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Category Archives: Journalism
First African-American juror in Sangamon County
The first black person to serve on a jury in Sangamon County may have been Thomas Flynn, a barber, on March 18, 1873. Flynn wasn’t the first African-American called to jury service in the county, but an earlier attempt – … Continue reading
Newsboys vs. the mayor, 1921
When a newsboy stiffed Mayor Charles Baumann out of 2 cents change, Baumann ordered city police to dismantle every news stand in downtown Springfield. But the newsboys had allies of their own, including an influential group of civic-minded women. The … Continue reading
Poisoning and racial controversy, 1860
The sentencing of three African-American teenagers in 1860 on charges they tried to poison the employers of two of them highlighted differences in how courts and the newspapers treated blacks and whites at the time. Perhaps inevitably, the case also … Continue reading
Tramping in Springfield, 1882
On March 12, 1882, “a rather dull day for the gatherer of items,” an anonymous Illinois State Journal reporter visited the Sangamon County Jail seeking news. He was directed to “an old thoroughbred tramp being entertained at present in our … Continue reading
Posted in Journalism, Prominent figures
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Late-night Springfield, 1935
J. Emil Smith wrote a daily column, “Making Conversation,” for more than 28 years, starting when he became editor of the Illinois State Journal in 1930. Much of the column was made up of briefs, jokes, poems and birthday notices for friends … Continue reading
Nellie Revell, publicist, author & celebrity
As a young vaudevillian, the story goes, Nellie Revell punched out George M. Cohan. Decades later, Cohan hosted a Friars Club benefit for Revell – a first for a woman. He also was among hundreds of celebrities who lined up … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and letters, Journalism, Media, Women
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Illinois State Informer (newspaper)
The Illinois State Informer was a weekly newspaper founded by Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew, a nationally prominent black physician, in the mid-1930s in Springfield. Kenniebrew (1875-1943), a graduate of Tuskegee Institute and close friend of Tuskegee founder Booker T. Washington, had moved to … Continue reading
First radio weather report (Illiopolis, 1915)
What apparently was the first weather report ever transmitted by radio was a test sent from an experimental station based in Illiopolis sometime in April 1915. Although the Illiopolis transmitter, operating on call letters 9ZK, reached most of Illinois, the … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Journalism, Media, Science
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Victory Loan Flying Circus, 1919
The Victory Loan Flying Circus, a barnstorming group of World War I pilots using WWI combat aircraft, put on a show for thousands of central Illinoisans in front of the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand on April 15, 1919. An unbilled … Continue reading
Posted in Air travel, Journalism, Media, Military, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Women
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National Lincoln Monument Association directors, 1865
The National Lincoln Monument Association, officially organized on May 11, 1865, oversaw fundraising for and construction of Abraham Lincoln’s tomb. Although members originally planned to build the structure on land that now is the site of the Illinois Statehouse, the … Continue reading