Explore America and discover people, places, art, and history that connect to Illinois in the Smithsonian’s collections, held in trust for the American people. Illinois has been home to many influential figures in American history. President Abraham Lincoln spent much of his later years in Springfield, while former President Ronald Reagan, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and William Jennings Bryan were all born in the state. Activists Betty Friedan and Jane Addams made lasting contributions to women’s rights.
In arts and culture, the Prairie State produced important writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, and Ray Bradbury. Walt Disney revolutionized the animation industry, while producer Quincy Jones, a titan of music, was nominated for 80 Grammy Awards, winning 28. Musicians Miles Davis and Benny Goodman helped shape the jazz scene, and Earth, Wind & Fire became one of the best-selling bands of all time. The Chicago blues style of music was born in the state as the Great Migration brought traditional Mississipi Delta blues musicians north where they developed an electrified sound that shaped modern blues and rock music.
In science and innovation, John Deere has been a leader in agricultural machinery since 1837, when Deere invented the first successful self-scouring steel plow. The Home Insurance Building in Chicago is considered the world's first skyscraper, completed in 1885. Clyde W. Tombaugh, an Illinois native, discovered Pluto in 1930. Meanwhile, the Field Museum of Natural History houses Sue, the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.
