{"id":589944,"date":"2026-02-14T18:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T18:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/589944\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T18:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T18:09:16","slug":"today-in-chicago-history-st-valentines-day-massacre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/589944\/","title":{"rendered":"Today in Chicago History: St. Valentine&#8217;s Day Massacre"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Feb. 14, according to the Tribune\u2019s archives.<\/p>\n<p>Is an important event missing from this date? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/02\/14\/february-14-chicago-history\/mailto:krumore@chicagotribune.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Email us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"J1mq8bbPQy\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/02\/09\/chicago-valentines-day-weather\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Valentine\u2019s Day in Chicago: The warmest, coldest, snowiest and wettest weather since 1871<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Front page flashback:<\/strong> Feb. 15, 2008<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Five people died after a shooter dressed in black stormed the auditorium stage of an oceanography class inside Cole Hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb on Feb. 14, 2008. The gunman, later identified as a former graduate student, then killed himself. (Chicago Tribune)\" width=\"2212\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/CTC-L-NORTHERN-ILLINOIS-UNIVERSITY-SHOOTING-2008-01.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"17964479\" \/>Five people died after a shooter dressed in black stormed the auditorium stage of an oceanography class inside Cole Hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb on Feb. 14, 2008. The gunman, later identified as a former graduate student, then killed himself. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n<p><strong>2008:<\/strong>\u00a0A former student dressed in black walked onto the stage of a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University and opened fire on a packed class; Steven Kazmierczak <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2008\/02\/15\/6-dead-in-niu-shooting-2\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">killed five students<\/a> before committing suicide.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Weather records <\/strong>(from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weather.gov\/wrh\/climate?wfo=lot\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>High temperature: <strong>62 degrees<\/strong> (1954)<\/li>\n<li>Low temperature: <strong>Minus 11 degrees<\/strong> (1905)<\/li>\n<li>Precipitation: <strong>0.94 inches<\/strong> (1950)<\/li>\n<li>Snowfall: <strong>8.3 inches<\/strong> (1990)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>1920:<\/strong> The League of Women Voters was <a href=\"https:\/\/chicagotribune.newspapers.com\/article\/chicago-tribune-party-equality-with-the\/165288753\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">founded<\/a> in Chicago; its first president was Maud Wood Park.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"GqaktGpNbO\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2016\/03\/08\/women-get-the-vote\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Women get the vote<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Seven men were gunned down in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, a hit believed ordered by Al Capone in an attempt to wipe out rival George &quot;Bugs&quot; Moran. (Chicago Tribune archive)\" width=\"2060\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ctc-tommy-gun-11jpg-CT0021837626.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"17730871\" \/>Seven men were gunned down in the St. Valentine&#8217;s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, a hit believed ordered by Al Capone in an attempt to wipe out rival George &#8220;Bugs&#8221; Moran. (Chicago Tribune archive)<\/p>\n<p><strong>1929: <\/strong>Seven men, suspected to be members of George \u201cBugs\u201d Moran\u2019s gang, were lined up against the wall of a garage on Clark Street, the gang\u2019s headquarters, and killed by rivals\u2019 machine guns in what became known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/enews.chicagotribune.com\/q\/7yPs5JQN3jx0Yre0DP42CsvLFZ2D6n_ld867ZcOJa2pydW1vcmVAZ21haWwuY29tw4gL0M1BtnYdKBLmGvsqaymIOSdFNA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/enews.chicagotribune.com\/q\/7yPs5JQN3jx0Yre0DP42CsvLFZ2D6n_ld867ZcOJa2pydW1vcmVAZ21haWwuY29tw4gL0M1BtnYdKBLmGvsqaymIOSdFNA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1739454120765000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-Zd06EdJETkAfSYB2e-D7\">St. Valentine\u2019s Day Massacre<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It became the most infamous of all gangland slayings in America, and it savagely achieved its purpose \u2014 the elimination of the last challenge to Al Capone for the mantle of crime boss in\u00a0Chicago.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"It took Sugar Ray Robinson 13 rounds to beat Jake LaMotta to claim the world middle weight title in front of more than 14,000 fans at Chicago Stadium on Feb. 14, 1951. (Chicago Tribune archive)\" width=\"3948\" height=\"417\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/CTC-L-ROBINSON-LAMOTTA-1951-CT0021825227.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"17964492\" \/>It took Sugar Ray Robinson 13 rounds to beat Jake LaMotta to claim the world middle weight title in front of more than 14,000 fans at Chicago Stadium on Feb. 14, 1951. (Chicago Tribune archive)<\/p>\n<p><strong>1951:<\/strong> \u201cSt. Valentine\u2019s Day Massacre II.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/1989\/04\/16\/pound-for-pound-sugar-ray-was-the-best\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sugar Ray Robinson<\/a> won the <a href=\"https:\/\/chicagotribune.newspapers.com\/article\/chicago-tribune-sugar-ray-robinson-wins\/165291722\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">middleweight championship<\/a> from \u201cRaging Bull\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2017\/09\/20\/jake-lamotta-the-boxer-immortalized-in-raging-bull-dies-at-95\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jake LaMotta<\/a> on a 13th-round TKO at Chicago Stadium. LaMotta, who had never been knocked down, preserved that record.<\/p>\n<p>LaMotta won only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/1990\/08\/19\/fight-nights-and-days\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">one of his six fights<\/a> with Robinson and once observed, \u201cI fought Sugar Ray so many times it\u2019s a wonder I didn\u2019t get diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Striking firefighters keep to their picket lines around the city's 120 firehouses on Feb. 14, 1980. (Armando Villa\/Chicago Tribune) \" width=\"6115\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ctc-strikingjpg-CT0052439684.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"17966017\" \/>Striking firefighters keep to their picket lines around the city&#8217;s 120 firehouses on Feb. 14, 1980. (Armando Villa\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n<p><strong>1980:<\/strong> City firefighters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2020\/02\/07\/flashback-chicagos-first-firefighters-strike-created-a-battle-line-between-brothers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">went on strike<\/a> for the first and only time as the department\u2019s first female recruit \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/1995\/12\/22\/for-city-firefighters-a-new-barrier-falls\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lauren Howard<\/a> \u2014 began her career.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"Chicago Streets and Sanitation trucks were hampered by heavily congested traffic during a snowstorm on Feb. 14, 1990, that had snowfall of up to 1 inch per hour in some places. (Chicago Tribune)\" width=\"1836\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/CTC-L-SNOWSTORM-FEBRUARY-1990-01.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"17964465\" \/>Chicago Streets and Sanitation trucks were hampered by heavily congested traffic during a snowstorm on Feb. 14, 1990, that had snowfall of up to 1 inch per hour in some places. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n<p><strong>1990:<\/strong> Snow began falling in the early afternoon and quickly increased in intensity, with visibility dropping to near zero. It peaked during the evening commute as northeast winds reached more than 20 mph.<\/p>\n<p>Normal one-hour commutes turned into ordeals lasting hours longer. O\u2019Hare airport closed at 7:30 p.m. after a jet slid off a runway while attempting departure.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Richard M. Daley received criticism after the 10-inch snowfall was met with a slow response by the city\u2019s snow removal crews.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think this is going to cost me my job,\u201d Daley said, adding, \u201cI\u2019m not going to run and hide. I\u2019m the mayor of Chicago, and I accept responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"1juB33aUoD\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2023\/02\/16\/vintage-chicago-tribune-michael-jordan-23-stories-about-no-23\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vintage Chicago Tribune: Michael Jordan \u2014 23 stories about No. 23<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Also in 1990:<\/strong> Michael Jordan <a href=\"https:\/\/chicagotribune.newspapers.com\/article\/chicago-tribune-orlando-magic-has-the-bu\/164393111\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wore No. 12<\/a> after his No. 23 jersey was believed to be stolen. He scored 49 points in an overtime loss to the Orlando Magic.<\/p>\n<p>Want more vintage Chicago?<\/p>\n<p>Subscribe to the free\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/membership.chicagotribune.com\/newsletters\/subscribe\/lid\/2d8200fe-eefd-4f1d-bcaa-26a0ce79a461\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/membership.chicagotribune.com\/newsletters\/subscribe\/lid\/2d8200fe-eefd-4f1d-bcaa-26a0ce79a461\">Vintage Chicago Tribune<\/a>\u00a0newsletter, join our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/762760217263236\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/762760217263236\/\">Chicagoland history Facebook group,<\/a> stay current with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/tag\/chicago-history\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Today in Chicago History<\/a> and follow us on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vintagetribune\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vintagetribune\/\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for more from Chicago\u2019s past.<\/p>\n<p>Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/02\/14\/february-14-chicago-history\/mailto:krumore@chicagotribune.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">krumore@chicagotribune.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2026\/02\/14\/february-14-chicago-history\/mailto:mmather@chicagotribune.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">mmather@chicagotribune.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Feb. 14, according to the Tribune\u2019s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":589945,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[82476,960,255139,6387,255143,251383,255138,5386,1818,255142,255140,4255,140060,90703,255141,223110],"class_list":["post-589944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-al-capone","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-bull","tag-chicago-history","tag-chicago-stadium","tag-february-14","tag-george-bugs-moran","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-jake-lamotta","tag-maud-wood-park","tag-michael-jordan","tag-st-valentines-day-massacre","tag-suffrage","tag-sugar-ray-robinson","tag-valentines-day"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116070329092521542","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}