About 10,000 years ago, a weedy grass growing in Mexico was transformed into a more useful grass - the cereal grass that we would come to know as maize and then corn. Nurtured by Native Americans, this grain would transform the Americas even before First Contact. After First Contact, it spanned the globe, but it also drove westward expansion in North America, building cities and inspiring innovators and entrepreneurs. As Margaret Visser noted in her classic work Much Depends on Dinner, "Without corn, North America and most particularly modern, technological North America is inconceivable."
Learn how and why corn transformed the Heartland and helped create today's world.
Presented by Cynthia Clampitt. Clampitt is interested in food history and the relationship between food and culture with a focus on the American Midwest.
The 1501 Ellinwood Street library building is the realization of a longheld dream of the library board, staff and community partners. Located in the heart of downtown Des Plaines, the four story, 82,000 square foot building represents the community's commitment to reading, lifelong learning, and a center for family activities. A grand central staircase and large windows provide a wealth of natural light and illuminate the building at night.