1981 establishments in Illinois

Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1981 by producer, singer and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Originally a synth-pop outfit, Ministry evolved into one of the pioneers of industrial metal in the late 1980s. The band's lineup has changed frequently, leaving Jourgensen as the sole original member left in Ministry. Musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include vocalists Nivek Ogre, Chris Connelly, Gibby Haynes and Burton C. Bell, guitarists Mike Scaccia and Tommy Victor, bassists Paul Barker, Paul Raven, Jason Christopher, Tony Campos and Paul D'Amour, drummers Bill Rieflin, Martin Atkins, Rey Washam and Roy Mayorga, keyboardist John Bechdel, and rappers and producers DJ Swamp and Arabian Prince.

Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun. In 1985 Pezzati was replaced by Dave Riley, who played on Big Black's two full-length studio albums, Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987).

Trouble is an American doom metal band from Aurora, Illinois, formed in 1979 and considered one of the pioneers of the genre alongside Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s.

The Danville Dashers were an ice hockey team in the Continental Hockey League. They played in Danville, Illinois, United States at the David S. Palmer Arena.

Spectrum was an American subscription television channel that was owned and operated by United Cable. Existing during the early 1980s, the service was available in the Chicago, Illinois & Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan areas. It was a direct competitor to and operated in the same manner as ONTV.

The Odeum Expo Center is a convention center located in Villa Park, Illinois. It features 20,106 square feet (1,868 m2) of exhibit space at the North Hall and 21,632 square feet (2,010 m2) of exhibit space at the South Hall. Both halls have pitched roofs as high as 50 feet (15 m). The South Hall is also used as an arena with an 85-by-194-foot artificial turf surface for indoor soccer or indoor football. It can seat 2,500 for indoor soccer, football or lacrosse, and up to 5,500 for boxing, MMA/UFC, wrestling, and concerts. In addition, the Odeum Expo Center features two mezzanines, the lower with 4,340 square feet (403 m2) and the upper mezzanine with 13,024 square feet (1,210 m2) and a roof up to 40 feet (12 m). There are also 9,750 square feet (906 m2) of meeting space and a 2,064-square-foot (192 m2) lobby.

WGBO-DT, virtual channel 66 (UHF digital channel 38), is a Univision owned-and-operated television station serving Chicago, Illinois, United States that is licensed to Joliet. The station is owned by the Univision Local Media subsidiary of Univision Communications, as part of a duopoly with Aurora-licensed UniMás owned-and-operated station WXFT-DT (channel 60). The two stations share studios on Fairbanks Court (near Columbus Drive and Illinois Street); WGBO's transmitter is located atop the John Hancock Center on North Michigan Avenue, both in the Streeterville neighborhood.

WEFT Champaign 90.1FM is a listener-supported community radio station in Champaign, Illinois, founded in 1981 and owned by Prairie Air, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. WEFT typically broadcasts 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. It has a wide range of programming, including music from a range of genres, local and nationally produced public affairs programming, live music, spoken word, and more. WEFT's mission is to be "an accessible, responsible, and responsive radio alternative, serving the diverse communities of radio listeners in East-Central Illinois".

Stratford Square Mall is a shopping mall that opened on March 9, 1981, in Bloomingdale, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. The 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m) mall has two active anchors: Kohl's and Burlington Coat Factory. There are also four vacant anchors, last occupied by JCPenney, Macy's, Carson's and Sears.

The Peace Museum was a museum located in Chicago, Illinois, that was founded in 1981 by muralist Mark Rogovin and Marjorie Craig Benton, a former US UNICEF representative. Museum staff included Marianne Philbin, Paul Nebenzahl, Ruth Barrett, John Nawn, Kerry Cochrane, Sharon Queen, Sidney Schoenberger, Charles Thomas, Paul Murphy, LuAnne Lewandowski and Martin Moy. Terri Hemmert, Jann Wenner, Paul Caruso and Robin Caruso, Paul Natkin, Jim Hirsch, Aaron Freeman, V. J. McAleer, Harold Washington, Danny Davis, Susan Catania and Harle Montgomery contributed to the Museum's growth.