The Land of Lincoln

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The Land of Lincoln is the nickname of the U.S. state of Illinois. When described the state is said to be home to bears, bulls, the blues, fantastic pizza and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the U.S. Illinois became the 21st U.S. state. The name of the state comes from an Algonquian word meaning “tribe of superior men”. Throughout its history, this state has been the home of many outstanding citizens. In the 1600s the French explored the area, claimed it and settled there. In 1763 the land was passed on to Great Britain and finally, in 1783 it became the property of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln came to settle here in 1830 giving the state the nickname Land of Lincoln. He got the state to move the capital to Springfield. It was here that he married resident Mary Todd and settled down to pursue a career in law. Along the way, he built a prominent political career as well and got to the White House in 1861. Chicago became one of the three largest cities in the U.S. due to such creative inventors as John Deere, with the steel plow and Cyrus Hall McCormick with the wheat reaper. They set up their plants in Chicago also known as the “Windy City”. Rand McNally of Chicago became the world’s largest mapmaking company by 1880. The state of Illinois and particularly Chicago have had many “’firsts”. Chicago with the Sears Tower which became the tallest building in the U.S. before other skyscrapers came along. African-American Daniel Hale Williams performed the first open-heart surgery in 1893 and helped found Provident Hospital in 1891 in Chicago as an interracial institution. Today this hospital is a public hospital and is known as to have been the first African-American owned and operated hospital in the U.S. Today Illinois is the Prairie State and has lots to offer tourists. Has anyone been to Illinois or does anyone live in this state?