Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1893:<\/strong> The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse<\/a>, a 48-foot brick tower with a 10-sided cast-iron lantern, began operation at the mouth of the Chicago River. The lighthouse was moved east of Navy Pier in 1917 after the extension of the breakwater was completed. A fog-signal room and a boathouse were added on opposite sides.<\/p>\n The only lighthouse in the city, it still flashes a red beacon but became automated in 1979. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, then granted landmark status<\/a> in 2003. It\u2019s featured in a relief sculpture titled The Spirit of the Waters<\/a>\u00a0near the LaSalle Street entrance to City Hall.<\/p>\n Ownership was transferred<\/a> from the U.S. Coast Guard to the city for free in 2009, as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.<\/p>\n 1913:<\/strong> The \u201cWhite Hurricane\u201d<\/a> \u2014 one of the strongest and deadliest storms to ever hit the Great Lakes \u2014 battered the Great Lakes with hurricane-force winds, towering waves and blizzard conditions.<\/p>\n The storm sank at least a dozen ships, eight of them on Lake Huron, while damaging or grounding 40 others and claiming more than 250 lives, according to Tom Skilling<\/a>, former WGN-TV chief meteorologist.<\/p>\n Snow wasn\u2019t an issue in Chicago, but wind was<\/a>. Lincoln Park officials estimated $200,000 in damage \u2014 \u201cthe cost to the big project of filling in new land east of the park,\u201d the Tribune reported.<\/p>\n 1968:<\/strong> A 5.3-magnitude earthquake<\/a> struck southern Illinois and was felt in more than 20 states. It\u2019s the strongest on record<\/a> in the state.<\/p>\n 2015:<\/strong> Six stores sold medical marijuana legally<\/a> in the state of Illinois for the first time.<\/p>\n Illinois residents purchased marijuana legally for recreational use<\/a> starting Jan. 1, 2020.<\/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\n
![\"Ice](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CTC-L-Tribune-POY-weather-04_213213550.jpg\")
Ice forms around the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse on Lake Michigan after sunrise on Jan. 21, 2024, following a week with temperatures around zero. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CTC-L-WINTER-HURRICANE-1913-WAVE-HEIGHT-01.jpg\")
In this image by the National Weather Service, maximum wave heights on Lake Michigan during the “White Hurricane” from Nov. 7-10, 1913, reached 24 feet near Chicago. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Shortly](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CTC-L-EARTHQUAKE-1968-01.jpg\")
Shortly after 11 a.m. on Nov. 9, 1968, Chicagoans felt vibrations associated with an earthquake that originated downstate. The 5.3-magnitude tremor was the strongest on record in the state of Illinois. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Patients](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CTC-L-CT-ct-illinois-medical-marijuana-first-day-met-2-2_181813415.jpg\")
Patients register with The Clinic Mundelein for access to medical marijuana on Nov. 9, 2015, in Mundelein. There was a waiting list of 96 patients when the doors opened. (Brian Nguyen\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n