Jane Addams was a social reformer who created the famous Hull House for the poor in Chicago. She received the Nobel peace prize in 1931. Birthplace: Cedarville.
Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and many other characters that have entertained children through the years. Children of all ages have enjoyed Disney's television shows, feature movies and the amusement parks, Disneyland and Disney World. Birthplace: Chicago.
Though born in Ohio, it was the governor of Illinois that tapped Ulysses S. Grant to command a volunteer regiment in the Civil War. Grant quickly showed his worth through many victories against the South and was eventually named Commander In Chief of the armed forces. He accepted General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. His later presidency was marred by corruption, but his brilliance as a general is never denied. Birthplace: Point Pleasant, Ohio.
Born in South Carolina, Jesse Jackson has been very active in Illinois state and federal politics. An ardent supporter of civil rights, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina.
The sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln led this country through its most difficult time, the Civil War. Born in Kentucky, Lincoln spent much of his life in Illinois and became a respected legislator from that state. When he was elected in 1861, seven Southern states had already seceded from the Union. His leadership through the Civil War, and the eventual abolishment of slavery through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, stand as LincolnÕs greatest accomplishments. Birthplace: Hardin (Larue) County, Kentucky.
Carl Sandburg is most famous for his brilliant biography of Illinois' greatest statesman, Abraham Lincoln. Sandburg won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for this work and he also won a 1951 Pulitzer for his poetry. Birthplace: Galesburg.
