Front page flashback:<\/strong> Jan. 25, 1947<\/p>\n 1947:<\/strong> Former Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone died<\/a> in Florida.<\/p>\n Syphilis-related complications earned Capone an early release from prison in 1939, after he served seven years\u00a0for tax evasion<\/a>. Almost eight years later and some 1,400 miles away from Chicago, Capone\u2019s final months were spent with family at his\u00a0Palm Island estate\u00a0near Miami.<\/p>\n Al Capone\u2019s final days, death in Florida and burial in Chicago \u2014 why we remember it 75 years later<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1984:<\/strong> Chicago police Officer Dorelle C. Brandon<\/a> \u2014 a six-year veteran of the department \u2014 became the first patrolwoman killed in the line of duty in the city. She was accidentally shot in the head by a partner who meant to save her as she tried to wrestle her gun away from a narcotics suspect on the Far South Side.<\/p>\n A community room at the 3rd District was rededicated in her honor<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n 1993:<\/strong> Sears closed<\/a> its money-losing catalog division, which meant the demise of its storied Big Book. Wish Book \u2014 the department store\u2019s Christmas catalog \u2014 was produced sporadically into the 2010s.<\/p>\n Sears closed its last store in Illinois in 2021.<\/p>\n 1994:<\/strong> The Chicago Wolves<\/a> formed as part of the International Hockey League and would play at the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena).<\/p>\n 2022:<\/strong> The Chicago Bears hired Ryan Poles<\/a> as the team\u2019s new general manager.<\/p>\n After\u00a0taking over as GM<\/a>, Poles spent the first year trading veteran players and shedding expensive contracts while amassing young talent. He executed a blockbuster trade<\/a>\u00a0for the No. 1 draft pick in 2023, a deal that \u2014 with some help from a woeful 2023 Carolina Panthers team \u2014 eventually landed the Bears quarterback Caleb Williams\u00a0with the No. 1 pick<\/a>\u00a0a year later. They also added receiver DJ Moore and\u00a0a handful of additional draft picks<\/a>, which later netted tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, punter Tory Taylor and receiver Luther Burden III.<\/p>\n Poles signed a contract extension<\/a> in July 2025 that keeps him and head coach Ben Johnson with the Bears through the 2029 season.<\/p>\n Want more vintage Chicago?<\/p>\n Subscribe to the free\u00a0Vintage Chicago Tribune<\/a>\u00a0newsletter, join our\u00a0Chicagoland history Facebook group,<\/a>\u00a0stay current with\u00a0Today in Chicago History<\/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\u00a0krumore@chicagotribune.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0mmather@chicagotribune.com<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-AL-CAPONE-DYING-1947-01.jpg\")
Dr. Arthur J. Logie, a chest specialist, confirmed former Chicago gang leader Al Capone had developed pneumonia on Jan. 24, 1947. “I doubt very seriously if there is a chance for recovery. It is impossible to say how long he will last,” Logie told reporters. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-POLICE-OFFICER-DORELLE-BRANDON-1984-01.jpg\")
Chicago police Officer Dorelle C. Brandon was accidentally shot and killed by her partner Jan. 25, 1984 on the Far South Side. She was the first female police officer in the department to die in the line of duty, and also the second officer killed in nine days while making a drug raid. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-CT-ct-sears-christmas-wish-book-51_181940537.jpg\")
A Sears Wish Book catalog from 1968 is displayed Nov. 8, 2017, at the company’s Hoffman Estates headquarters. (Jos\u00e9 M. Osorio\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"(Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-CHICAGO-WOLVES-INAUGURAL-SEASON-AD-1994-01.jpg\")
(Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CTC-L-CT-bears31_182079091.jpg\")
New Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks after being introduced on Jan. 31, 2022, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n