Front Page Flashback:<\/strong> July 22, 2015<\/p>\n 2015:<\/strong> A federal appeals court in Chicago threw out five of the 18 counts<\/a> against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and ordered his sentence vacated. The three-judge panel tempered the small legal victory by calling the evidence against Blagojevich \u201coverwhelming\u201d and made it clear he will likely remain locked up for years to come.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump,\u00a0convicted<\/a>\u00a0of felonies himself,\u00a0commuted<\/a>\u00a0Blagojevich\u2019s\u00a014-year sentence<\/a>\u00a0to about eight years served on Feb. 18, 2020.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Pardon me \u2014 Chicagoans who received clemency from a US president<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Weather records <\/strong>(from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1919: <\/strong>For most of the day, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.\u2019s Wingfoot Air Express airship cruised above the city. The powerful hum of its engines and a serene shadow were the only indicators of its passage as it flew from the South Side to Grant Park and as far north as Diversey Parkway.<\/p>\n At about 5 p.m., the blimp hurtled through a lobby skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank at 231 S. LaSalle St., killing 13 people and injuring 27. It was America\u2019s first recorded commercial aviation disaster.<\/p>\n 1924:<\/strong> Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb\u2019s attorney Clarence Darrow<\/a> entered a plea of guilty on his clients\u2019 behalf. By entering guilty pleas, Darrow didn\u2019t have to persuade 12 jurors to spare his clients the hangman\u2019s noose. In a trial\u2019s sentencing phase, the judge has the ultimate say.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Leopold and Loeb<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n After the evidence had been presented, Darrow addressed the judge, speaking for 12 hours over two days. Darrow\u2019s eloquent plea had the desired effect. Leopold and Loeb were sentenced to life in prison.<\/p>\n 1952:<\/strong> The Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago at the International Amphitheatre. Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson was chosen as the party\u2019s nominee.<\/p>\n Stevenson, who did not seek the presidential nomination, was\u00a0drafted<\/a>\u00a0on the third ballot. Although he was a reluctant candidate, he pledged a hard-fighting campaign.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Tradition of acceptance speeches at political conventions began in Chicago<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cI have no feeling of exultation, nor sense of triumph,\u201d Stevenson said outside the home of William McCormick Blair at 1416 Astor St. \u201cI shall ask my God to give me courage in this great undertaking.\u201d<\/p>\n Eisenhower\u00a0won<\/a>\u00a0the 1952 election on Nov. 4, 1952, bringing the Republican Party its first White House victory in 24 years.<\/p>\n Vintage Chicago Tribune: Soldier Field\u2019s century of concerts, car races, circuses and contests<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1956:<\/strong> The Grand National 100-mile race, considered the first NASCAR cup series race held in Chicago, was witnessed by 14,402 fans who saw Fireball Roberts<\/a> win by a car length over Jim Pascal, who was ahead until Roberts passed him on the 194th of 200 laps.<\/p>\n 1980:<\/strong> Twelve-year-old Walter Polovchak<\/a>, who said he did not want to go back home to Ukraine when his family returned to the then-Soviet Union, was granted political asylum<\/a> in Chicago.<\/p>\n Polovchak was dubbed the \u201cthe littlest defector\u201d by the media during a yearslong court battle between his parents and the U.S. government that raised complex questions about personal freedoms, parental rights and government overreach.<\/p>\n 2002:<\/strong> Pyewacket<\/a>, owned by Walt Disney\u2019s grandnephew Roy P. Disney, set a record finish time<\/a> of 23 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds in the Race to Mackinac. It bested the 1987 record of 25:50:44 by Dick Jennings\u2019 Santa Cruz 70, Pied Piper. Pyewacket, named after the cat in the film \u201cBell, Book and Candle,\u201d retained the record in the race until 2024<\/a>.<\/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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-ROD-BLAGOJEVICH-COUNTS-TOSSED-2015-01.jpg\")
A federal appeals court threw out five of the 18 counts against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on July 21, 2015, and ordered his sentence vacated. Blagojevich was serving a 14-year sentence in a federal prison in Colorado at the time. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ctc-2C-0506-EM_229057111-e1752867863626.jpg\")
The Wingfoot Air Express blimp crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago on July 21, 1919. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
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The Wingfoot Air Express, owned and operated by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., caught fire and fell 1,200 feet on July 21, 1919. The dirigible crashed through the skylight of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank building at the northeast corner of Jackson Boulevard and LaSalle Street in Chicago, trapping workers who were finishing up for the day. Thirteen people died \u2014 11 in the bank and two blimp passengers \u2014 and 26 were injured. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ctc-l-leandloebjpg-CT0037543646.jpg\")
In the courtroom as Clarence Darrow winds up his long appeal on behalf of young murderers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in 1924 in Chicago. The attorney for Leopold and Loeb wore a look of intense earnestness as he advanced his last arguments about capital punishment. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Adlai](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ctc-018.jpg\")
Adlai Stevenson II\u00a0addresses delegates at the 1952 Democratic National Convention at the Chicago Amphitheatre on July 21, 1952. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Walter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CTC-L-CTHIST-Walter-Polovchak-001_229062963.jpg\")
Walter Polovchak lets his T-shirt express his feelings on Dec. 31, 1981, during a legal setback. \u201cI\u2019m happy to be in America,\u201d it says. (Walter Kale\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n