Interesting facts

1. **Land of Lincoln:** Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln." Although Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, he began his political career in Illinois. 2. **The First McDonald's:** The first franchised McDonald's restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955 by Ray Kroc. 3. **A River Reversed:** The Chicago River is one of the only rivers in the world that flows backward. Its flow was reversed in 1900 to keep sewage away from Lake Michigan, Chicago's drinking water source. 4. **Pumpkin Capital:** Morton, Illinois, claims the title of "Pumpkin Capital of the World," processing over 80% of the world's canned pumpkins. 5. **Route 66 Origin:** The historic U.S. Route 66 begins in downtown Chicago on Adams Street and travels through the state toward California. 6. **Aboriginal Metropolis:** Cahokia Mounds, near Collinsville, was once the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico, peaking around 1100 AD. 7. **Tallest Building:** The Willis Tower (formerly and still commonly known as the Sears Tower) in Chicago was the tallest building in the world for 25 years. 8. **First to Ratify:** Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery. 9. **State Snack:** Popcorn is the official state snack of Illinois, designated in 2003. 10. **Nuclear Birthplace:** The world's first artificial nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, was built under the stands of the University of Chicago's Stagg Field in 1942. 11. **Birthplace of Ronald Reagan:** The 40th U.S. President was born in Tampico, Illinois, and raised in Dixon. 12. **Deep Dish:** Chicago is world-famous for its deep-dish pizza, reportedly invented at Pizzeria Uno in 1943. 13. **State Fossil:** The Tully Monster (*Tullimonstrum gregarium*), a strange prehistoric marine creature found only in Illinois, is the state fossil. 14. **First Skyscraper:** The Home Insurance Building, built in Chicago in 1885, is widely considered the world's first modern skyscraper. 15. **Agricultural Powerhouse:** Illinois is a massive producer of both corn and soybeans, usually ranking in the top two states nationally for both crops. 16. **State Dance:** Square dancing is the official state dance of Illinois. 17. **Three Capitals:** Springfield is actually the state's third capital city. The first was Kaskaskia, followed by Vandalia. 18. **Highest Point:** The highest point in Illinois is Charles Mound, located in the northwest corner of the state, sitting at just 1,235 feet above sea level. 19. **Busiest Airports:** Chicago O'Hare International Airport consistently ranks as one of the top five busiest airports in the world by takeoff and landing data. 20. **Web Browser Pioneers:** The world's first popular graphical web browser, Mosaic, was developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1993.