01-04-2025
Today in Chicago History: Dinosaur invasion!!! (Yes, it was an April Fool's Day joke)
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 1, according to the Tribune's archives.
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Vintage Chicago Tribune: April fools
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
High temperature: 83 degrees (2010)
Low temperature: 17 degrees (1881)
Precipitation: 1.58 inches (1967)
Snowfall: 8.2 inches (1970)
1906: In a 7,000-word story, the Tribune claimed 'dinosauria' took over the city.
1924: Al Capone's brother Frank was killed in a shootout with Chicago police who were hired by Cicero to quell election disturbances in the village.
1955: Col. Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Tribune, died.
1970: Evening rush-hour commuters — who thought winter was over — felt foolish after the city was socked with a record-breaking spring snowfall. More than 8 inches of snow fell — the most ever on April 1 in Chicago.
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