Illinois

When the Chicago franchise in the short-lived Federal League debuted in 1914, it lacked an official nickname and was dubbed the Chicago Federals or Chi-Feds by the press and fans to distinguish the team from the NL Chicago Cubs and AL Chicago White Sox....

The Chicago American Giants were a Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster, who also founded the Negro National League. From 1910 through the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black...

Zantigo was a chain of fast food Mexican restaurants that served fresh and tangy delicacies from 1976 to 1987. It was famous for its chili, taco burritos, taco salads, cheese chilitos, and cheap chips & cheese that were to die for according to former...

Stages Nightclub opened in the 1970s in Granite City, IL, across the river from St. Louis, MO. It became a top venue for local, regional, and national acts. A young John Mellencamp played there on August 3, 1979. A trio calling themselves The Police...

The Sting played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984 and the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988. They won the NASL Championship in 1981 and 1984. The team was dissolved...

The Chicago Whales of the Federal League were originally called the Chicago Federals and the Chi-Feds as they lacked an official nickname. They became the Whales in their second season and were the first team to call what is now Wrigley Field home. The...

The Chicago Whales of the Federal League were originally called the Chicago Federals and the Chi-Feds as they lacked an official nickname. They became the Whales in their second season and were the first team to call what is now Wrigley Field home.

Held on July 12, 1979, Disco Demolition Night was a between-games promotion held during doubleheader featuring the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park. Radio station WLUP, The Loop, promoted the invent that involved a crate filled with disco records being blown...

In the 1920s, three Swedish immigrants and brothers, Hans and Gunnar Lenell and their friend Aagard Billing, launched Lenell's, a Swedish bakery offering cakes, breads and cookies. The bakery was later renamed Lenell's Cookies, and later Maurice Lenell's Cooky Company, it remained family-run through...

The Chicago Fire were charter members of the World Football League in 1974. The team started off well, posting a 7-2 record in the first half of the season and drawing an average of 34,000 fans to Soldier Field. However, after a 10-game losing...

The Chicago Fire were a charter member of the World Football League in 1974. The team started off well, posting a 7-2 record in the first half of the season and drawing an average of 34,000 fans to Soldier Field. However, after a 10-game...

The Flip Side started selling records & tapes in Chicago in 1971. At its peak, it had over 25 locations throughout the Midwest. However, the rapidly changing landscape of the music industry caused The Flip Side to go out of business in 1992.

The Berghoff restaurant opened in Chicago in 1898 by Herman Joseph Berghoff and quickly became a city landmark. It remains popular to this day.

Venture was a chain of discount department stores headquartered in St. Louis in 1968. It was founded by former executives from Target and May Company and at its height had nearly 50 locations in the Midwest. The chain went out of business in 1998.

Bill Knapp's was an American family restaurant chain founded by Clinton B. Knapp in 1948 in Batttlecreek, MI. At its peak it had 60 locations in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Indiana, and Illinois. The last location closed in 2002.

Burger Chef was a fast-food hamburger chain that started in Indianapolis in 1958. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of nationwide locations. The chain even made inroads into Canada. In 1982, the chain was sold...

Geri's Hamburgers was founded in 1962 in Rockford, Illinois and modeled after the early McDonald's of the day, including a design geared toward walk-up service. This was no accident, as one of Geri's owners was a former vice president at McDonald's. Later locations had...

The Chicago Rockets played in the All-America Football Conference, a rival to the NFL, from 1946 to 1949, though in their final season they were known as the Hornets. The team played its home games at Soldier Field.

Kiddieland Amusement Park in??Melrose Park, Illinois was home to several classic rides including the??Little Dipper??roller coaster. The park opened in 1929 but closed on September 27, 2009, however the sign for the amusement park can still be seen at the Melrose Park Public Library.

Zantigo was a chain of fast food Mexican restaurants that served fresh and tangy delicacies from 1976 to 1987. It was famous for its chili, taco burritos, taco salads, cheese chilitos, and cheap chips & cheese that were to die for according to former...