On the day that Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, a group of Springfield citizens began plans to build a monument for him in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

After several shifts in location, and a botched attempt by Chicago thieves in 1876 to steal his remains, Lincoln was laid to rest in a concrete vault beneath the monument with Mary Todd and three of his four sons in 1901.

Today, it is considered good luck to rub the nose of the Lincoln bronze sculpture (made by sculptor Gutzon Borglum).

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President General Antonio López de Santa Anna (a.k.a. the Napoleon of the West) was the presiding general at the Battle of the Alamo, a 13-day siege from February 23 – March 6, 1836. The Texian defenders were wiped out- all 189 of them.

The perceived cruelty of the attack was later reflected in the rallying cry, "Remember the Alamo!" when Texian forces clashed with Santa Anna's army at the Battle of San Jacinto.

At the Battle of Cerro Gordo in 1847, soldiers from the 4th Illinois Infantry found Santa Anna’s cork leg inside his abandoned carriage. That leg is on display at the Illinois State Military Museum, to the chagrin of the Mexican government and people. Call it a spoil of war...

This leg was featured in an episode of King of the Hill where it was "leg"-napped back to Texas.

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