Timeline

1960

Sept. 26, 1960: First televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, at WBBM-TV studios in Chicago.

Nov. 18, 1960: McCormick Place, named for late Tribune publisher who had campaigned for new convention facilities, opens.

April 16, 1961: Chicago Blackhawks win third (and, to date, last) Stanley Cup in hockey.

Sept. 11, 1961: “Bozo’s Circus” debuts on WGN-TV.

1962-65: Second Vatican Council undertakes reform of Roman Catholic Church.

Aug. 28, 1963: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C.

Aug. 7, 1964: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution deepens American involvement in Vietnam.

Sept. 5, 1964: Beatles concert at Chicago’s International Amphitheatre.

Feb. 21, 1965: Malcolm X assassinated in New York.

Sept. 20, 1965: Cesar Chavez leads strike against California grape growers.

June 28, 1966: National Organization for Women formed.

July 14, 1966: Eight student nurses found slain on Southeast Side; Richard Speck later convicted.

Jan. 26-27, 1967: Blizzard dumps 23 inches of snow on Chicago.

April 28, 1967: Muhammad Ali stripped of heavyweight title for refusing army induction.

Aug. 15, 1967: Pablo Picasso’s untitled sculpture unveiled in Civic Center Plaza.

Oct. 3, 1967: Riverview amusement park closes.

Dec. 3, 1967: Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs world’s first heart transplant in South Africa.

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis.

June 6, 1968: Robert Kennedy assassinated in Los Angeles.

Aug. 26, 1968: Chicago’s ill-fated Democratic National Convention begins.

July 20, 1969: Neil Armstrong first man on moon.

Sept. 24, 1969: Chicago Seven trial begins.

Dec. 4, 1969: Police raid Illinois Black Panther Party stronghold, killing
party leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark.

1970
May 4, 1970: National Guardsmen fire on Vietnam War protesters at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four.

July 30, 1971: Union Stock Yards close.

Oct. 27, 1972: Following Tribune vote fraud investigation, 79 election judges and precinct captains indicted; series of articles wins Pulitzer Prize in 1973.

Jan. 22, 1973: In Roe vs. Wade decision, Supreme Court establishes women’s right to legal abortion.

Jan. 27, 1973: U.S. agrees to pull forces out of Vietnam.

April 6, 1973: American League institutes designated hitter.

May 3, 1973: Ironworkers bolt last girder into place, making Sears Tower world’s tallest building.

May 1, 1974: Tribune first to publish entire 246,000-word transcript of Watergate tapes, scooping even government printing office by several hours.

Aug. 9, 1974: Nixon resigns presidency.

Oct. 22, 1974: Hours after $4.3 million Purolator robbery, Tribune runs front-page scoop.

April 29, 1975: Helicopters evacuate 1,000 Americans and 5,500 Vietnamese from U.S. Embassy in Saigon; one day later, South Vietnamese government surrenders, ending the war.

May 3, 1976: Tribune wins a Pulitzer Prize for two major investigations, one demonstrating devastating effect of FHA loans on inner-city neighborhoods, the other exposing shoddy conditions and practices at several Chicago hospitals.

Dec. 20, 1976: Mayor Richard J. Daley dies.

Dec. 31, 1976: Last appearance of “World’s Greatest Newspaper” on Tribune’s masthead.

Aug. 16, 1977: Elvis Presley dies.

Dec. 21, 1978: John Wayne Gacy arrested in murders of 33 young men and boys; remains of many victims found under his Norwood Park Township home.

Feb. 27, 1979: In wake of city’s inept handling of record January snowstorms, Jane Byrne upsets Mayor Michael Bilandic in Democratic primary.

May 25, 1979: American Airlines DC-10 crashes after takeoff at O’Hare, killing 273.

Oct. 5, 1979: Pope John Paul II visits Chicago.

1980
March 28, 1980: Wisconsin Steel closes Southeast Side plant, more than 3,000 lose jobs.

Jan. 20, 1981: Iran releases 52 hostages seized 444 days earlier at U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

June 17, 1981: Tribune Co. announces agreement to buy Cubs.

April 12, 1983: Harold Washington elected Chicago’s first black mayor.

Jan. 11, 1984: Mike Royko brings his column to Tribune.

May 24, 1985: Opening of first 31 miles of Deep Tunnel.

Jan. 26, 1986: Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX, defeating New England Patriots, 46-10.

Jan. 28, 1986: Space shuttle Challenger explodes after launch, killing seven crew members including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.

April 26, 1986: Chernobyl nuclear accident.

March 15, 1987: Ann Landers’ column moves to Tribune.

Nov. 25, 1987: Mayor Washington dies of heart attack.

Aug. 8, 1988: Night baseball comes to Wrigley Field; game rained out in fourth inning.

April 4, 1989: Richard M. Daley, son of Richard J., elected mayor.

Nov. 9, 1989: East Germany opens Berlin Wall.

1990
Feb. 11, 1990: Nelson Mandela freed after 28 years in South African prison.

Sept. 30, 1990: Last game at old Comiskey Park.

Jan. 16, 1991: U.S. launches Operation Desert Storm against Iraq.

Dec. 21, 1991: Commonwealth of Independent States formed, marking collapse of Soviet Union.

April 13, 1992: Chicago River water pours through crack in freight tunnel, triggering Great Chicago Flood.

Jan. 1, 1993: Tribune Co.’s CLTV debuts as Chicago’s first all-news 24-hour cable channel.

May 2, 1994: Mandela elected president of South Africa.

April 19, 1995: Bomb destroys federal building in Oklahoma City; 168 die, more than 500 injured.

July 1995: Beginning of heat wave that takes 733 lives in Chicago.

Jan. 1, 1996: Northwestern Wildcats make first Rose Bowl appearance since
1949, lose to USC, 41-32.

March 14, 1996: Chicago Tribune Web site is launched.

June 16, 1996: Chicago Bulls capture fourth NBA title after record-setting 72-10 season.

June 21, 1996: Museum of Contemporary Art’s new building on East Chicago Avenue opens.

May 1997: The Tribune launches metromix.com, its online guide to dining and entertainment in Chicagoland.

June 10, 1997: Tribune celebrates 150th anniversary.