When a McLean County man mounted a viable 3rd-party run for Illinois governor

This November, when Illinoisans enter the voting booth, it may feel eerily similar to 2022, with Democratic incumbent JB Pritzker and Republican challenger Darren Bailey vying for Illinois governor. But has a third-party candidate ever had a chance to win the governor's race? Let’s look to the past…

McHistory Digital Card Catalogs and Milner 50

From the dawn of electronic library databases to AI in only 50 years and Milner Library's 50th anniversary.

McHistory: How the cool came to McLean County

Movie theaters and railroads were early adopters of air conditioning in the 1920s and 30s.

How McLean County handled soaring fuel prices in 1973

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the U.S. war with Iran has sent energy prices way up. In this episode of McHistory, you'll go back to 1973 when something similar happened in McLean County during the OPEC oil Embargo.

McHistory: Bicentennial in McLean County filled with kitsch, celebration, and warm feelings

McLean County and central Illinois are gearing up for America 250 with a bunch of events, everything from a community drone show on July 2nd to readings of the Declaration of Independence. It's not the first national anniversary involving a big celebration. In this episode of WGLT's series McHistor…

The long thirst for a Lake Bloomington

For the first 100 years of Bloomington history, water was scarce. In 1929, the formation of Lake Bloomington began after periods of drought, contamination and scarcity of safe drinking water.  

When planes joined trains and automobiles in Bloomington-Normal

Four airlines now fly in and out of the Central Illinois Regional Airport [CIRA]. They carried about 325,000 passengers last year. It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when the airport that served the Twin Cities had sod and gravel runways.  

McHistory: Normal Post Office depression era mural

During the Great Depression, the federal government tried to stimulate the economy by funding a variety of buildings and programs. Among them was the post office in the Town of Normal put up through the Works Progress Administration [WPA]. Inside that post office is another salute to the community,…

'My Store' was a retail jewel in Downtown Bloomington

It has been many decades since Downtown Bloomington was the premier destination for shoppers in the community. There was a time, though, when there were four large department stores downtown. One of them was My Store.

McHistory: Homelessness and Hoboes

There's a declaration of emergency over the number of unhoused people in Bloomington right now, and efforts to provide new housing and expanded space in shelters. The issue is not new, though the response today is perhaps more humane than it was in other eras.