Here’s a look at what happened in the Chicago area on Jan. 26, according to the Tribune’s archives.
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weather record (From National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High Temperature: 62 degrees (1944)
- low temperature: minus 16 degrees (1897)
- Precipitation: 1.66 inches (1967)
- Snowfall: 16.4 inches (1967)
1966: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family move into a third-floor apartment in the North Lawndale neighborhood, about three weeks after announcing his intention to lead “the first significant freedom movement in the North.”
1967: The “Blizzard of ’67” dropped 23 inches of snow on Chicago – the largest amount on record for the city.
According to the National Weather Service, snow began falling at 5:02 a.m. Mountains of snow accumulated in drifts, whipped by winds of 50 mph or more.
Remarkably, the storm was preceded by unprecedented heat – it was 65 degrees two days before the snow appeared.
1986: “Finally, another city can chant, ‘We’re No. 1,’ without fear of blowing up.”
The Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX in New Orleans with a 46–10 victory over the New England Patriots.
Also in 1986: The Discover Card, created by Sears, debuted during the broadcast of Super Bowl XX. This became a challenge for MasterCard, Visa and American Express.