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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While he's not a household name like Edison or Bell, Highland Park's Elisha Gray cranked out some of the 19th Century's most creative inventions, including the first electronic synthesizer and—some argue—the first telephone.
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A 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention propels Illinois State Senator Barack Obama into the national spotlight.
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He was Illinois’ first governor, ushered the frontier territory into statehood, and enacted reforms considered radically progressive for the time. He also owned and sold slaves and led campaigns to expel Native Americans from the state.
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On an overcast afternoon in 1927, three violent explosions shook the sky over southern Illinois. What some residents feared to be an air invasion turned out to be the state's first recorded meteor strike.
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The Liberty Bell of the West – older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia – rang for George Rogers Clark and his army when they liberated Kaskaskia from British control on July 4, 1778.
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In July, 1917, East St. Louis prepared for a 4th of July celebration featuring long parades, a Civil War reenactment and the dedication of a new Civil War monument. Local newspapers joked about which poor horse would carry the city’s 300-pound mayor. But festivities were about to be interrupted by one of the country’s deadliest race riots...
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Sherb Noble opens the world's first Dairy Queen in Joliet, Illinois, on June 22, 1940.
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On June 16, 1979, Rich Koz made his TV debut on WFLD Chicago as horror host “Son of Svengoolie.”Each week, Svengoolie, with his thick, ghoulish makeup,…
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This week’s slice of history is a uniquely American invention: processed cheese.The United States patent for processed cheese was issued to James L. Kraft…
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Seventy-Eight years ago, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League had its first day of league play. The women’s league was founded, in part,…