Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 2, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Front page flashback: April 3, 1995
A nearly eight-month strike, which the Tribune called “the most acrimonious and protracted labor dispute in American sports history,” between players and MLB owners ended April 2, 1995. (Chicago Tribune)
1995: After a 4 ½-hour meeting with Major League Baseball owners at the O’Hare Hilton in Chicago, acting Commissioner Bud Selig said a nearly eight-month baseball strike was over. A 144-game season was scheduled to begin April 26.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 82 degrees (1963)
- Low temperature: 18 degrees (1899)
- Precipitation: 1.64 inches (1983)
- Snowfall: 9.4 inches (1975)
Nearly four months after federal agents arrested him, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was indicted on April 2, 2009, on 16 counts of racketeering, fraud and extortion. He pleaded not guilty. (Chicago Tribune)
2009: A federal grand jury indicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 16 counts, including racketeering, fraud and extortion. Also indicted were his brother, Robert (his charges were later dropped); a close friend and fundraiser, Chris Kelly; his chief of staff, John Harris; and a former chief of staff, Alonzo Monk.
Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, left, and head coach Lovie Smith, right, introduce new quarterback Jay Cutler at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on April 3, 2009. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Also in 2009: The Chicago Bears traded quarterback Kyle Orton, plus a first-round pick and a third-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and a first-round pick in the 2010 draft to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler.
Rich Koz as Svengoolie, circa 1982. (Chicago Tribune archive)
2011: “Svengoolie” went national. The show was broadcast across the country on Weigel Broadcasting’s Me-TV network for the first time.
Lori Lightfoot appears at an election night party at the Hilton Chicago hotel on April 2, 2019, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
2019: Lori Lightfoot became the first Black woman and first openly gay person elected mayor of Chicago.
Want more vintage Chicago?
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@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com