Clint Cargile
History Correspondent, Host of "Drinkin' with Lincoln" and "This Week in Illinois History"Clint Cargile has worked as an English instructor, freelance writer, magazine editor, academic conference coordinator, landscaper, dish washer, car washer, dog washer, and veterinary assistant. He has a BA in English from the University of Alabama, an MFA in creative writing from Southern Illinois University, and an MA in history with a concentration in public history from Northern Illinois University. At WNIJ, he is the creator and host of the podcast Drinkin’ with Lincoln and the series This Week in Illinois History. He is the author of two history books, Five Mile Spur Line: A Railroad History of Sycamore, Illinois (2014) and In Search of a Fair Wind: The Sea Letters of Georgia Townsend Yates, 1891-1892 (2017). He lives with his wife and daughters in DeKalb, Illinois.
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In early November 1838, the first railroad in Illinois went into operation. The train went on a symbolic, eight-mile run, introducing the state to the transportation that would dominate the next century.
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In late 1872 a horse epidemic brought the nation to a standstill. Never before had the country’s ability to conduct business been so paralyzed.
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The term “March Madness,” used in connection with basketball, originated in Illinois. This is the story of H. V. Porter, who popularized “March Madness” and created many of basketball’s rules still in use today.
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What's the connection between Red Stripe Beer from Jamaica and Red Stripe Beer from Galena, Illinois? It's an Illinois history mystery.
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In the 1930s, Wheaton, Illinois, native Pearl Kendrick created a vaccine that has saved millions of lives and is still standard for American children today.
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How do you convince fast-moving Americans that driving slow will conserve rubber and help the war effort? You call the new speed limit “Victory Speed."
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When a deadly polio outbreak hit Chicago in 1937, the city shuttered its schools. But kids didn’t get a free pass. They took part in a remote learning experiment with the best technology available: the radio.
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In 1846, an Illinois militia laid siege to Nauvoo, one of the state’s largest cities. Their goal? Drive out the last members of the Mormon Church.
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Sooooouuuuuuullllllllll Train! Before it became one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history, before it propelled up-and-coming Black artists to worldwide fame, "Soul Train" debuted as a small, local dance show in Chicago.
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Nazi spy or hapless traveler? Chicago’s Herbert Hans Haupt and his conspirators set off a national sensation when they were rounded up as part of a Nazi spy ring.