Front page flashback:<\/strong> Jan. 7, 2021<\/p>\n People loyal to Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building<\/a>, halting Congress\u2019 counting of the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Jo Biden\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n Nationwide, more than 1,500 people were arrested in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on charges stemming from the Capitol breach, an investigation that has been described by prosecutors as the largest criminal probe in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n After his inauguration in January 2025, however, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences<\/a> of everyone involved.<\/p>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1918:<\/strong> A two-day blizzard<\/a> (which began on this day) dropped 14.9 inches of snow on Chicago. It\u2019s the ninth largest snowstorm in the city\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Almost 14 inches fell on the first day of the storm, which the Tribune described as\u00a0\u201cone-third the snowfall of the year 1917 and almost half that of 1915.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0The newly fallen snow topped more than 4 inches already blanketing the ground.<\/p>\n Chicago\u2019s 10 largest snowfalls since 1886 \u2014 and how the Tribune covered them<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Hundreds of vehicles stalled in drifts up to 6 feet deep, downed telephone and telegraph wires blocked communication with cities including Indianapolis and more than 300 men were enlisted to clear snow in the Loop, becoming exhausted by winds that registered 44 mph there, according to the Weather Bureau (known as the National Weather Service today).<\/p>\n Deliveries of food, milk and coal were impossible<\/a>\u00a0due to the conditions, and the city couldn\u2019t clear the roads despite \u201cthe employment of 2,200 laborers, 631 teams and seven snow plows.\u201d So, the call was put out for men and students dismissed from school to help with the effort.<\/p>\n 1976:<\/strong> Evelyn Carmon Nicol<\/a> received a U.S. patent for urokinase production. The Kentucky native was a highly respected immunologist for local companies Abbott and Baxter and one of the few Black women to be awarded a patent in the sciences.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Inventions and innovations by Black Chicagoans<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The first time her name appeared in the Tribune, however, was after she\u00a0died from complications of the coronavirus<\/a>\u00a0in 2020. Yet, thanks to her own meticulously kept records, Nicol\u2019s life story and incredible accomplishments can continue to be told for generations.<\/p>\n 2019:\u00a0<\/strong>The Chicago Bears pulled ahead 15-10 against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wild card game on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Trubisky to Allen Robinson with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter. The Bears\u2019 vaunted defense almost closed things out, stopping the Eagles on three consecutive plays from the 2-yard line in the game\u2019s final 2 minutes.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Bears playoff appearances \u2014 including the \u2018Sneakers Game,\u2019 the \u2018Fog Bowl\u2019 and \u2018Double Doink\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n But on fourth-and-goal with 1:01 left, Nick Foles hit Golden Tate on a sprint-out to the right, and the Eagles surged ahead. Tarik Cohen returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards, and Trubisky pinpointed his second pass on the final drive for a 25-yard completion to Robinson, putting the Bears quickly into field-goal range.<\/p>\n Chicago Bears kicker\u00a0Cody Parkey<\/a>\u00a0nailed a 43-yard kick with 10 seconds left \u2014 only he would have to try once more because the Eagles canceled it with a timeout. His second attempt clanked off the uprights \u2014 hitting the left upright before bouncing off the crossbar. Parkey\u2019s\u00a0\u201cdouble doink\u201d<\/a>\u00a0cost the Bears the game and a chance to advance in the playoffs.<\/p>\n 49 people from Illinois have been charged for taking part in the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2021:<\/strong> At least 49 people from Illinois<\/a> were accused and convicted as part of the ongoing investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which prosecutors have described as one of the largest criminal investigations in American history.<\/p>\n Feds begin dismissing Jan. 6 cases against Illinoisans after President Trump issues blanket pardon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Want more vintage Chicago?<\/p>\n Subscribe to the free\u00a0Vintage Chicago Tribune<\/a>\u00a0newsletter, join our\u00a0Chicagoland history Facebook group<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Instagram<\/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![\"More](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-US-CAPITOL-ATTACK-2021-01.jpg\")
More than 1,500 people were arrested after supporters of President Donald Trump marched on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and interrupted the peaceful transfer of power after Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-CHICAGO-SNOWSTORM-JANUARY-1918-01.jpg\")
Chicago residents were encouraged to dig out their streets in order to help milk and fuel trucks get to their destinations in early January 1918. Almost 15 inches of snow \u2014 the ninth-largest snowstorm in the city’s history \u2014 fell Jan. 6-7, 1918. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Evelyn](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ctc-l-nicol-abbotjpg-CT0134222594.jpg\")
Evelyn Nicol at Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago in an undated photo. (Karen Nicol)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ctc-182039457.jpg\")
Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey (1) misses the potential game-winning kick on Jan. 6, 2019, in an NFC Wild Card playoff game at Soldier Field. The Bears lost to the Eagles, 16-15. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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