Latest news with #VintageChicagoTribune
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Bears linebacker Dick Butkus inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 28, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Vintage: 'The Great War' through the lens of the Chicago TribuneWeather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1888: Jimmy Ryan is the only Chicago Cub to hit for the cycle twice. Against the Detroit Black Sox on July 28, 1888, Ryan came up to bat six times, had four hits and an average of .833. Ryan did it again on July 1, 1891, against Cleveland. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Chicago Cubs who have hit for the cycle'The day was one continual and lovely picture for Jimmy Ryan,' the Tribune reported. 'He went to the bat five times and only one chance for a hit escaped. He commenced with a screaming single in the first; this he followed with a home run over the left wall; then he retrograded some, and his next effort was only a three-bagger. He wound up finally with a drive for two bases.' 1942: Gifted to the zoo in 1924 by Chicago Boy Scouts who collected pennies to buy her, 25-year-old Deed-a-Day — Lincoln Park Zoo's second elephant — had been suffering from a suspected stomach ailment. After she was put down, it was discovered she 'died from trash fed to it by a doting public.' Chicago White Sox pitchers have thrown 20 no-hitters since 1902 — including 3 perfect games. Relive them all here.1976: Francisco Barrios and Blue Moon Odom posted the only combined no-hitter in Chicago White Sox history. 1979: Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Butkus played nine seasons for the Bears, starting all 119 games he played. He was named first-team All-Pro five times and second-team once and he was voted to the Pro Bowl after his first eight seasons. He's the Bears' all-time leader with 27 fumble recoveries. 'He was Chicago's son': Dick Butkus, the Hall of Fame Bears linebacker known for his toughness, dies at 801982: Stevie Wonder backed out of ChicagoFest, the precursor to Taste of Chicago, after the Rev. Jesse Jackson called for a Black boycott of the event. The boycott was intended to protest Mayor Jane Byrne's recent appointment of three white people to the Chicago Housing Authority board. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Chicago Tribune
23-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle throws a perfect game
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 23, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1877: A rail strike that started in West Virginia grew into a national struggle between industrialists and workers, with Chicago a hotbed of the dispute. Workers demanding the eight-hour day clashed violently with police, militia and even U.S. infantry. The Chicago Times noted that the largely immigrant mob included women — 'Bohemian Amazons' wielding clubs in their 'brawny arms.' The more heavily armed authorities killed 30 protesters in the fighting, which included an incident known as 'The Battle of the Viaduct' because it occurred at a viaduct at 16th and Halsted streets. Vintage Chicago Tribune: From horseless carriages to cougars, revisiting the Chicago Auto Show1903: E. Pfennig, a Chicago physician, bought Ford's first Model A for $850. His check, deposited July 15, helped the new company, whose finances were $223.65 at the time. 1922: The Lincoln Park Boat Club swept the top rowing events in the first annual Chicago Water Carnival, which was sponsored by the Tribune. 1925: Chicago's Union Station held its grand opening. There were formal and casual dining facilities, staffed by the famed Harvey Girls, who waited on tables in what is considered the nation's first restaurant chain at train stations across the country. The Woman's Waiting Room had stairs leading down to a nursery. A doctor, a nurse and a matron were present at all times. There were two jail cells for offenders being taken to prison, a morgue for travelers who died on a train and a chapel for those feeling spiritually needy. One hospital handled customers' medical emergencies. Another cared for railroad employees. 1975: The City Council passed 'Burke's Law,' an ordinance proposed by the 14th Ward alderman that outlawed nudity in massage parlors. The nickname was inspired by a popular television detective show from that time. Arlington International Racecourse: History of one of the 'world's most beautiful racetracks'1981: Gov. James Thompson signed a bill into law allowing wagering on out-of-state races. Arlington Park became the first Illinois track to use the new bill when it simulcast the Travelers Stakes late that summer. 2009: Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The White Sox won 5-0. It was also the 18th perfect game in major-league history. White Sox pitchers have thrown more no-hitters than any other American League team. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Chicago Tribune
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Wingfoot Air Express dirigible catches fire and crashes in the Loop, killing 13 people
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 21, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1919: For most of the day, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.'s Wingfoot Air Express airship cruised above the city. The powerful hum of its engines and a serene shadow were the only indicators of its passage as it flew from the South Side to Grant Park and as far north as Diversey Parkway. At about 5 p.m., the blimp hurtled through a lobby skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank at 231 S. LaSalle St., killing 13 people and injuring 27. It was America's first recorded commercial aviation disaster. 1924 Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb's attorney Clarence Darrow entered a plea of guilty on his clients' behalf. By entering guilty pleas, Darrow didn't have to persuade 12 jurors to spare his clients the hangman's noose. In a trial's sentencing phase, the judge has the ultimate say. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Leopold and LoebAfter the evidence had been presented, Darrow addressed the judge, speaking for 12 hours over two days. Darrow's eloquent plea had the desired effect. Leopold and Loeb were sentenced to life in prison. 1952: The Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago at the International Amphitheatre. Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson was chosen as the party's nominee. Stevenson, who did not seek the presidential nomination, was drafted on the third ballot. Although he was a reluctant candidate, he pledged a hard-fighting campaign. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Tradition of acceptance speeches at political conventions began in Chicago'I have no feeling of exultation, nor sense of triumph,' Stevenson said outside the home of William McCormick Blair at 1416 Astor St. 'I shall ask my God to give me courage in this great undertaking.' Eisenhower won the 1952 election on Nov. 4, 1952, bringing the Republican Party its first White House victory in 24 years. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Soldier Field's century of concerts, car races, circuses and contests1956: The Grand National 100-mile race, considered the first NASCAR cup series race held in Chicago, was witnessed by 14,402 fans who saw Fireball Roberts win by a car length over Jim Pascal, who was ahead until Roberts passed him on the 194th of 200 laps. 1980: Twelve-year-old Walter Polovchak, who said he did not want to go back home to Ukraine when his family returned to the then-Soviet Union, was granted political asylum in Chicago. Polovchak was dubbed the 'the littlest defector' by the media during a yearslong court battle between his parents and the U.S. government that raised complex questions about personal freedoms, parental rights and government overreach. 2002: Pyewacket, owned by Walt Disney's grandnephew Roy P. Disney, set a record finish time of 23 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds in the Race to Mackinac. It bested the 1987 record of 25:50:44 by Dick Jennings' Santa Cruz 70, Pied Piper. Pyewacket, named after the cat in the film 'Bell, Book and Candle,' retained the record in the race until 2024. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Chicago Tribune
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Special Olympics debuts at Soldier Field
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 20, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Flashback: Apollo 11's voyage to the moon kept Chicagoans spellbound in a time of tumultWeather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1924: Sybil Bauer, a Chicago native and Northwestern sophomore, won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Her time was a world-record 1:23.20 seconds. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Summer Olympians from the area who won goldBauer didn't start competing in events until she was a teenager at Schurz High School. Soon thereafter, however, she became the first great female swimmer of the backstroke. Bauer set 23 world records — holding at one point all existing records for women in backstroke from 50 to 440 yards, according to the International Swimming Hall of Fame — and won six consecutive AAU 100-yard backstroke championships, according to the Olympic Games. Her greatest feat may have taken place in Bermuda on Oct. 8, 1922, when Bauer became the first woman to beat a world record held by a man. She completed a 440-yard backstroke race in 6 minutes, 24 seconds — almost four seconds faster than the old record held by Harold Krueger of Honolulu. She was engaged to Edward Sullivan, then sports editor of the New York Evening Graphic and future television show host, but was stricken with cancer and died in 1927. Bauer was just 23 years old. Also in 1924: Johnny Weissmuller — the Austrian born, Chicago raised future 'Tarzan' actor — won gold at the Paris Olympics in swimming. He won five gold medals in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games. 1944: In a speech broadcast to the delegates inside Chicago Stadium from a train car at a naval base on the Pacific Ocean, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the nomination for a fourth term during the Democratic National Convention at Chicago Stadium. Roosevelt was en route to Hawaii to join military brass debating strategies for the Pacific theater during World War II. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Tradition of acceptance speeches at political conventions began in Chicago'You in this convention are aware of what I have sought to gain for the nation, and you have asked me to continue,' FDR said in accepting its nomination. Roosevelt was reelected Nov. 7, 1944, but died April 12, 1945. 1968: About 1,000 children with intellectual disabilities ranging in age from 8 to 18 competed in the first Special Olympics, which took place at Soldier Field. Responding to a written proposal from Chicago Park District employee Anne Burke, a $25,000 check from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation was forwarded here to help start the games, courtesy of the foundation's executive vice president, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Vintage Chicago Tribune: The first Special Olympics at Soldier Field — 55 years agoThe initial one-day outing included participants from more than 20 states and Canada. Admission was free, but with little publicity and a basic lack of understanding, not many showed up besides friends and relatives of the youngsters. Still, the spirit was the same as if the stadium was packed, and the event was considered a huge success by those in attendance. 1992: Jeff Erickson escaped from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. The con man was convicted of robbing a string of Chicago-area banks with his wife, Jill Erickson. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Jailbreak!!!When the Hanover Park duo was caught in 1991, she was mortally wounded in a chase with FBI officers and he was arrested and taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center. But as he was being led from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on July 20, 1992, Erickson uncuffed his hands with a handcuff key, disarmed a guard and fatally shot Deputy U.S. Marshal Roy 'Bill' Frakes and court security Officer Harry Belluomini, a retired Chicago police officer. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Chicago Tribune
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Piping plovers Monty and Rose force cancellation of Montrose Beach music festival
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 19, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1949: President Harry Truman spoke at the Shriners convention, of which he was a member. It was one of the first televised events at the stadium. 'The formation of foreign policy on the part of the democratic nations may be a slow and painful process, but the results endure,' Truman told the crowd. 'It is only in the totalitarian states, where all decisions are made by a few men at the top, that foreign policies can be reversed or radically altered in secrecy, or changed abruptly without warning.' 'The huge bowl of Soldiers' field looked like a flower garden yesterday — blazing with the blue, red, gold, green, and white uniforms of the members of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in Chicago to celebrate the diamond jubilee of their fraternity,' the Tribune reported. 2019: Music festival Mamby on the Beach was canceled due to the arrival of a pair of federally endangered piping plover shorebirds on Montrose Beach. Nicknamed Monty and Rose, the pair continued to migrate to the area and hatch chicks for three consecutive summers. Their descendants carry on the tradition. Vintage Chicago Tribune: How piping plovers have captured our hearts through the yearsSubscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
