Illinois Farmer Shorts
Description: The International Harvester Company (IH) was founded in 1902 in Chicago, Illinois, the result of the merger of the two leading manufacturers of harvesting machinery in the USA. These were the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. and the Deering Harvester Co. IH would soon expand its focus from harvesting equipment to all lines of agricultural equipment, and by the time WWI ended, were producing the world's most popular tractors. Subsequent years saw IH expand into earthmoving equipment and road going vehicles. From pickup trucks and utility vehicles, to heavy duty commercial chassis including Class 8 semi-trucks and school buses. The early '80s saw IH begin to struggle, and everything but their truck and engine divisions were shuttered.
Description: The early 1920s saw many corn hybridization attempts, but since basic genetic theory was inadequate at the time, it took well over a decade before they could be considered successful. When corn hybrids finally became commercially available, farmers were still reluctant to adopt them, but thanks to hybrid innovators like A. F. Crow, that began to change as demonstrations and field observations were held. By the mid-1940s, demand exceeded production and the new hybrid seed industry was up and running. Thanks to hybrid seed, today’s farmers are able to produce 20% more corn on 25% fewer acres than they did a century ago, which might explain why more than 95% of corn planted today is a hybrid variant.
Description: The modern day hot dog has its roots in Germany and was refined or Americanized after German immigrants brought the food with them to America. The earliest hot dogs in America were made primarily of pork or beef, but in 1902, a gentleman by the name of W.M. Neill decided the country needed a chicken hot dog and made it happen. Based in Chicago, Illinois, his company got to work producing chicken hot dogs with packaging that featured various mash-ups of a cooked hot dog with a chicken head and feet walking around. No idea how the product went over, but apparently you can still buy chicken hot dogs to this very day.
Description: Founded in Illinois in 1952, Chicken Delight grew during the 1960s into a massive chain with over 1,000 locations. The advertising jingle "don't cook tonight, call Chicken Delight" emphasized their free delivery services and convenient take-out dinners and was widely used in radio and TV ads. By the late '60s, emerging chains were taking market share from Chicken Delight at an accelerated pace. This is largely attributed to the fact that while competing chains ensured that all franchise locations met their standards for a uniform experience, Chicken Delight outlets lacked this oversight, and customers were quick to notice. By the late '70s, Chicken Delight ceased to exist in America, but continued to thrive under new ownership in Canada.
