Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Nov. 16, according to the Tribune’s archives.
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Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 73 degrees (1952)
- Low temperature: 6 degrees (1959)
- Precipitation: 1.2 inches (1928)
- Snowfall: 0.9 inches (1920)
Sea lions arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo by train in July 1889. Nineteen of the 21 animals shipped to Chicago from Santa Barbara, California, survived. (Chicago Tribune)
1903: “Big Ben” escaped to Lake Michigan. The 600-pound male sea lion, who arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo from California a year earlier, scaled the 3-foot iron fence around his enclosure and headed 200 yards into the lake. Worried a hunter might shoot the animal, keeper Cyrus DeVry offered a $25 reward for Big Ben’s safe return. The animal was spotted at many different locations, including 2 miles off south Chicago, where he tried to board the dredge tug Mentor. The final sighting was April 25, 1904, when the sea lion’s body was discovered 15 miles south of St. Joseph, Michigan.
Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, from left, Mick Taylor and Keith Richards on Nov. 16, 1969, at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago. Editors note: this historic print shows age damage. (Dave Nystrom/Chicago Tribune)
1969: The Rolling Stones played the International Amphitheatre as part of the band’s first United States tour in three years (a day before the band played two shows at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Three weeks later, the tour would end in tragedy at the Altamont Speedway in California, with an audience member being stabbed and beaten to death by Hells Angels members who had been hired by the Stones to provide security.
The Rolling Stones in Chicago: A timeline of the band’s 55-year fascination with the city’s blues
But in Chicago, the Stones were in prime form, with their hero, Chuck Berry, as one of the opening acts. The band lineup for this tour included guitarist Mick Taylor for the first time, as a replacement for Brian Jones, who died a few months earlier.
Harry Caray puts on a Chicago Cubs hat at a news conference on Nov. 16, 1981, after he signed a two-year contract to broadcast Cubs games. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
1981: Broadcaster Harry Caray brought his antics to the North Side after 11 years as the voice of the Chicago White Sox. Caray signed a two-year contract with WGN radio and television to announce Chicago Cubs games.
“After several weeks of talking and negotiating, we made him an offer about two weeks ago,” said Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. “The money was acceptable to him, but he said he wanted to think about it. That was the first time we had any indication he was anything but anxious to come back.”
Caray remained with the Cubs until his death on Feb. 18, 1998.
Ald. William Henry, 24th, with his car near Independence Square Fountain in Chicago on Aug. 18, 1988. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)
1990: Chicago Ald. William Henry — known at City Hall as “Wild Bill” — was indicted on charges he extorted cash and luxury cars from a car rental firm, took bribes from a West Side janitorial company and put “ghost workers” on the city payroll in exchange for kickbacks.
The West Side politician pleaded not guilty and told reporters that his indictment was a ”smear campaign.” Henry died in 1992, halting the case against him.
Travelers walk through a grandly decorated terminal at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Dec. 3, 2024, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Also in 1990: “Home Alone” premiered. The Tribune gave the modern Christmas classic, which was shot in 62 days in the city and suburbs, three stars.
The film was written and produced by John Hughes (“Sixteen Candles,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “The Breakfast Club” and more), who was by then deep into his oeuvre of using Chicago-area sites to illuminate his scripts. This one arrived after “Uncle Buck” (which was also shot here) and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (which wasn’t) but before “Dutch” and “Curly Sue.”
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Revisiting ‘Home Alone’ sites with the film’s location manager
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