Flashback:<\/strong> May 23, 1981<\/p>\n 1981:<\/strong> The American Eagle<\/a>\u00a0took its first\u00a0paying customers<\/a>\u00a0for a screeching fun ride.<\/p>\n The\u00a0$8 million double-racing wooden coaster<\/a> featured the longest and highest vertical drop in the nation \u2014 147 feet at a 55-degree angle \u2014 at the time. Riders got a quick view of the Chicago skyline before plummeting back toward the ground. The coaster with a max speed of 66 mph took more than 20,000 hours to construct and at least 9,000 gallons of white paint<\/a>\u00a0for its gleaming appearance.<\/p>\n \u201cLike\u00a0sex or armed combat<\/a>, the first drop cannot really be described,\u201d Tribune architecture critic Paul Gapp wrote. \u201cIt must be experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Major milestones in Six Flags Great America\u2019s 50-year run<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1926:<\/strong> Chicago Cubs center fielder Lewis \u201cHack\u201d Wilson<\/a> hit the \u201clongest home run ever knocked\u201d at Wrigley Field (to that point anyway) in the fifth inning of a 14-8 win against the Boston Braves. The ball hit the center field scoreboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Later that day, however, Wilson was arrested<\/a> \u201cin an alleged disorderly flat at 803 Sheridan Road,\u201d that was alleged to be a speakeasy. He was charged with disorderly conduct, but the case was dismissed<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1954:<\/strong> Siwash<\/a>, the duck mascot of the U.S. Marines\u2019 2nd Division during World War II, died at Lincoln Park Zoo. The death was attributed to a liver ailment, which veterans said had nothing to do with Siwash\u2019s fondness for beer.<\/p>\n The female duck was brought to Chicago by former Marine Francis J. Fagan \u2014 who had won it in a tavern raffle in New Zealand \u2014 and used her to help with recruitment duties for the Korean War. Broadcaster Jack Brickhouse in 1967 recalled attending a 1944 celebration<\/a> for Siwash at The Drake. \u201cSo there she was, perched on a baby high-chair, being feted by half the bigwigs in Chicago. And, do you know, that darned duck quacked and drank beer and quacked, all thru lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n Siwash had been expected at a Marine reunion in San Diego, so the duck was preserved quickly<\/a> so it could posthumously attend the event. Afterward, it was donated to the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the duck\u2019s condition \u201cdeteriorated rapidly (perhaps due to the hasty taxidermy job),\u201d the museum told the Tribune, and is no longer part of its collection.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Oprah Winfrey \u2014 10 moments from her Chicago years<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2005:<\/strong>\u00a0Actor Tom Cruise\u00a0jumped on a couch<\/a>\u00a0during an interview on \u201cThe Oprah Winfrey Show\u201d while exclaiming his love for actress Katie Holmes.<\/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![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ctc-262851905.jpg\")
The 100-foot-high American Eagle roller coaster stretches the entire length of the grounds at Marriott’s Great America on Dec. 9, 1980, the largest wooden roller coaster in the world. (Karen Engstrom\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-L-HACK-WILSON-CT0020501233.jpg\")
Chicago Cubs slugger Hack Wilson takes his son for a buggy ride in January 1927. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)<\/p>\n![\"Siwash,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-L-SIWASH-MARINES-DUCK-MASCOT-01.jpg\")
Siwash, an unofficial mascot for the U.S. Marine Corps. during World War II, lived at the Lincoln Park Zoo for 11 years after the war. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n