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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: The 606 trail opens for walkers, joggers, scooters, strollers, skateboards and more
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 6, according to the archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 97 degrees (1971) Low temperature: 39 degrees (1985) Precipitation: 1.6 inches (1931) Snowfall: None Vintage Chicago Tribune: Medinah Temple — from Shriners to circus, couches to casino — through the decades 1883: Charter No. 14 was issued for Medinah Temple during the ninth Imperial Session of the Imperial Grand Council at the Masonic Temple in New York. 1892: Service began on the first segment of Chicago's 'L' between Congress and 39th streets. 2004: Three-year-old Riley Fox was found drowned and half-naked in a Wilmington creek. Her father, Kevin Fox, was arrested four months later in connection with her murder, but was later cleared. On Nov. 10, 2010, convicted sex offender Scott Eby pleaded guilty to the brutal rape and murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Kevin Fox was killed in a car crash in Arkansas in March 2023. 2015: Chicago's new elevated track and park system, The 606, opened. 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. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: ‘Princess Di arrived in Chi and the town went gaga'
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 5, 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: 97 degrees (1971) Low temperature: 37 degrees (1945) Precipitation: 1 inches (1932) Snowfall: Trace (1955) 1854: The Rock Island Railroad connected Chicago to Lockport and the Mississippi River. 1913: The first in a series of auto-polo matches took place at Comiskey Park. Chicago lost to New York 9-8. But Chicago won the night match 10-8. 'No competitor was injured, which was the most remarkable feature of the contest,' the Tribune reported. 1946: A fire at the LaSalle Hotel, on the northwest corner of LaSalle and Madison streets, killed 61 people and injured more than 200, making it the worst hotel fire in the city's history. The building was demolished in the 1970s. 1989: The Chicago White Sox drafted Auburn first baseman Frank Thomas seventh in the first round of baseball's amateur draft. The 'Big Hurt' played for the White Sox from 1990 to 2005 as part of a 19-season career. The two-time AL MVP hit 521 home runs, including 448 for the Sox. He was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2014. Michael Jordan: Top moments and stats in the life and career of the Chicago Bulls and NBA legend 1991: NBC play-by-play man Marv Albert announced 'Oh! A spectacular move by Michael Jordan!' after the Chicago Bulls star rose for a right-handed layup, encountered the long-armed Sam Perkins, then switched to his left hand and kissed the ball into the basket off the glass on the other side of the rim. 1996: Princess Diana hit the ground running on her first — and only — visit to Chicago. Her priority was clear — to raise money and awareness for the plight of cancer victims. In just 46 hours, she helped raise more than $1 million for cancer charities here and in London. On her first day, Princess Diana spoke at a breast cancer symposium at Northwestern University in the morning, toured Cook County Hospital's trauma unit, children's emergency room and pediatric intensive care unit in the afternoon, then attended a black-tie fundraising dinner with dancing — her first dance with talk show host Phil Donahue — at the Field Museum. The epic affair rivaled the Bulls' first game in the NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics at the United Center. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Princess Diana's visit to Chicago in 1996 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. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Taylor Swift takes over Soldier Field
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 2, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1939: 'Well to do spinster' Rose Neary was found strangled with a radio cord and beaten to death with a hammer in her first floor apartment on Franklin Boulevard in Chicago, where she lived with her two dogs. Friends became concerned when Neary failed to appear at a celebration for her synagogue, which she helped plan. Though acquaintances — including an occasional chauffeur whom she loaned money to — were questioned, the case remains unsolved. Neary's belongings including fur coats, furniture and jewelry were auctioned later that month, with officials charged admission of 50 cents to prevent overcrowding of the apartment. 300 miles in Nebraska with Fred Hoiberg: The former Bulls coach opens up about his time in Chicago, recruiting in the Big Ten and going home2015: The Chicago Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg, who briefly played for the team, to be its 19th coach. Hoiberg compiled a 115-155 record with one first-round playoff exit before he was fired in December 2018. He's now the basketball coach at Nebraska. 2019: Illinois lawmakers voted to legalize sports betting, allowing a Chicago casino, slot machines at both city airports, casinos in the south suburbs, Waukegan, Rockford, Danville and Williamson County, slot machines at horse racing tracks, and spots betting at casinos and tracks. 2023: For the first of three sold-out shows on her Eras Tour at Soldier Field, Taylor Swift contained multitudes, presiding over a 200-minute extravaganza that often had the crowd of more than 60,000 devoted fans singing along to every word. The epic concert took the form of nine separate mini sets, each aurally and visually connected to a certain album, letting the pop phenom explore nearly every facet of a 17-year recording career that currently knows no limits. Swift paired each set change with themed wardrobes and a parade of choreographed routines featuring a squadron of dancers and, frequently, members of her backup band. She also integrated projections on a mammoth, curved, high-definition screen, as well as mobile platforms whose height and shapes fluctuated during songs. 'It was a stage whose magnitude dared make Soldier Field look mid-sized,' critic Bob Gendron wrote. 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.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Ex-US House Speaker Dennis Hastert charged with lying to FBI
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 28, 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: 95 degrees (2018) Low temperature: 33 degrees (1992) Precipitation: 1.76 inches (1908) Snowfall: Trace (1908) 1968: Jim Dooley was introduced as Chicago Bears head coach after George Halas announced his retirement. Ben Johnson is the 19th Chicago Bears head coach. Here's a look at how past coaches fared — and why they left. Halas' send-off of 'Good luck, kid' to his successor immediately turned to bad luck and haunted Dooley through season records of 7-7, 1-13, 6-8 and 6-8. Dooley's record was 20-36 (.357) from 1968-71, and he became the first Bears head coach to be fired by the organization. White Sox are not alone in their losing. Disappointment is a common theme throughout Chicago's sports history. 1995: The Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers set a major league record with 12 home runs and combined for an American League-record 21 extra-base hits in the Sox's 14-12 win. 2015: A federal indictment alleged former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to someone from Yorkville — identified as Individual A in the charges — so the person would stay quiet about 'prior misconduct.' Hastert, according to federal prosecutors, then lied to the FBI when asked about suspicious cash withdrawals from several banks. Hastert pleaded not guilty. A 2016 court filing by federal prosecutors revealed allegations that Hastert sexually abused five students decades earlier. Dennis Hastert timeline: Key events in the rise and fall of the former U.S. House speaker In a packed Chicago courtroom, Hastert acknowledged in April 2016 that 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. 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. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Siwash — the beer-guzzling duck and former Marine mascot — dies at Lincoln Park Zoo
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 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) High temperature: 92 degrees (1977) Low temperature: 37 degrees (1917) Precipitation: 1.23 inches (1995) Snowfall: Trace (1889) 1926: Chicago Cubs center fielder Lewis 'Hack' Wilson hit the 'longest home run ever knocked' at Wrigley Field (to that point anyway) in the fifth inning of a 14-8 win against the Boston Braves. The ball hit the center field scoreboard. Later that day, however, Wilson was arrested 'in an alleged disorderly flat at 803 Sheridan Road,' that was alleged to be a speakeasy. He was charged with disorderly conduct, but the case was dismissed. 1954: Siwash, the duck mascot of the U.S. Marines' 2nd Division during World War II, died in Lincoln Park Zoo. The death was attributed to a liver ailment, which veterans said had nothing to do with Siwash's fondness for beer. The female duck was brought to Chicago by former Marine Francis J. Fagan — who had won it in a tavern raffle in New Zealand — and used her to help with recruitment duties for the Korean War. Broadcaster Jack Brickhouse in 1967 recalled attending a 1944 celebration for Siwash at The Drake. 'So there she was, perched on a baby high-chair, being feted by half the bigwigs in Chicago. And, do you know, that darned duck quacked and drank beer and quacked, all thru lunch.' Siwash had been expected at a Marine reunion in San Diego, so the duck was preserved quickly so it could posthumously attend the event. Afterward, it was donated to the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia. Unfortunately, the duck's condition 'deteriorated rapidly (perhaps due to the hasty taxidermy job),' the museum told the Tribune, and is no longer part of its collection. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Oprah Winfrey — 10 moments from her Chicago years 2005: Actor Tom Cruise jumped on a couch during an interview on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' while exclaiming his love for actress Katie Holmes. 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. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
