Talking Points

Cool things & interesting facts

Assembly Hall's architectural structure has a reinforced concrete structure and is one of the world's largest edge-supported domes, which spans 400 feet in diameter and rises 128 feet above the floor
The University of Illinois Archives holds the largest collection of historical manuscripts in Illinois (15,316,000 pieces) and one of the leading university archives in the United States
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is the largest academic building on campus
During World War I, more than 2,000 soldiers used the University Armory as a dormitory
The University of Illinois is a world leader in supercomputing design and applications and is home to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, developer of the hypermedia browser, Mosaic
The Insect Fear Film Festival is a nationally recognized film festival where insects are the stars. It was started by Entomology Professor May Berenbaum in 1984
Bonnie Blair was the first Olympic Gold Medalist to train in the U of I Ice Arena
The University's first president, John Milton Gregory, is buried between Altgeld Hall and the Henry Administration Building
U of I is home to the world's largest collection of instruments and documents related to John Philip Sousa
Illinois was the nation's first handicapped accessible campus