall.
• Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery.
• Illinois has sent more African-Americans to the Senate than any other state.
• Three presidents have hailed from Illinois at the time of their election: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, and Barack Obama. However, the only president born in Illinois, is Ronald Reagan.
• The Chicago Public Library is the world's largest public library, with over 2 million books.
• The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through.
• The state flag of Illinois was adopted in 1915, and depicts the Great Seal of Illinois.

[caption id="attachment_1996" align="aligncenter" width="210" caption="Flag of Illinois"] [/caption] Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed, or follow EiH on Twitter or you could miss out on your chance to win a USA License Plate Map Fine Art Poster or a $50 gift card to Amazon.com!