Thomas Jefferson was good for lots of stuff, but Midwest state naming? Let's just say "Assenispia" isn't quite as catchy as "Illinois." This 1784 map shows Jefferson's proposed divisions of the land that eventual came our beloved region. From the amazing Strange Maps: Sylvania would have covered much of present-day Minnesota, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and some of northern Wisconsin. Michigania would have incorporated most of Wisconsin, but nothing of Michigan. Most of Michigan’s Lower......

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires......

Calling the sentence imposed on Lewis "Scooter" Libby "harsh" and "excessive," George W. Bush commuted the 30-month sentence on Monday. Not quite the full pardon that some conservatives wanted — he still has to pay a quarter million dollar fine and serve 2 years probation for lying under oath — it certainly left Bush open to criticism, from both sides of the congressional aisle. “He was indicted by a grand jury and convicted beyond the......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

Missing Presidents?...

Each year Chicagoist reaches into our deep war chest and pulls out a wrinkly Thomas Jefferson two dollar bill and head to MudBug Off Track Betting on Weed St. for the Kentucky Derby. We admit that we probably have no place in a betting parlor with such a minimal understanding of the sport. The page in the newspaper dedicated to horse racing is Greek to us. What the heck is a quiniela anyway, and what......

Since members of the Republican-dominated US Congress aren't too keen on impeaching President Bush for screwing over the country, the Illinois General Assembly is trying to find a way to make it happen. Democratic State Representatives Karen A. Yarbrough, Sara Feigenholtz, and Eddie Washington are pushing a resolution to "submit charges to the U.S. House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States, George W. Bush, for willfully violating his......

Since we left college, Chicagoist has spent a limited amount of time in court proceedings. The ones we have witnessed have been a lot like pro basketball games: lots of tedium with a few minutes of excitement at the end. So we imagine Sun-Times federal court reporter Natasha Korecki must feel like she hit the jackpot in covering the trial of self-styled “freedom fighter” Aaron Patterson. Patterson, pardoned in 2003 for double murder by then-governor......