The flag of Illinois was created by Lucy Derwent and won a competition in 1915. It was officially adopted on 6th of July in 1915. The flag shows a white bunting and on it the central parts of the state seal: a shield with the colours of the USA, a rock with the dates 1818 and 1868, a bald eagle with a banner in its beak, on it the motto of the country: "State Sovereignty, National Union", in the background a body of water and the rising sun. The body of water is Lake Michigan, the shield and eagle represent the USA. The years stand for the year in which the state was founded and the year in which the seal was last established. On 1st of July in 1970, the name of the state was added to the flag as well as some details of the seal: the body of water, the sun and the two dates. In 2025, an attempt was made to introduce a new flag for the state by means of a competition. All new designs were rejected by a large majority and the design of the previous state flag was insisted on by a large majority.
1673 · French expeditions led by Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette explore the country
1680 · founding of Fort Crèvecoeur (now part of Peoria), French colonization of the country, part of French Louisiana
1763 · Peace of Paris, France has to cede Louisiana to Britain
1783 · Treaty of Paris, the end of the Independence War of the United States against Great Britain, all the land to the Mississippi is ceded by Britain to the United States
1787 · today's Illinois becomes a part of the Northwest Territory
1800 · today's Illinois becomes a part of the Indiana Territory
1809 · formation of the Illinois Territory (including present-day Wisconsin, parts of Minnesota and Michigan)
3rd of December 1818 · Illinois becomes the 21st state of the USA, capital: Kaskaskia
The name of the country is a mixture of the Algonquian language and French. It refers to the people who lived here before, the "Illiniwek" or "Illini". The name of the people means translated: "tribe of superior men".
