Front page flashback:<\/strong> March 3, 1995<\/p>\n 1995:<\/strong> Physicists at Fermilab near Batavia said they had isolated the top quark<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe discovery ends an 18-year search for one of the basic building blocks of all matter<\/a>, from the fiery cauldron that burns at the sun\u2019s core to the cool water that quenches a summer thirst,\u201d Tribune reporter Stevenson Swanson wrote.<\/p>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1837:<\/strong> Chicago\u2019s Rush Medical College (forerunner of Rush University Medical Center) was incorporated<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2022: <\/strong>Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, for decades the most powerful politician in the state, was indicted<\/a> on federal racketeering charges alleging his elected office and political operation were a criminal enterprise that provided personal financial rewards for him and his associates.<\/p>\n The\u00a022-count indictment<\/a> returned by a federal grand jury came after a yearslong federal investigation and alleged Madigan participated in an array of bribery and extortion schemes<\/a> from 2011 to 2019 aimed at using the power of his office for personal gain.<\/p>\n The Dishonor Roll: Meet the public officials who helped build Illinois\u2019 culture of corruption<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The long-awaited charges punctuated a stunning downfall for Madigan, the longest-serving leader of any legislative chamber in the nation, who held an ironclad grip on the state legislature as well as the Democratic party and its political spoils. He was dethroned as speaker in early 2021 as the investigation swirled around him, and soon after, he resigned the House seat he\u2019d held since 1971.<\/p>\n Both Madigan and his attorneys denied the allegations in written statements and said they intended to fight them in court.<\/p>\n A federal jury\u00a0convicted<\/a> Madigan on Feb. 12, 2025, of multiple federal charges, including bribery conspiracy \u2014 but jurors deadlocked on other charges in the wide-ranging indictment, including the marquee racketeering conspiracy count. Madigan was sentenced in June 2025 to 7\u00bd years<\/a> in prison. The judge also levied a maximum $2.5 million fine, saying he would\u2019ve made it higher if the law allowed.<\/p>\n Madigan reported to federal prison<\/a> in West Virginia in October 2025, and filed a petition for clemency<\/a> in December 2025 with the Office of the Pardon Attorney.<\/p>\n \u2018A tale of two Mike Madigans\u2019: How the ex-Speaker\u2019s trial testimony offered his life story but also route to 7 1\/2-year sentence<\/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> 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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CTC-L-FERMILAB-BATAVIA-TOP-QUARK-1995-01.jpg\")
A team of about 450 scientists at Fermilab near Batavia confirmed on March 2, 1995, the top quark one of the building blocks of all matter had been generated inside the institution’s particle accelerator. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CTC-L-MICHAEL-MADIGAN-INDICTED-2022-01.jpg\")
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, for decades the most powerful politician in the state, was indicted on March 2, 2022, on federal racketeering charges alleging his elected office and political operation were a criminal enterprise that provided personal financial rewards for him and his associates. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CTC-L-MICHAEL-MADIGAN-GUILTY-2025-01.jpg\")
A federal jury convicted Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Feb. 12, 2025, of multiple federal charges including bribery conspiracy \u2014 but jurors deadlocked on other charges in the wide-ranging indictment, including the marquee racketeering conspiracy count. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n