Sports flashback:<\/strong> July 2, 1910<\/p>\n 1910:<\/strong> White Sox Park<\/a> (later named Comiskey Park) opened.<\/p>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1911:<\/strong> Naval Station Great Lakes<\/a> \u2014 the U.S. Navy\u2019s largest training base and home of its only boot camp \u2014 opened near North Chicago on 172 acres. Congress decided to establish the station<\/a> in 1904, when the need for an inland naval school that could accept recruits from the central and southwest U.S. was identified.<\/p>\n Two days later, its first recruit arrived, Joseph Gregg<\/a>, of Terre Haute, Indiana. When Gregg graduated with the first class of 300 sailors, President William Howard Taft was there.<\/p>\n 1913:<\/strong> Aviator Logan A. \u201cJack\u201d Vilas<\/a> became the first person to cross Lake Michigan by air. With William Bastar, manager of the Whitcomb Hotel in Benton Harbor, Michigan, as his passenger, Vilas left St. Joseph, Michigan, in his Curtiss flying boat, which cruised at an altitude of 4,000 feet in the air and then arrived in Grant Park one hour and 34 minutes later.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it hadn\u2019t been for some dangerous air currents about half way over, then I would have made it in an hour or less,\u201d the Chicago native told the crowd after landing.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Our favorite animals who became celebrities<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1934:<\/strong> When Brookfield Zoo\u00a0opened to the public<\/a> on this day, Cookie was there to greet the almost 60,000 visitors. And though the pink cockatoo was never \u201ctop banana\u201d at the zoo, he outlived every other animal that was on the grounds that day.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: How Wrigley Field got lights and why Cubs fans had to wait past 8-8-88 to raise \u2018W\u2019 flag<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1943:<\/strong> The first night game<\/a> was played at Wrigley Field. It was a benefit all-star contest<\/a> featuring women from the All-American Girls Professional Ball League.<\/p>\n Comiskey Park<\/a> hosted the first night major league baseball game in the city four years earlier.<\/p>\n 1969:<\/strong> Republican Gov. Richard Ogilvie<\/a> was forced to ally with Mayor Richard J. Daley to get the votes needed to establish the state\u2019s first income tax<\/a>. The Illinois House passed a bill for a flat-rate income tax of 2.5% on individuals and 4% on corporations.<\/p>\n Richard Ogilvie transformed Illinois. Rauner and Pritzker could learn from his legacy.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 1970, Illinois voters approved a new state constitution<\/a> mandating that income tax be a flat rate. Article IX, Section 3: \u201cA tax on or measured by income shall be at a non-graduated rate.\u201d<\/p>\n Existing state flag prevails in design competition<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1970:<\/strong> Illinois\u2019 state flag<\/a> \u2014 a white field carrying the word Illinois and the emblem portion of the state seal \u2014 became official.<\/p>\n In March 2025, the people of Illinois voted to keep the state flag<\/a> as it is.<\/p>\n \u2018It almost sounded like a hurricane\u2019: Derecho weather events in the Chicago area since 1965<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2012:<\/strong> During the hot, drought-plagued summer, a late-morning storm destroyed power lines, damaged roofs and caused delays in the air and on the rails. High winds, first noted in the DeKalb area, sped across western and southern portions of the Chicago metro area with reported wind speeds of 70-90 mph, according to former WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling.<\/p>\n Though no serious injuries were reported, about 60 novice kayakers<\/a> \u2014 all wearing life jackets \u2014 had to be rescued from the Chicago River near Chicago Avenue due to choppy waters and high winds.<\/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![\"More](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-WHITE-SOX-PARK-OPENED-1910-01.jpg\")
More than 28,000 fans were on hand when White Sox Park opened on July 1, 1910. The Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 2-0. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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The U.S. Navy training station in North Chicago opened on July 1, 1911. “Student bluejackets will be added constantly,” the Tribune reported. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Aviator](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-CTHIST-loganjackvilas2_heraldexaminer_229054543.jpg\")
Aviator Logan A. “Jack” Vilas, right, and his passenger William Bastar, shown here circa July 7, 1913, flew aboard a Curtiss hydroplane on July 1, 1913, in the first flight across Lake Michigan. They left St. Joseph, Michigan, and cruised at an altitude of 4,000 feet before arriving unassisted by navigational aids in Grant Park one hour and 34 minutes later. Editors note: This historic print shows some hand painting. (Chicago Herald-American)<\/p>\n\n
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-ILLINOIS-INCOME-TAX-1969-01.jpg\")
The first state income tax was instituted in Illinois on July 1, 1969. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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