Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Oct. 21, according to the Tribune’s archives.
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Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 87 degrees (1953)
- Low temperature: 26 degrees (1952)
- Precipitation: 2.28 inches (1933)
- Snowfall: 1.9 inches (1913)
1864: Chicago City Council passed an ordinance that converted a 60-acre tract at the north end of City Cemetery into Lake Park.
Students line up to register for the opening of University of Illinois classes on Navy Pier in October 1945. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
1946: Navy Pier opened the Chicago branch of the University of Illinois to accommodate World War II veterans returning to college on the GI Bill.
Almost 20 years later, the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle campus opened. Its name came from its location — at the circular junction of what became the Kennedy, Eisenhower and Dan Ryan expressways.
Author Saul Bellow, center, leaves his home on Oct. 21, 1976, in Chicago. Bellow had won the Nobel Prize. (George Quinn/Chicago Tribune)
1976: Novelist and University of Chicago professor Saul Bellow won the Nobel Prize for literature.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Nobel Prize winners with Chicago connections
Bellow became the seventh American to win a Nobel Prize in 1976 and the seventh American to win the literature category. He was frazzled the morning of the announcement, but the reason had nothing to do with the award — he was moving.
When asked what the award meant to him, Bellow responded: “It means I can stop thinking about recognition. Now I can think about more serious matters.”
William Perry scores a touchdown for the Chicago Bears in a Monday night football game against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 21, 1985. (Ed Wagner/Chicago Tribune)
1985: “The Bears thrilled the nation with their P-formation,” Tribune reporter Don Pierson wrote.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: 10 memorable moments from the 1985 Bears
Defensive tackle William Perry became an overnight sensation. Inserted at fullback, “The Fridge” scored a touchdown and barreled over Green Bay linebacker George Cumby twice, allowing Walter Payton to score in the Bears’ victory over the Packers.
“I said I wanted to help the team anyway I could,” said Perry, the Bears’ No. 1 pick in the 1985 NFL draft.
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