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A lobotomy is a form of brain surgery that became popular in the early 20th century as a means to treat a variety of mental health ailments. It was developed in Europe in the 1890s as a means to cure schizophrenia. The process involves severing the link between the frontal lobe, which is essential for many brain functions including language and cognitive abilities, and other parts of the brain. Reducing the functionality of the frontal lobe often resulted in apathy, lack of initiative, euphoria, and a drastic change in personality, but the results varied widely.

Because this procedure generally produced calmer patients, its perceived success led to widespread use throughout the US for a myriad of mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities. The majority of patients were women. Criticism began to mount that lobotomies did not actually cure these ailments, but rather made the patients easier to manage. These criticisms, along with the rise of medication use and psychotherapy, caused lobotomies to lose favor by the 1950s.

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Waukegan, Illinois was founded in 1829 and reached cityhood by 1859. It is the 9th largest city in the State of Illinois and boasts a population of a little under 90,000 people. The citizens celebrated a Centennial festival in 1959 to commemorate the establishment of Waukegan as a city. The festival was shaping up to be a big deal in the city with some men even being encouraged to grow beards as a way to honor the city’s founders. Famous Waukegan resident Jack Benny, a comedian, was invited to attend the event as a promotional stunt to bring in a larger crowd. The event was held again in 2009 for the 150th anniversary of Waukegan. 

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California Avenue Congregational Church stood at 101 S. California Avenue at the corner of Monroe Street. The congregation was founded in 1883 and built the church shown here in 1887. Although thriving for years, the church found it difficult to maintain a congregation as, “foreigners and Roman Catholics moved in.” In 1918, they formed a federation with Monroe Street Church of Christ (one block West at Monroe and Francisco) to form Monroe Street Federated Church. Under that arrangement, Sunday services were held at the California Avenue site while weekday services and social events were held at the Monroe Street site. The congregation seems to have lasted until 1935. The building demolition date is unknown at this time.

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Created by New Zealand artist Kim Casali in the 1960s, "Love is..." comics were little love-type notes for her then fiancé Roberto Casali. The cartoons are one frame, drawn in black and white with “Love Is “ in the upper left corner, and then a drawing with the sentiment underneath. The couple in the comic are nude and the woman always has light long hair and the man has short dark hair. They are seen doing things together, being happy, thinking of each other when apart, and just being in love. 

The comic strip was first published in 1970. Each one is individual, there is no series or continuation. In 1972, the most popular of the comics appeared: "Love Is...being able to say you are sorry" and was marketed internationally. Today the comic strip is distributed through Tribune Media Services. 

Illustration of Peanuts character, Franklin facing right with a blue and purple background.​

First introduced in the July 31, 1968 edition of Peanuts, Franklin Armstrong is a friend of Charlie Brown and is the first African-American character to appear in the comic strip. Franklin's creation came when Harriet Glickman, a Los Angeles schoolteacher wrote to the comics creator, Charles Schulz, and asked him to include African-American characters into the comic. Though initially hesitant, Schulz continued to stay in contact with Glickman over the next few months and eventually, Schulz agreed to include an African-American child into the story.

Upon his introduction, Franklin was presented as a classmate to Peppermint Patty and Marcie. First introduced to each other on a beach, Franklin immediately strikes up a friendship with Charlie Brown and from there remained a permanent addition to the Peanuts cast. Though the comic ended in 1999, Franklin, like the rest of the Peanuts characters, has continued to be seen in other media, such as animated specials and movies. ​

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The Wagner Act of 1935 acknowledged workers’ right to bargain collectively and form unions. Workers at the Allen-Bradley factory in Milwaukee unionized in May 1937 as Local 1111 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers. Repeated strikes and periodic contract negotiations with the company, which thrived after World War II, led to better pay and benefits for workers. Over time, the plant shifted industrial production to rural areas of Wisconsin and other countries. Rockwell International bought Allen-Bradley in 1985, and moved more production out of Milwaukee. The last union contract with Local 1111 ended in July 2010, and the union no longer exists.

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The Bell Telephone Company was founded in 1877, after the invention of the telephone a year prior by Alexander Graham Bell. By 1885, the company began to construct a network of telephone and telegraph lines across the nation designed for consumer and business use. By 1892, the project had reached Chicago with plans to expand across the entire continent. By 1899, the company had grown so large it became reorganized under the name American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). After two decades the workers formed the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Union to act as a representative for the employees. By 1968, tensions between AT&T and the CWA reached a fever pitch resulting in a mass strike. Over 200,000 workers walked off the job in protest of higher wages and benefits. After only 18 days, the company caved and gave the workers the pay and benefits increase of 20% over three years that they demanded. 

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Greenpeace launched Project Hot Seat to urge legislators to take action against global warming through the engagement of U.S. citizens. This non-partisan, grass roots campaign has been in operation since approximately 2006 to put congressional leaders in the “hot seat” to aggressively address global warming issues, such as energy policy.

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Pet rescues can be found in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Animals taken into rescues are usually strays, older dogs, unwanted dogs, and those deemed not serviceable by breeders. Rescues are usually run by volunteers and depend on donations to take care of the animals. Many rescues are breed specific. Rescue dogs have been proven to be loyal, loving and make wonderful companions.