Want some crazy trivia about Illinois that you can wow your friends with? Here are 10 things about Illinois that they just don’t teach you in school.

1. Chicago's name derives from a word meaning "wild onions."
Bert Kaufmann/Flickr
2. Kaskaskia, not Springfield, was the first capital of Illinois.
Matt Turner/Flickr
3. Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery.
Stephanie Seskin/Flickr
4. Illinois produces more nuclear energy than any other state.
IAEA Imagebank/Flickr
5. Aurora is called the "city of lights" because it was the first city in the country to use all electric lighting.
Doug Kerr/Flickr

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6. Abraham Lincoln's first public office was as postmaster in New Salem, Illinois.
Eric Salard/Flickr
7. The world's first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885.
Kevin Dooley/Flickr
8. Cahokia Mounds (Collinsville) was home to one of the most sophisticated pre-Columbian communities in the world.
Steve Moses/Flickr
9. The first McDonalds was located right in Des Plaines.
BWChicago/Flickr
10. The prison camp where the most people died during the Civil War was actually in Rock Island.
Farragutful/Flickr

I feel smarter!

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