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This Date in the History of Chicago's South Loop
Chicago's South Loop is a vibrant residential, cultural, educational and entertainment area with an amazing history. Situated just south of downtown Chicago-- roughly bounded by Congress Parkway on the north, the Chicago River South Branch on the west, the Stevenson Expressway on the south, and Lake Michigan on the east-- the area contains gleaming high-rises and reclaimed industrial spaces where sometimes unknown, but fascinating history occurred.
January
January 4, 1888
| The Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Company is incorporated under the general railroad laws of the State of Illinois
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January 5, 1986
| The Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 21-0 at Soldier Field to advance to the NFC Championship game
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January 6, 1958
| Chuck Berry records "Johnny B. Goode" at Chess Records studios; a 2004 Rolling Stone magazine survey ranked it #7 best Rock and Roll song ever
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January 10, 1964
| Congress Expressway officially re-named to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower
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January 11, 1963
| Blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II records "Bring It On Home" at Chess Records studios at 2120 S. Michigan; part of song is used by Led Zeppelin on their second album, band settled lawsuit for not including songwriting credit
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January 12, 1986
| Chicago Bears defeat the Los Angeles Rams 24-0 before 63,522 at Soldier Field to advance to Superbowl XX
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January 16, 1967
| Fire destroys the first McCormick Place convention center, killing one worker
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January 18, 1909
| Theatrical manager William Morris opens The American Music Hall at 8th and Wabash to show independent vaudeville shows
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January 19, 2002
| Demolition begins on Soldier Field redevelopment following Bears playoff game
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January 22, 1893
| The South Side Elevated structure is completed to 63rd Street, allowing service from Congress to 61st Street station
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January 22, 1957
| Joffrey Ballet performs at the Eighth Street Theater, its first performance in a major city; several decades later the Joffrey makes its home in Chicago
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February
February 6, 1956
| The Chicago Defender begins daily publication
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February 9, 2009
| Polk Street entrance to CTA's Harrison Street subway station re-opened after nearly 41 years due to rapid neighborhood gentrification
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February 17, 1917
| 12,000 peace activists assemble in Coliseum to adopt resolution urging national referendum vote of the people before entering World War I
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February 17, 2003
| 21 people are trampled to death and more than 50 injured in stampede at Epitome Nightclub at 2347 South Michigan Avenue after pepper spray causes panic
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February 22, 1897
| John Alexander Dowie opens Tabernacle No. 3 on Michigan Ave. near 16th St. before 8,000 spectators
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February 27, 1926
| Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five demonstrates the musical recording process at “Okeh Race Record Artist’s Night” at the Chicago Coliseum
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February 27, 1963
| Malcolm X speaks to Black Muslims at Chicago Coliseum, proclaiming "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his apostle."
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February 29, 1940
| Robert S. Abbott, publisher of The Chicago Defender, dies of Bright's Disease
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March
March 4, 1837
| Chicago is incorporated as a city with approximately 3600 residents; reaches 1 million inhabitants 53 years later and 3.4 million by 1930
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March 5, 1972
| Last passenger train leaves Illinois Central Station
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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
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March 12, 1971
| James Taylor and Carole King perform at the Chicago Coliseum, venue closed for multiple fire code violations the next day
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March 14, 1933
| Grammy award winning musician, producer and arranger Quincy Jones born at St. Luke's Hospital in South Loop
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March 16, 1963
| Zephyrs play their last game at Chicago Coliseum, losing to Cincinnati Royals 126-117; team moves to Baltimore the following season
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March 23, 1901
| First Chicago Auto Show opens for eight days at the Chicago Coliseum; one of nation's major annual auto shows held in Coliseum for next 35 years
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March 23, 1967
| Last NBA game at Chicago Coliseum when Chicago Bulls forced to move playoff game because of Stadium booking; Bulls lose to St. Louis Hawks 113-107 before 3739
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March 24, 1956
| Bo Diddley records "Who Do You Love?" for Chess Records; song was covered by dozens of artists and ranked #132 best rock song ever by Rolling Stone magazine
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March 25, 1929
| At welterweight boxing championship at the Chicago Coliseum between African-American Young Jack Thompson and hometown Jewish boxer Jackie Fields, balcony railing gives way when racial slurs lead to altercation, killing one person and injuring 35
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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
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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
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March 28, 1929
| The Chicago Stadium opens to the public with a boxing match between Tommy Loughran and Mickey Walker, thus ending 30 years of the Chicago Coliseum serving as primary indoor venue in the city
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March 30, 2003
| Mayor Richard M. Daley orders closing and destruction of Meigs Field in the early morning hours
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April
April 16, 1956
| Chuck Berry records “Roll Over Beethoven” for Chess Records; covered by many other artists, Rolling Stone magazine ranked #97 on list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
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April 19, 1924
| First broadcast of the WLS Barn Dance, the show that spawned The Grand Ole Opry; the show would later have a 25-year run at the Eighth Street Theater beginning in 1932
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April 21, 1986
| Millions tune in to Geraldo Rivera's live syndicated TV special broadcast to open the "secret vault" of Al Capone in the basement of the abandoned Lexington Hotel at 2135 S. Michigan; nothing was found besides some empty bottles and unrelated artifacts
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April 23, 1893
| South Side Elevated service extended to Dorchester and 63rd, accessible by a walkway to the World's Fair
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April 25, 1859
| Chicago’s first street car line, drawn by horses, opens on State Street between Madison and Roosevelt
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April 27, 1968
| The Mothers of Invention (featuring Frank Zappa) open for Cream at the Chicago Coliseum
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April 30, 1971
| Last day of long distance passenger railroad service at Dearborn Station and Illinois Central Station as Amtrak begins service the following day with arrivals and departures consolidated at Union Station
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May
May 2, 1921
| The Field Museum opens as the first institution in what will become the Museum Campus
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May 2, 1927
| The Stevens Hotel (now the Chicago Hilton) opens as the World's Largest Hotel
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May 5, 1905
| Robert S. Abbott publishes the first edition of The Chicago Defender
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May 6, 1933
| Demolition begins on Bucklen Flats apartment building; prestigious address of the 1890s, demolished for taxes in the Depression
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May 10, 1930
| The Adler Planetarium, the first institution of its kind in the United States, officially opens on the lakefront on Northerly Island
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May 10, 1968
| Rock band The Doors perform at the Chicago Coliseum
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May 11, 1920
| Brothel and cafe owner Big Jim Colosimo killed by a gunman in Colosimo's nightclub at 2126 S. Wabash
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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
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May 15, 1917
| The Chicago Defender proclaims this the date of the "Great Northern Drive," when African-American Southerners are urged to move North
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May 17, 2000
| The Field Museum unveils “Sue,” the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever discovered
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May 21, 1955
| Chuck Berry has his first recording session at Chess Records studios, including "Maybellene," which hits #1 on the R&B charts and #5 overall
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May 27, 1933
| Century of Progress World’s Fair opens on 427 acre lakefront site between 12th and 39th Streets
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May 30, 1930
| The John G. Shedd Aquarium officially opens on the lakefront at 12th Street
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June
June 3, 1965
| President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks at the Cook County Democratic Party Dinner at the first McCormick Place
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June 6, 1892
| First Chicago Elevated line opens to the public from State and Congress to 39th and State
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June 7, 1916
| 1916 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates Charles Evans Hughes of New York
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June 10, 1964
| The Rolling Stones begin their first recording session at Chess Records studios, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue
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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
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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
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June 17, 1994
| Opening ceremonies for soccer's 1994 World Cup held at Soldier Field, Oprah Winfrey is the emcee and Diana Ross performs
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June 18, 1912
| Republican National Convention of 1912 opens at Chicago Coliseum, re-nominates William Howard Taft over former President Theodore Roosevelt
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June 18, 1969
| Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) begins five-day national convention in Chicago Coliseum
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June 19, 1977
| Pink Floyd performs at Soldier Field
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June 21, 1904
| 1904 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates President Theodore Roosevelt
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June 22, 1908
| Chicago street numbering system revised to count blocks from the corner of State and Madison, with 800 address units per mile
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June 22, 1991
| The Grateful Dead perform the first of their yearly concerts at Soldier Field from 1991-95, the last of which was only one month before the death of founder and leader Jerry Garcia
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June 25, 1959
| Pentecostal evangelist A.A. Allen begins a one month "miracle revival" at the Chicago Coliseum with three services daily, promising "Signs! Wonders! Miracles!"
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June 26, 1902
| The Volunteers of America hold free picnic for thousands of Chicago newsboys at the 7th Regiment Amory (formerly the Gettysburg Cyclorama) at Wabash and 7th Street (Balbo)
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June 27, 1919
| Race riot breaks out when swimmers from African American beach at 25th street drift on raft to White beach at 29th Street; Violence lasts for 13 days resulting in 38 dead, 537 injured, and thousands made homeless
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June 27, 1968
| Polk Street entrance to Harrison Street subway station closed for safety concerns in rapidly declining neighborhood; re-opens nearly 41 years later after neighborhood experiences dramatic gentrification
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June 27, 1997
| Rock group U2 performs first concert of three consecutive nights at Soldier Field; band returns to the venue in 2009 and 2011
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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 (the elevated lines) to place it in receivership
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July
July 4, 1909
| Daniel Burnham issues his 164-page illustrated “Plan of Chicago,” calling for Northerly Island, the widening of Congress Parkway, the straightening of the Chicago River, and many other changes to Chicago and the South Loop
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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
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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
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July 8, 1978
| The Rolling Stones perform at sold out Soldier Field with warm-up acts Journey and Peter Tosh; The Stones return for six more concerts in 1994, 1997, 2005 and 2006
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July 9, 1932
| Former Congressman and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld born at St. Luke's Hospital in South Loop
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July 9, 1995
| The Grateful Dead end their summer tour with a performance at Soldier Field; it would be the last performance of the group with founder Jerry Garcia, who died exactly one month later
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July 12, 1994
| Rock group Pink Floyd performs at Soldier Field
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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 is renamed in his honor
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July 15, 1943
| U.S. Army announces relinquishment of The Stevens Hotel and The Congress Hotel
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July 16, 1908
| 1908 Republican National Convention opens at Chicago Coliseum, nominates William Howard Taft
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July 18, 1970
| The Stooges open for the MC5 in concert at Soldier Field
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July 24, 1954
| Perry Como, Nat "King" Cole, Patti Page and several other acts perform before 40,000 on "Star Night" at Soldier Field
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July 29, 1990
| Former Beatle Paul McCartney performs at a sold out show at Soldier Field
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July 31, 1987
| Singer Madonna performs at Soldier Field concert
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August
August 1, 1942
| U.S. Army takes over Stevens Hotel, using the 3,000-room hotel for barracks, offices, and training for military recruits
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August 5, 1912
| 1912 Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party convention begins at the Chicago Coliseum
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August 5, 1933
| Piccard-Compton Stratosphere Balloon is launched at the Century of Progress World’s Fair before 60,000 spectators at Soldier Field; the balloon crashes minutes later because of an open valve
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August 6, 1912
| Theodore Roosevelt addresses the 1912 Progressive Party convention at the Chicago Coliseum and accepts the new party's presidential nomination
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August 9, 1922
| Louis Armstrong arrives in Chicago for the first time at Illinois Central Station
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August 9, 1985
| Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at Soldier Field
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August 9, 1991
| African-American comedy club All Jokes Aside opens at 1000 S. Wabash and helps re-vitalize neighborhood while launching careers of Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, and many other comics
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August 10, 1956
| The Congress Expressway, envisioned in Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago, opens from Ashland Avenue to Grant Park
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August 12, 1833
| The Town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350
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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
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August 13, 1927
| Dinner is held to honor aviation hero Charles Lindburgh at The Stevens Hotel
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August 13, 1935
| The first roller derby is held at Chicago Coliseum
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August 15, 1812
| 28 soldiers and 14 civilians were killed near what is now 18th Street and Prairie Avenue, in a War of 1812 skirmish with Native Americans known as the Fort Dearborn Massacre
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August 15, 1942
| U.S. Army announces acquisition of Chicago Coliseum, Hotel Stevens, and Eighth Street Theater for use in military training
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August 15, 1964
| Johnny Cash performs at Soldier Field
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August 25, 1900
| Chicago Coliseum dedicated in Saturday night gala before 10,000 with dignitaries and Grand Army encampment singing war songs
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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
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August 26, 1940
| 4000 people attend the Miss Bronze America contest at the American Negro Exposition in the Chicago Coliseum; Duke Ellington plays for the audience and crowns the winner, Miss Miriam Ali
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August 26, 1968
| 1968 Democratic National Convention officially opens at the International Amphitheater; most delegates stay at the Conrad Hilton Hotel
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August 27, 1968
| Yippies hold “Unbirthday Party for LBJ” at Chicago Coliseum, half of the 4000 in attendance march to Grant Park
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August 28, 1899
| Twelve steel arches weighing 33 tons each collapse during construction of the Chicago Coliseum killing 11 workmen and injuring nearly a dozen others
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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”
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August 31, 1957
| Final live performance of the WLS Barn Dance at the Eighth Street Theater
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September
September 1, 1940
| Paul Robeson sings on the second to last day of the American Negro Exhibition at the Chicago Coliseum
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September 1, 1965
| Southwest Expressway officially re-named in honor of former Illinois Governor Adlai E. Stevenson shortly after his death; extension from Dan Ryan Expressway to Lake Shore Drive opens the following year
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September 2, 1940
| The American Negro Exposition at the Chicago Coliseum closes
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September 8, 1954
| An estimated 260,000 fill Soldier Field for Catholic Church Marian Year Tribute
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September 8, 1956
| Maurice Cheeks, 4-time NBA All Star and former NBA head coach, born at St. Luke's Hospital in South Loop
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September 9, 1893
| Fire on top floor at Bucklen Flats apartment building at 800 S. Michigan causes $10,000 damage; fire started in laboratory making patent medicine
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September 9, 1977
| Cermak Road elevated station, one of Chicago's 10 original elevated stations, closes due to neighborhood deterioration; leaves gap of 2 1/2 miles (between Roosevelt Road and 35th Street) without a rail station on city's first elevated line
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September 19, 1970
| The final boxing match is held at the Chicago Coliseum as middleweight Luis Galvan knocks out Bob Harrington in the 9th Round; 1947 was the peak year for boxing at the venue with over 50 bouts on 11 days
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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
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September 22, 1939
| All-American Championship Walkathon begins at Chicago Coliseum with 40 couples competing for endurance prizes of "up to $1500"; competition broadcast nightly on WIND radio
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September 22, 1927
| Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney meet in controversial fight for the World’s heavyweight championship before 104,000 at Soldier Field
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September 29, 2003
| Bears return to redesigned Soldier Field in a Monday night game against arch-rival Green Bay
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October
October 1, 1947
| Chicago Transit Authority begins operation of the city's transit system
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October 3, 1897
| Official opening of the Chicago Loop elevated structure; facilitates transfers to other elevated lines serving North, Northwest, and West Sides of the city
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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
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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 but serves as refuge for victims
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October 9, 1871
| St. Mary's Church at 9th and Wabash is opened to shelter victims of the Great Chicago Fire
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October 13, 1968
| Rock band Cream performs at the Chicago Coliseum on their farewell tour
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October 17, 1931
| South Loop resident Al Capone is convicted of tax evasion and receives an 11-year sentence
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October 17, 1943
| State Street subway opens to the public
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October 20, 1962
| First NBA game at Coliseum as Chicago Zephyrs beat Oscar Robertson's Cincinnati Royals 113-109
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October 22, 1883
| The 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 12 years
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October 23, 1904
| Will Rogers makes his vaudeville debut at Cleveland's New Theater (formerly the Gettysburg Cyclorama) at Wabash Ave. and Hubbard Court (later known as 7th Street and Balbo Drive)
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October 24, 2006
| The Wirt Dexter Building (built 1887) at 630 S. Wabash, one of the oldest surviving Adler and Sullivan designed buildings, is destroyed by fire
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October 26, 1933
| German airship Graf Zeppelin visits Century of Progress World’s Fair
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October 31, 1903
| Cleveland's New Theater opens at 700 S. Wabash with a play called "Magda," featuring 21-year old John Barrymore in his stage debut
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October 31, 1934
| Century of Progress World’s Fair closes; the fair attracts 48.8 million visitors over its successful two-year run
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November
November 2, 1927
| Construction begins on the $3.25 million Shedd Aquarium on the lakefront at 12th Street
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November 3, 1968
| The Doors play a Sunday afternoon concert at the Chicago Coliseum without incident, in contrast to the near riot at the same venue only six months earlier
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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
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November 7, 2012
| President Barack Obama delivers his 2012 election victory speech at McCormick Place just after midnight
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November 8, 1964
| The Rolling Stones record “Time is On My Side” at Chess Records studios, 2120 S. Michigan Ave.
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November 8, 1969
| Last passenger train leaves Grand Central Station
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November 11, 1925
| Grant Park Municipal Stadium officially changes its name to Soldier Field
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November 16, 1929
| Notre Dame beats USC 13-12 before 112,912 fans at Soldier Field, setting the all-time college football single game attendance record
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November 17, 1926
| Chicago Blackhawks play their first ever game at Chicago Coliseum, defeating Toronto St. Pats 4-1
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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
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November 19, 1951
| The Stevens Hotel is officially re-named The Conrad Hilton
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November 22, 1903
| 15,000 striking Chicago City Railway workers and supporters converge at Tattersall's Hall (1600 S. Dearborn) to rally against streetcar and cable car owners
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November 22, 1905
| Marshall Field, Jr. suffers fatal gunshot, dies five days later at age 37; Official story claims self-inflicted wound while cleaning hunting gun, but rumors allege wound suffered at nearby Everleigh Club brothel
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November 27, 1970
| The Grateful Dead play at the Chicago Coliseum (known as “The Syndrome” for rock concerts)
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November 28, 1895
| First motor car race in the US held from Hyde Park to Evanston and back on a 50-mile course (including Michigan Avenue through the South Loop); only 6 of 89 cars finish race, won by Duryea gas engine car (Duryea sell most cars, 13, of US maker the following year)
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November 30, 1934
| Undefeated Joe Louis KOs Charley Massera in 3rd round of heavyweight bout at Chicago Coliseum to win his 11th professional fight
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December
December 1, 1968
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience performs at the Chicago Coliseum
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December 3, 1926
| Mickey Walker defeats African-American middleweight champ Tiger Flowers at Chicago Coliseum in controversial referee decision; boxing commission orders re-match, but Flowers dies during eye surgery several months later
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December 7, 1949
| Construction begins on Congress Expressway; the major east-west central thoroughfare was envisioned in Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago
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December 8, 1890
| Grand Central Station opens to passenger traffic
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December 12, 1929
| Blackhawks play last game at Chicago Coliseum, defeating Montreal Maroons 4-3; three days later team begins playing at Chicago Stadium for 65-year run
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December 13, 1900
| Terry McGovern knocks out boxing legend Joe Gans in the 2nd Round at Tattersall's Hall (1600 S. Dearborn), leading to allegations of a "fix" and a 25-year ban on professional boxing in Illinois
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December 13, 1908
| Chicago Coliseum bombed, believed in protest of First Ward Ball
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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
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December 15, 1955
| The Congress Expressway opens from Laramie Avenue to Ashland Avenue; remaining section to Grant Park opens eight months later
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December 17, 1938
| Ground is broken on the State Street subway; the outbreak of World War II delays its opening until October 1943
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December 19, 1889
| Fr. Augustus Tolton, first African-American Catholic priest, arrives in Chicago to begin his work at St. Mary's Catholic Church
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December 21, 1898
| Candy magnate and Alderman Charles Gunther announces plans to build new Chicago Coliseum on site of his Libby Prison Civil War Museum
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December 31, 1910
| The Blackstone Theater on Balbo at Wabash opens for the first time
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December 31, 1988
| Chicago Bears play Philadelphia Eagles in “Fog Bowl” NFC Championship game at Soldier Field
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