[4] Consumer ammunition manufacturer Underwood Ammo is headquartered and solely based in Sparta.

[6] After World War II, Sparta became known as "Magazineland, U.S.A." due to the presence of numerous printing plants that produced most of the mass-market color comic books in the United States.

[7] Sparta was featured in the sixteenth episode of the Small Town News Podcast, an improv comedy podcast that takes listeners on a fun and silly virtual trip to a small town in America each week, in which the hosts improvise scenes inspired by local newspaper stories.

[8] In 2005, the expansion of the Dayton International Airport forced the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) to relocate from its previous headquarters in Vandalia, Ohio.

The association chose to move to the vicinity of Sparta, following extensive lobbying by the city and the state.

In 2006, then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and local dignitaries opened the World Shooting and Recreational Complex north of Sparta.