DAILY DIRT: The first 27 years in Illinois have been a great adventure

April 29, 2025 | By Steve Eighinger, Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Anyone with me on thinking “Nabisco” would be a great name for a son? … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,269 of The Daily Dirt.

1. When I moved to Illinois back in 1998, the only real things I knew about the state were:

I liked the White Sox better than the Cubs, largely because of two things: Frank Thomas and their uniforms back in the 1960s.
Abe Lincoln always looked tall. I always imaged Honest Abe as an NBA forward.
Ohio State usually beat the crap out of Illinois football teams. No other comment needed.
WGN had long been a favorite “superstation” of mine. When we got WGN on our cable back in Ohio, I swear I heard angelic voices. Baseball, baseball, baseball.
Former Chicago Bears great Gale Sayers would always be my favorite football player. I’m pretty sure I wept after one of the knee injuries that eventually ended his career.

So when I landed in Quincy I was open to learning what else Illinois held for me, considering I would probably be spending the rest of my days here.

Some 27 years later, here are some of the things I have uncovered in what is still an ongoing journey:

Some Chicago guy named Whitcomb Judson invented the zipper.
Morton is the pumpkin capital of the world. The city claims to produce 82 percent of the world’s canned pumpkin, of which I have never eaten one bite.
The Nabisco Factory in Chicago is the largest bakery in the world, of which I will be forever grateful. I once considered “Nabisco” as a great name for a son.
Illinois is the birthplace of the Ferris Wheel and home to the world’s largest bottle of ketchup. I hate both Ferris Wheels and ketchup, but am proud to claim both since I’m officially now an Illinoisan.
Illinois is the second flattest state in the nation. No kidding! I wondered where in the heck I was heading on that first trip from Ohio out here. I’m pretty sure sure, on a clear day, that you can see from Decatur to Quincy.
Twinkies were invented by a baker in Schiller Park in 1930. (That means 2025 is the 95th anniversary of those lovable little sponge cakes.)
The ice cream sundae was invented in Evanston. Be still my beating heart.
The city of Chicago’s name comes from the Native American word “shikaakwa,” meaning onion or striped skunk. Somehow, this seems so fitting.
Illinois has the third-highest number of personalized license plates in the nation. This should come as no surprise if you are a follower of the weekly Great Plate Debate in Muddy River News.
Dairy Queen’s history is traced to Joliet 85 years ago. Once more, be still my beating heart.

I can’t wait to see what I can uncover in the next 27 years in the Land of Lincoln.

2. Did you know (Part 347)

That Alaska is the only U.S. state whose can be typed using just one of the keyboard. (You just looked, didn’t you?)
That a snail needs about 220 hours to crawl one mile. (Not sure if I could beat that time.)
That some anteaters can devour up to 30,000 insects a day. (Ugh.)
That a flea can jump 100 times its body length, or like you or me jumping to the top of a 34-story buidling.
That a “beefalo” is part bison, part cow.
That the world’s lightest mammal, the bumblebee bat, weighs about as much as two M&Ms. (Which colors of M&MS?)

3. Forty years ago today, pop music had yet to go into the toilet.

It was still fun to turn on the radio and listen to tunes that were enjoyable. These were the top 10 songs in America on April 29, 1985:

1. “We Are The World,” by USA for Africa: Remember watching this video over and over and over and over?

2. “Crazy For You,” by Madonna: I always preferred Madonna’s slower material, like this song.

3. “Rhythm Of The Night,” by DeBarge: This was the group’s biggest hit, but I always had the tendency to turn the channel when I heart it starting to play.

4. “Nightshift,” by the Commodores: Arguably the Commodores’ best song minus Lionel Richie, who left the group in 1982.

5. “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” by Simple Minds: You may remember this entry as part of the soundtrack for “The Breakfast Club” film. Classic.

6. “On Night In Bangkok,” by Murray Head: One of my personal top 10 songs of the ’80s. One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster …

7. “Obsession,” by Animotion: One of those synth-pop “bands” that we don’t miss.

8. “Some Like It Hot,” by Power Station: The late Robert Palmer was once a member of Power Station.

9. “I’m On Fire,” by Bruce Springsteen: This was the fourth single from the “Born In The U.S>A.” album.

10. “All She Wants To Do Is Dance,” by Don Henley: Of all the Eagles who branched out into solo careers, Henley was my favorite. Great voice.

Note: One of the songs on the way up the charts on this week was No. 20 “Rock And Roll Girls” from John Fogerty. On its way to becoming a warm-weather classic.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Three of the above songs never deserved to reach the top 10: 3, 7 and 8.