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 Illinoisans have celebrated countless
triumphs over the past 200 years, as well as many tragedies –
natural disasters, horrifying accidents, even outbursts of violence.
Often these heartbreaks were met by people banding together to help
one another or take steps to prevent future misfortunes.
Abraham Lincoln’s assassination led the list of tragic events chosen
in online voting. That was followed by the 1871 fire that consumed
much of Chicago. Then comes the Tri-State Tornado, which killed more
than 600 people in 1925.
The 1993 Mississippi River flood and a series of horrifying mine
disasters round out the top five.
“It’s fitting that President Lincoln’s death leads this list. His
loss was heartbreaking in so many ways,” said Dr. Samuel Wheeler,
the Illinois state historian. “America lost a leader at a critical
moment, the people of Illinois lost a favorite son, and his family
lost a husband and father.”
The Illinois Top 200 project lets Illinoisans vote every two weeks
on the most inspiring leaders, greatest inventions, top businesses
and much more. By the state’s 200th birthday on Dec. 3, voters will
have chosen 10 favorites in 20 different categories – the Illinois
Top 200.
Voting in the next category, top musicians, is underway at
www.IllinoisTop200.com. The nominees include Muddy Waters, Alison
Krauss, Nat King Cole, Smashing Pumpkins and Sir Georg Solti.
Here are the 10 most heartbreaking moments chosen in online voting:
1. Lincoln Shot – Yes, it took place in Washington and was a
national tragedy, but the 1865 murder of Abraham Lincoln hit
especially hard in his home state. Some 75,000 people visited the
Old State Capitol to see Lincoln’s body during the 24 hours it lay
in state in Springfield.
2. Chicago Fire – On October 8, 1871, fire broke out in a
barn southwest of Chicago’s Loop. It spread rapidly, killing about
300 people and leaving one-third of the city’s population homeless.
The city soon adopted better fire codes, rebuilt and entered a
period of tremendous growth.
3. Tri-State Tornado – The deadliest tornado in U.S. history
hit southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and southern Indiana on
March 18, 1925. At least 695 people were killed, more than 600 of
them in Illinois. Murphysboro suffered 234 deaths, and two Illinois
towns were essentially wiped off the map.
4. 1993 Flood – The Mississippi and Missouri rivers rose to
unprecedented levels in the spring of 1993 and stayed there for
months. Flooding lasted 195 days at Grafton and 152 days at Quincy.
Afterward, the entire town of Valmeyer was rebuilt on higher ground.
5. Death in the Mines – Illinois suffered three of the worst
mining disasters in U.S. history. The deadliest occurred in Cherry
in 1909, when a fire killed 259 men and boys. In 1947, an explosion
killed 111 people near Centralia. Four years later, a West Frankfort
mine was rocked by an explosion that killed 119 miners.
6. Chicago riots –
Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination shocked America and triggered
multiple riots. Chicago saw some of the worst violence. More than 48
hours of rioting left 11 people dead, 48 wounded by police gunfire
and 90 police officers injured.
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7. Eastland Disaster – On July 24, 1915, people crowded
aboard the excursion boat S.S. Eastland, docked in the Chicago River. The
unstable ship rolled over onto her side, throwing people against bulkheads,
pilling them atop one another and trapping them underwater. The disaster killed
844 people.
8. Effingham Hospital Fire – Fire engulfed the 100-bed St. Anthony’s
Hospital on April 4, 1949. A total of 74 people died, including 11 infants and
the nuns who stayed with them. Investigators found many safety deficiencies in
the hospital, which inspired new regulations to prevent similar tragedies.
9. Decade of Racial Violence – In 1908, white mobs attacked Springfield’s
black residents, burning their homes, beating them and killing some. The scene
repeated itself on a larger scale nine years later in East St. Louis and then
again in Chicago in 1919. The Springfield riot helped spur creation of the
NAACP.
10. Tylenol Murders – Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide killed seven
people in the Chicago area in 1982, prompting new safety measures for
over-the-counter medicines. The killer was never found.
Nominated events that did not make the top 10 include a 1903 theater fire that
killed at least 600, multiple incidents of labor violence at Illinois coal mines
and massive flooding along the Ohio River in 1937.
The Illinois Top 200 is a joint initiative of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum, The (Springfield) State Journal-Register and the Illinois
Bicentennial Commission.
Future categories include actors, leaders and unforgettable moments. Everyone is
invited to suggest possible nominees in each category by using the hashtag
#ILtop200 on social media.
ABOUT ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
The presidential library and museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship
and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in Lincoln’s life and times.
Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860
Presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming
cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original
Lincoln artifacts.
The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents,
photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to
all aspects of Illinois history.
For more information, visit
www. PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.
ABOUT ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL
On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. The Illinois
Bicentennial is a yearlong celebration of what has been BORN, BUILT & GROWN in
the state and a reminder of why we are #IllinoisProud. Citizens are encouraged
to participate in the celebration by visiting www.illinois200.com and using the
hashtag #IllinoisProud. Partners and event and project managers planning
activities between Dec. 3, 2017, and Dec. 3, 2018, can apply for endorsement to
become an official part of Illinois Bicentennial by visiting the PARTICIPATE
page at www.illinois200.com.
[Christopher Wills] |
