Today in Chicago History: The last total solar eclipse Illinois will see for decades
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 8, according to the Tribune's archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
High temperature: 80 degrees (1931)
Low temperature: 20 degrees (1972)
Precipitation: 1.35 inches (1999)
Snowfall: 4.5 inches (1938)
1981: The Chicago White Sox announced a contest that would let fans pick a uniform design for the 1982 season — and, yes, shorts were an option!
Vintage Chicago Tribune: The White Sox's wild ride into the team's 125th season
In 1982, the team debuted their new jersey — navy blue with Sox emblazoned in the center with red piping — and red and blue striped pants.
1997: Pope John Paul II named Archbishop Francis George, of Portland, Oregon, to head the Archdiocese of Chicago, succeeding Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.
George became the first Chicago native to head the archdiocese, which includes Cook and Lake counties.
Also in 1997: The Chicago Cubs hosted their coldest home opener at Wrigley Field — 29 degrees at first pitch.
Snow caused the team to postpone its home opener a day in 2003 and 2018.
2003: Ed McCaskey, the husband of Chicago Bears owner Virginia Halas and the father of 11 children who went on to become Chicago Bears chairman, died in Des Plaines. McCaskey was 83.
2016: A court filing by federal prosecutors revealed allegations that former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert sexually abused five students decades earlier when he was a high school teacher and wrestling coach.
Dennis Hastert timeline: Key events in the rise and fall of the former U.S. House Speaker
In a packed Chicago courtroom, Hastert acknowledged he sexually abused several boys he coached on the Yorkville High School wrestling team in the 1960s and 1970s. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin repeatedly slammed Hastert as a 'serial child molester' and sentenced Hastert to 15 months in prison, sex offender treatment, two years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
April 8, 2024: Southern Illinois plunged into darkness and onlookers offered a standing ovation for the last total solar eclipse the contiguous United States would see for the next two decades.
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