Front page flashback:<\/strong> Aug. 28, 1990<\/p>\n 1990: <\/strong>Several of the\u00a0world\u2019s greatest guitarists<\/a> \u2014 Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy<\/a>, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Vaughn\u2019s brother Jimmie \u2014 took the stage together at Alpine Valley Music Theatre<\/a>\u00a0near East Troy, Wisconsin, where they jammed on an extended version of \u201cSweet Home Chicago\u201d as the encore.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was my biggest thrill as a musician, the most incredible show I\u2019ve ever played,\u201d Guy later told the Tribune.<\/p>\n Then they boarded helicopters bound for Chicago\u2019s Midway Airport. Three helicopters, which carried Clapton and other members of the concert entourage, made the trip safely.<\/p>\n The helicopter carrying Stevie Ray Vaughn\u00a0slammed into a ski slope<\/a>\u00a0about one-half mile southeast of the theater. He and four others were killed. Heavy fog was cited as a contributing factor in the crash.<\/p>\n Vaughn\u2019s peers were stunned<\/a>. He was described by Guy as, \u201cThe best I ever saw. He was one of the white cats who was keeping the blues alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Vaughan\u2019s family and the helicopter owner-operator reached a settlement in 1995.<\/p>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1872:<\/strong>\u00a0Aaron Montgomery Ward<\/a>\u00a0established the first major mail-order business on North Clark Street in Chicago.<\/p>\n Wards was the first, but ultimately not the biggest, mail-order business in Chicago. In 1887, Richard Warren Sears<\/a>, who had sold watches in Minneapolis, moved to the city and with the help of Alvah Curtis Roebuck, a watchmaker, began a mail-order business selling watches.<\/p>\n Chicago White Sox pitchers have thrown 20 no-hitters since 1902 \u2014 including 3 perfect games<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1911:<\/strong> Chicago White Sox pitcher Ed Walsh<\/a> threw the first no-hitter at Comiskey Park.<\/p>\n 1955:<\/strong> An explosion at the Standard Oil refinery<\/a> in Whiting destroyed much of the plant and dozens of nearby homes. The explosion occurred as the largest \u201chydroformer\u201d in the United States \u2014 a 26-story-high tank used to convert low-octane gasoline into high-octane gasoline, at what is now a BP refinery \u2014 was being put back into operation after it had been shut down for an examination.<\/p>\n Documentary maker, author will speak on 1955 Standard Oil explosion at Cal College event<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n At least two people were killed<\/a> in the blast and the subsequent fires burned for eight days, fueled by the refinery\u2019s giant oil reserves.<\/p>\n 1959:<\/strong> Opening ceremonies<\/a> of the Pan-American Games<\/a> \u2014 hosted for the first time in the United States \u2014 took place at Soldier Field. Chicago was a late replacement for Cleveland<\/a>, which called off the party in 1957 for financial reasons. Because the 1959 Games were held in the North American summer for the first time (the previous two were in March), the U.S. sent an Olympic-caliber team. The U.S. won 19 of 20 golds in swimming and diving and 26 of 32 in track and field, with swimmer Chris Von Saltza taking five gold medals (three individual, two relays).<\/p>\n 1971:<\/strong> Lillian Hardin Armstrong<\/a>, pianist and former wife of the late Louis Armstrong, collapsed and died while playing \u201cSt. Louis Blues\u201d during a musical salute to her late husband in the Civic Center (now Daley) Plaza.<\/p>\n An\u00a0accomplished pianist and songwriter<\/a> in her own right, she taught her husband of seven years \u2014 trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong \u2014 how to read music. After separating from Louis in 1931, she led two all-women bands and wrote \u201cJust For a Thrill,\u201d which became a hit for Ray Charles.<\/p>\n Armstrong is interred at Lincoln Cemetery<\/a> in Blue Island. A park in the Grand Boulevard area<\/a>, just blocks from the home she formerly shared with her husband at 421 E. 44th St., is named in her honor.<\/p>\n Want more vintage Chicago?<\/p>\n Subscribe to the free\u00a0Vintage Chicago Tribune<\/a>\u00a0newsletter, join our\u00a0Chicagoland history Facebook group,<\/a> stay current with Today in Chicago History<\/a> and follow us on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for more from Chicago\u2019s past.<\/p>\n Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@chicagotribune.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0mmather@chicagotribune.com<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"Blues](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-STEVIE-RAY-VAUGHN-HELICOPTER-CRASH-1990-01-e1787751926624.jpg\")
Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and four others were killed Aug. 27, 1990, when the helicopter in which they were riding crashed into a ski hill near Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin. The helicopter was bound for Chicago’s Midway Airport. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-CTHIST-Tribune-historical-077_229061415.jpg\")
A view of the Montgomery Ward plant at Chicago Avenue and the river, looking east at the Chicago Avenue bridge, circa Aug. 25, 1930. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)<\/p>\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-CTHIST-standard-oil-fire-007_229059593.jpg\")
A massive ball of flame burns at the Standard Oil Co. refinery near Berry Avenue and 129th Street in Whiting, Indiana, on Aug. 27, 1955. A hydroformer, a 26-story-high tank used to covert low-octane gasoline to high-octane gasoline, exploded at the refinery. (John Austad\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Alponse](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ctc-189568943.jpg\")
Alponse Cahue, of Mexico City, stands in Soldier Field on opening day of the Pan-American Games in Chicago, Sept. 2, 1959. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)<\/p>\n![\"Lillian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-CTHIST-Lillian-Hardin-Armstrong_226344145.jpg\")
Lillian Hardin Armstrong plays at Civic Center Plaza in Chicago on Aug. 27, 1971. The former wife of the late Louis Armstrong collapsed while performing and later died at Wesley Memorial Hospital. (Arthur Walker\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n