The South Loop Historical Society - This Date in South Loop History

The South Loop Historical Society
at East-West University
819 S. Wabash Ave.
8th Floor
Chicago, IL 60605
312-939-0111

A Virtual History Museum

This Date in South Loop History
January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October -November - December

January 4, 1888 The Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Company is incorporated under the general railroad laws of the State of Illinois
January 5, 1986 The Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 21-0 at Soldier Field to advance to the NFC Championship game
January 6, 1958 Chuck Berry records "Johnny B. Goode" at Chess Records studios
January 12, 1986 Chicago Bears defeat the Los Angeles Rams 24-0 before 63,522 at Soldier Field to advance to Superbowl XX
January 16, 1967 Fire destroys the first McCormick Place convention center, killing one worker
January 18, 1909 Theatrical manager William Morris opens The American Music Hall at 8th and Wabash to show independent vaudeville shows
January 19, 2002 Demolition begins on Soldier Field redevelopment following Bears playoff game
January 22, 1893 The South Side Elevated structure is completed to 63rd Street, allowing service from Congress to 61st Street station
January 22, 1957 Joffrey Ballet performs at the Eighth Street Theater, its first performance in a major city

February 6, 1956 The Chicago Defender begins daily publication
February 27, 1926 Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five demonstrates the musical recording process at “Okeh Race Record Artist’s Night” at the Chicago Coliseum
February 29, 1940 Robert S. Abbott, publisher of The Chicago Defender, dies of Bright's Disease

March 5, 1972 Last passenger train leaves Illinois Central Station
March 8, 1971 Closed circuit broadcast of Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier championship fight fails in third round, patrons at the Chicago Coliseum initiate a brawl injuring a Chicago Fire Department captain
March 12, 1971 James Taylor and Carole King perform at the Chicago Coliseum, venue closed for multiple fire code violations the next day
March 25, 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says “we must combine the fervor of the Civil Rights movement with the peace movement” in a speech at the Chicago Coliseum
March 27, 1939 The Harlem Globetrotters and the New York Rens, two African-American basketball teams, play each other in front of 7,000 fans at the Chicago Coliseum; the Rens win 27-23
March 30, 2003 Mayor Richard M. Daley orders closing and destruction of Meigs Field in the early morning hours

April 16, 1956 Chuck Berry records “Roll Over Beethoven” at Chess Records studios
April 19, 1924 First broadcast of the WLS Barn Dance; the show would later have a 25-year run at the Eighth Street Theater beginning in 1932
April 23, 1893 South Side Elevated service extended to Dorchester and 63rd, accessible by a walkway to the World's Fair
April 25, 1859 Chicago’s first street car line, drawn by horses, opens on State Street between Madison and Roosevelt

May 2, 1921 The Field Museum opens as the first institution in what will become the Museum Campus
May 2, 1927 The Stevens Hotel (now the Chicago Hilton) opens as the World's Largest Hotel
May 5, 1905 Robert S. Abbott publishes the first edition of The Chicago Defender
May 10, 1930 The Adler Planetarium, the first institution of its kind in the United States, officially opens on the lakefront
May 10, 1968 Rock band The Doors perform at the Chicago Coliseum
May 12, 1893 South Side Elevated service extended to Jackson Park, site of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, almost two weeks after fair opening
May 15, 1917 The Chicago Defender proclaims this the date of the "Great Northern Drive," when African-American Southerners are urged to move North
May 21, 1955 Chuck Berry has his first recording session at Chess Records studios
May 27, 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair opens on 427 acre lakefront site between 12th and 39th Streets
May 30, 1930 The John G. Shedd Aquarium officially opens on the lakefront at 12th Street

June 3, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks at the Cook County Democratic Party Dinner at the first McCormick Place
June 6, 1892 First Chicago Elevated line opens to the public from State and Congress to 39th and State
June 7, 1916 1916 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates Charles Evans Hughes of New York
June 10, 1964 The Rolling Stones begin their first recording session at Chess Records studios, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue
June 12, 1920 Republican Party leaders meet in a “smoke-filled room” at the Blackstone Hotel to nominate Warren G. Harding as their compromise candidate at the convention held at the Chicago Coliseum
June 12, 1926 Ten jazz bands perform at the Chicago Coliseum at the “Okeh Cabaret and Style Show” to benefit African-American Musician’s Local 208; Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five headlines the show
June 17, 1994 Opening ceremonies for 1994 World Cup held at Soldier Field, Oprah Winfrey is the emcee and Diana Ross performs
June 18, 1912 Republican National Convention of 1912 opens at Chicago Coliseum, re-nominates William Howard Taft over former President Theodore Roosevelt
June 21, 1904 1904 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates President Theodore Roosevelt
June 22, 1908 Chicago street numbering system revised to count blocks from the corner of State and Madison, with 800 address units per mile
June 26, 1902 Volunteers of America hold free picnic for thousands of Chicago newsboys at the Gettysburg Cyclorama at Wabash and 7th Street (Balbo)
June 28, 1932 After suffering a loss of $1.5 million in 1931 and further losses in the first five months of 1932, creditors file suit against Chicago Rapid Transit to place it in receivership

July 4, 1909 Daniel Burnham issues his 164-page illustrated “Plan of Chicago,” calling for lakefront landfill, the widening of Congress Parkway, the straightening of the Chicago River, and many other changes to the South Loop
July 4, 1940 The American Negro Exposition, celebrating 75 years since American slaves were freed, opens at the Chicago Coliseum and will run through September 2
July 5, 1896 Hopkins Theater at 531 S. State Street shows films of New York's Herald Square, a boxing match, and "Picture of a Kiss," first confirmed commercial exhibition of films in Chicago
July 15, 1933 Fascist Italian aviator Italo Balbo and a squadron of flying boats arrive in Chicago from Rome for the Century of Progress World’s Fair; 7th Street renamed in his honor
July 15, 1943 U.S. Army announces relinquishment of The Stevens Hotel and The Congress Hotel
July 16, 1908 1908 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates William Howard Taft

August 1, 1942 U.S. Army takes over Stevens Hotel, using the 3,000-room hotel for barracks, offices, and training
August 5, 1912 1912 Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party convention begins at the Chicago Coliseum
August 6, 1912 Theodore Roosevelt addresses the 1912 Progressive Party convention at the Chicago Coliseum and accepts the new party's presidential nomination
August 9, 1922 Louis Armstrong arrives in Chicago for the first time at Illinois Central Station
August 12, 1833 The Town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350
August 12, 1933 “Negro Day” at the Century of Progress World’s Fair is boycotted by civil rights leaders and receives only 1/6 of expected visitors
August 13, 1927 Dinner held in honor of Charles Lindburgh at The Stevens Hotel
August 13, 1935 First roller derby held at Chicago Coliseum
August 25, 1925 Ground is broken for The Stevens Hotel, which would hold the title of the Largest Hotel in the World for several decades
August 26, 1900 President William McKinley formally dedicates the new Chicago Coliseum at 1513 S. Wabash Avenue
August 26, 1968 1968 Democratic National Convention officially opens at the International Amphitheater; most delegates stay at the Conrad Hilton Hotel
August 27, 1968 Yippies hold “Unbirthday Party for LBJ” at Chicago Coliseum, half of the 4000 in attendance march to Grant Park
August 28, 1968 Violence breaks out between police and demonstrators on national television at Michigan and Balbo during the 1968 Democratic National Convention as protesters chant, “The Whole World is Watching”
August 31, 1957 Final live performance of the WLS Barn Dance at the Eighth Street Theater

September 1, 1940 Paul Robeson sings on the second to last day of the American Negro Exhibition at the Chicago Coliseum
September 2, 1940 The American Negro Exposition at the Chicago Coliseum closes
September 8, 1954 An estimated 260,000 fill Soldier Field for Catholic Church Marian Year Tribute
September 15, 1980 East-West University begins classes at 816 S. Michigan Avenue
September 19, 1971 The Chicago Bears play their first game at Soldier Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-15 before capacity crowd of 55,701
September 22, 1927 Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney meet in controversial fight for the World’s heavyweight championship before 102,000 at Soldier Field

October 1, 1947 Chicago Transit Authority begins operation of the city's transit system
October 3, 1897 Official opening of the Chicago Loop elevated structure
October 4, 1924 First football game at Soldier Field (then known as Grant Park Municipal Stadium) between Louisville Male High School and Chicago Austin High
October 8, 1871 Great Chicago Fire destroys most of downtown and the Near North Side killing hundreds; South Loop is spared most of the damage
October 9, 1871 St. Mary's Church at 9th and Wabash is opened to shelter victims of the Great Chicago Fire
October 17, 1931 South Loop resident Al Capone is convicted of tax evasion and receives an 11-year sentence
October 17, 1943 State Street subway opens to the public
October 22, 1883 Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 42 foot high by 365 foot circumference painting in the round by artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux, opens at 700 S. Wabash Avenue where it is shown for 20 years
October 24, 2006 The Wirt Dexter Building (1887) at 630 S. Wabash, one of the oldest surviving Adler and Sullivan designed buildings, is destroyed by fire
October 26, 1933 German airship Graf Zeppelin visits Century of Progress World’s Fair
October 31, 1934 Century of Progress World’s Fair closes; the fair attracts 48.8 million visitors over its two year run

November 2, 1927 Construction begins on the $3.25 million Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront at 12th Street
November 4, 2008 Minutes after being named the winner of the 2008 Presidential election, Barack Obama makes his victory speech on Hutchinson Field in Grant Park before an estimated crowd of 240,000
November 8, 1964 The Rolling Stones record “Time is On My Side” at Chess Records studios
November 8, 1969 Last passenger train leaves Grand Central Station
November 11, 1925 Grant Park Municipal Stadium changes its name to Soldier Field
November 16, 1929 Notre Dame beats USC 13-12 before 112,912 fans at Soldier Field, setting the all-time college football attendance record
November 18, 1960 First McCormick Place Convention Center opens at the Lakefront and 23rd Street; it would burn in January 1967 in part because of a lack of nearby fire hydrants
November 19, 1951 The Stevens Hotel is re-named The Conrad Hilton

December 1, 1968 The Jimi Hendrix Experience performs at the Chicago Coliseum
December 8, 1890 Grand Central Station opens to passenger traffic
December 13, 1908 Chicago Coliseum bombed, believed in protest of First Ward Ball
December 13, 1942 The Stevens Hotel sold to the U.S. Army for $6 million; it was built in 1927 at a cost of $30 million
December 15, 1955 The Congress Expressway opens
December 17, 1938 Ground is broken on the State Street subway; it will not open until October 1943
December 19, 1889 Fr. Augustus Tolton, first African-American Catholic priest, arrives in Chicago to begin his work at St. Mary's Catholic Church
December 31, 1988 Bears play Philadelphia Eagles in “Fog Bowl” NFC Championship game at Soldier Field

Buildings - Maps - People - Transportation - Events - Research - Links

January 4, 1888	The Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Company is incorporated under the general railroad laws of the State of Illinois
January 5, 1986	The Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 21-0 at Soldier Field to advance to the NFC Championship game
January 6, 1958	Chuck Berry records "Johnny B. Goode" at Chess Records studios
January 12, 1986	Chicago Bears defeat the Los Angeles Rams 24-0 before 63,522 at Soldier Field to advance to Superbowl XX
January 16, 1967	Fire destroys the first McCormick Place convention center, killing one worker
January 18, 1909	Theatrical manager William Morris opens The American Music Hall at 8th and Wabash to show independent vaudeville shows
January 19, 2002	Demolition begins on Soldier Field redevelopment following Bears playoff game
January 22, 1893	The South Side Elevated structure is completed to 63rd Street, allowing service from Congress to 61st Street station
January 22, 1957	Joffrey Ballet performs at the Eighth Street Theater, its first performance in a major city
February 6, 1956	The Chicago Defender begins daily publication
February 27, 1926	Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five demonstrates the musical recording process at “Okeh Race Record Artist’s Night” at the Chicago Coliseum
February 29, 1940	Robert S. Abbott, publisher of The Chicago Defender, dies of Bright's Disease
March 5, 1972	Last passenger train leaves Illinois Central Station
March 8, 1971	Closed circuit broadcast of Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier championship fight fails in third round, patrons at the Chicago Coliseum initiate a brawl injuring a Chicago Fire Department captain
March 12, 1971	James Taylor and Carole King perform at the Chicago Coliseum, venue closed for multiple fire code violations the next day
March 25, 1967	Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says “we must combine the fervor of the Civil Rights movement with the peace movement” in a speech at the Chicago Coliseum
March 27, 1939	The Harlem Globetrotters and the New York Rens, two African-American basketball teams, play each other in front of 7,000 fans at the Chicago Coliseum; the Rens win 27-23
March 30, 2003	Mayor Richard M. Daley orders closing and destruction of Meigs Field in the early morning hours
April 16, 1956	Chuck Berry records “Roll Over Beethoven” at Chess Records studios
April 19, 1924	First broadcast of the WLS Barn Dance; the show would later have a 25-year run at the Eighth Street Theater beginning in 1932
April 23, 1893	South Side Elevated service extended to Dorchester and 63rd, accessible by a walkway to the World's Fair
April 25, 1859	Chicago’s first street car line, drawn by horses, opens on State Street between Madison and Roosevelt
May 2, 1921	The Field Museum opens as the first institution in what will become the Museum Campus
May 2, 1927	The Stevens Hotel (now the Chicago Hilton) opens as the World's Largest Hotel
May 5, 1905	Robert S. Abbott publishes the first edition of The Chicago Defender
May 10, 1930	The Adler Planetarium, the first institution of its kind in the United States, officially opens on the lakefront
May 10, 1968	Rock band The Doors perform at the Chicago Coliseum
May 12, 1893	South Side Elevated service extended to Jackson Park, site of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, almost two weeks after fair opening
May 15, 1917	The Chicago Defender proclaims this the date of the "Great Northern Drive," when African-American Southerners are urged to move North
May 21, 1955	Chuck Berry has his first recording session at Chess Records studios
May 27, 1933	Century of Progress World’s Fair opens on 427 acre lakefront site between 12th and 39th Streets
May 30, 1930	The John G. Shedd Aquarium officially opens on the lakefront at 12th Street
June 3, 1965	President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks at the Cook County Democratic Party Dinner at the first McCormick Place
June 6, 1892	First Chicago Elevated line opens to the public from State and Congress to 39th and State
June 7, 1916	1916 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates Charles Evans Hughes of New York
June 10, 1964	The Rolling Stones begin their first recording session at Chess Records studios, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue
June 12, 1920	Republican Party leaders meet in a “smoke-filled room” at the Blackstone Hotel to nominate Warren G. Harding as their compromise candidate at the convention held at the Chicago Coliseum
June 12, 1926	Ten jazz bands perform at the Chicago Coliseum at the “Okeh Cabaret and Style Show” to benefit African-American Musician’s Local 208; Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five headlines the show
June 17, 1994	Opening ceremonies for 1994 World Cup held at Soldier Field, Oprah Winfrey is the emcee and Diana Ross performs
June 18, 1912	Republican National Convention of 1912 opens at Chicago Coliseum, re-nominates William Howard Taft over former President Theodore Roosevelt
June 21, 1904	1904 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates President Theodore Roosevelt
June 22, 1908	Chicago street numbering system revised to count blocks from the corner of State and Madison, with 800 address units per mile
June 26, 1902	Volunteers of America hold free picnic for thousands of Chicago newsboys at the Gettysburg Cyclorama at Wabash and 7th Street (Balbo)
June 28, 1932	After suffering a loss of $1.5 million in 1931 and further losses in the first five months of 1932, creditors file suit against Chicago Rapid Transit to place it in receivership
July 4, 1909	Daniel Burnham issues his 164-page illustrated “Plan of Chicago,” calling for lakefront landfill, the widening of Congress Parkway, the straightening of the Chicago River, and many other changes to the South Loop
July 4, 1940	The American Negro Exposition, celebrating 75 years since American slaves were freed, opens at the Chicago Coliseum and will run through September 2
July 5, 1896	Hopkins Theater at 531 S. State Street shows films of New York's Herald Square, a boxing match, and "Picture of a Kiss," first confirmed commercial exhibition of films in Chicago
July 15, 1933	Fascist Italian aviator Italo Balbo and a squadron of flying boats arrive in Chicago from Rome for the Century of Progress World’s Fair; 7th Street renamed in his honor
July 15, 1943	U.S. Army announces relinquishment of The Stevens Hotel and The Congress Hotel
July 16, 1908	1908 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates William Howard Taft
August 1, 1942	U.S. Army takes over Stevens Hotel, using the 3,000-room hotel for barracks, offices, and training
August 5, 1912	1912 Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party convention begins at the Chicago Coliseum
August 6, 1912	Theodore Roosevelt addresses the 1912 Progressive Party convention at the Chicago Coliseum and accepts the new party's presidential nomination
August 9, 1922	Louis Armstrong arrives in Chicago for the first time at Illinois Central Station
August 12, 1833	The Town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350
August 12, 1933	“Negro Day” at the Century of Progress World’s Fair is boycotted by civil rights leaders and receives only 1/6 of expected visitors
August 13, 1927	Dinner held in honor of Charles Lindburgh at The Stevens Hotel
August 13, 1935	First roller derby held at Chicago Coliseum
August 25, 1925	Ground is broken for The Stevens Hotel, which would hold the title of the Largest Hotel in the World for several decades
August 26, 1900	President William McKinley formally dedicates the new Chicago Coliseum at 1513 S. Wabash Avenue
August 26, 1968	1968 Democratic National Convention officially opens at the International Amphitheater; most delegates stay at the Conrad Hilton Hotel
August 27, 1968	Yippies hold “Unbirthday Party for LBJ” at Chicago Coliseum, half of the 4000 in attendance march to Grant Park
August 28, 1968	Violence breaks out between police and demonstrators on national television at Michigan and Balbo during the 1968 Democratic National Convention as protesters chant, “The Whole World is Watching”
August 31, 1957	Final live performance of the WLS Barn Dance at the Eighth Street Theater
September 1, 1940	Paul Robeson sings on the second to last day of the American Negro Exhibition at the Chicago Coliseum
September 2, 1940	The American Negro Exposition at the Chicago Coliseum closes
September 8, 1954	An estimated 260,000 fill Soldier Field for Catholic Church Marian Year Tribute
September 15, 1980	East-West University begins classes at 816 S. Michigan Avenue
September 19, 1971	The Chicago Bears play their first game at Soldier Field, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-15 before capacity crowd of 55,701
September 22, 1927	Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney meet in controversial fight for the World’s heavyweight championship before 102,000 at Soldier Field
October 1, 1947	Chicago Transit Authority begins operation of the city's transit system
October 3, 1897	Official opening of the Chicago Loop elevated structure
October 4, 1924	First football game at Soldier Field (then known as Grant Park Municipal Stadium) between Louisville Male High School and Chicago Austin High
October 8, 1871	Great Chicago Fire destroys most of downtown and the Near North Side killing hundreds; South Loop is spared most of the damage
October 9, 1871	St. Mary's Church at 9th and Wabash is opened to shelter victims of the Great Chicago Fire
October 17, 1931	South Loop resident Al Capone is convicted of tax evasion and receives an 11-year sentence
October 17, 1943	State Street subway opens to the public
October 22, 1883	Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 42 foot high by 365 foot circumference painting in the round by artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux, opens at 700 S. Wabash Avenue where it is shown for 20 years
October 24, 2006	The Wirt Dexter Building (1887) at 630 S. Wabash, one of the oldest surviving Adler and Sullivan designed buildings, is destroyed by fire
October 26, 1933	German airship Graf Zeppelin visits Century of Progress World’s Fair
October 31, 1934	Century of Progress World’s Fair closes; the fair attracts 48.8 million visitors over its two year run
November 2, 1927	Construction begins on the $3.25 million Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront at 12th Street
November 4, 2008	Minutes after being named the winner of the 2008 Presidential election, Barack Obama makes his victory speech on Hutchinson Field in Grant Park before an estimated crowd of 240,000
November 8, 1964	The Rolling Stones record “Time is On My Side” at Chess Records studios
November 8, 1969	Last passenger train leaves Grand Central Station
November 11, 1925	Grant Park Municipal Stadium changes its name to Soldier Field
November 16, 1929	Notre Dame beats USC 13-12 before 112,912 fans at Soldier Field, setting the all-time college football attendance record
November 18, 1960	First McCormick Place Convention Center opens at the Lakefront and 23rd Street; it would burn in January 1967 in part because of a lack of nearby fire hydrants
November 19, 1951	The Stevens Hotel is re-named The Conrad Hilton
December 1, 1968	The Jimi Hendrix Experience performs at the Chicago Coliseum
December 8, 1890	Grand Central Station opens to passenger traffic
December 13, 1908	Chicago Coliseum bombed, believed in protest of First Ward Ball
December 13, 1942	The Stevens Hotel sold to the U.S. Army for $6 million; it was built in 1927 at a cost of $30 million
December 15, 1955	The Congress Expressway opens
December 17, 1938	Ground is broken on the State Street subway; it will not open until October 1943
December 19, 1889	Fr. Augustus Tolton, first African-American Catholic priest, arrives in Chicago to begin his work at St. Mary's Catholic Church
December 31, 1988	Bears play Philadelphia Eagles in “Fog Bowl” NFC Championship game at Soldier Field