Illinois gets a lot of negative press, some deserving and some opinion/misinformed. The Land of Lincoln has a lot to offer, stunning natural views, beautiful cities (big and small), loads of entertainment, and more. The state is also known for being the home of 4 U.S Presidents, numerous celebrities, and significant inventions.

Do you know some of the most popular inventions have Illinois ties?

Canva
Canva
loading...

WEB BROWSER

Before we get to the first invention let me ask you this, where do you see most gripes about Illinois? The answer is the internet. How ironic because the first generation top-level web browser was developed by a group of men from Illinois.

Canva
Canva
loading...

Nuclear Reactor

The world's first artificial nuclear reactor in the world was developed in Illinois.

Dave Stringer Norwich City manager on the phone 1991
Hulton Archive
loading...

Who Ya Gonna Call!?!

Maybe Martin Cooper? He conceived the first cellular phone in Chicago in 1973, 22 years before the photo above. Crazy, right?

Canva
Canva
loading...

Up In The Sky

Did you know the world's skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was constructed in Chicago in 1885? Ten years later this skyscraper was built.

Monadnock Building
Getty Images
loading...

Joy Ride

In 1893,  George Washington Gale Ferris Jr built the first Ferris wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition. The image below is somewhat similar.

Chrysler Building
Getty Images
loading...

Changing American Lives Forever

The inventions listed above definitely have their own bragging rights but this could arguably be at the top of the list.

Remote Control
Getty Images
loading...

In 1955, two Illinoisans invited the television remote control.

NOT THAT BAD AFTER ALL

Say what you want about Illinois but some pretty significant inventions in the world were invented in the state.

[h/t Matador Network]

LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don't exist anymore

The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.

LOOK: Milestones in women's history from the year you were born

Women have left marks on everything from entertainment and music to space exploration, athletics, and technology. Each passing year and new milestone makes it clear both how recent this history-making is in relation to the rest of the country, as well as how far we still need to go. The resulting timeline shows that women are constantly making history worthy of best-selling biographies and classroom textbooks; someone just needs to write about them.

Scroll through to find out when women in the U.S. and around the world won rights, the names of women who shattered the glass ceiling, and which country's women banded together to end a civil war.

More From 96.7 The Eagle