Editing Springfield, Illinois (section)

===21st century===
[[File:Springfield tornado damage Marriott.JPG|thumb|a Courtyard Marriott Location damaged by the 2006 Springfield tornadoes]]
On March 12, 2006, two F2 tornadoes hit the city, injuring 24 people, damaging hundreds of buildings, and causing $150 million in damages.<ref name="nws"/>

On February 10, 2007, then-senator [[Barack Obama]] announced his presidential candidacy in Springfield, standing on the grounds of the [[Old State Capitol State Historic Site (Illinois)|Old State Capitol]].<ref name="Obama Announces">{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070210obama-pearson1-story,0,6873557.story |title=Obama: I'm running for president |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=February 10, 2007 |first1=Rick |last1=Pearson |first2=Ray |last2=Long |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015215916/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070210obama-pearson1-story,0,6873557.story |archive-date=October 15, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Senator Obama also used the Old State Capitol in Springfield as a backdrop when he announced [[Joe Biden]] as his running mate on August 23, 2008.