Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Jan. 3, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Front page flashback: Jan. 4, 1984
Navy Lt. Robert Goodman Jr., whose plane was shot down during a U.S. raid against Syrian positions in Lebanon, was freed after a month’s captivity in Syria following an appeal by Jesse Jackson.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 60 degrees (1950)
- Low temperature: Minus 18 degrees (1879)
- Precipitation: 1.24 inches (1897)
- Snowfall: 7.1 inches (1971)
1943: Three Bentley brothers teamed up to score a goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-3 tie against the Rangers in New York.
“At 5:44 Reg Bentley poked home a goal from a melee in front of the Ranger net, with his two brothers (Doug and Max) drawing assists,” the AP reported.
1971: The new McCormick Place opened — almost four years after the previous structure was destroyed by a fire — with 700 exhibits of women’s fashions.
1975: The Chicago Bears introduced Jack Pardee as head coach.
From George Halas to Ben Johnson: What was said about every Chicago Bears coach when they were hired
Pardee’s record was 20-22 (.476) from 1975-77.
2019: A federal criminal complaint unsealed on this date charged former 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke with attempted extortion for allegedly using his position as alderman to try to steer business to his private law firm from a company seeking to renovate a Burger King in his ward.
Burke was convicted Dec. 21, 2023, by a federal jury of racketeering conspiracy and a dozen other counts. He was sentenced June 24, 2024, to two years in federal prison. Less than 10 months after reporting to federal prison, Burke was released in July 2025 to spend the rest of his sentence in the Chicago area, according to federal officials.
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