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Northwestern running back Darnell Autry advances the ball against Notre Dame on Sept. 2, 1995, in South Bend, Indiana. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune)
Northwestern running back Darnell Autry advances the ball against Notre Dame on Sept. 2, 1995, in South Bend, Indiana. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune)
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Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Sept. 2, according to the Tribune’s archives.

Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.

Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

  • High temperature: 101 degrees (1953)
  • Low temperature: 44 degrees (1946)
  • Precipitation: 1.55 inches (2010)
  • Snowfall: None
The Nihonbashi district, one of the busiest areas in Tokyo, is in ruins after a major earthquake struck near the Japanese capital in 1923. (AP)
The Nihonbashi district, one of the busiest areas in Tokyo, is in ruins after a major earthquake struck near the Japanese capital in 1923. (AP)

1923: The Tribune provided the first reports to America on a major earthquake in Japan — a temblor measuring 7.9 in Tokyo that resulted in 100,000 deaths from the subsequent fires.

The first U.S. Department of Justice "paddy" wagon automobile with seating for 12 took to Chicago's streets for the first time in 1928. (Chicago Tribune)
The first U.S. Department of Justice patrol wagon automobile with seating for 12 took to Chicago's streets for the first time in 1928. (Chicago Tribune)

1928: The federal government purchased a new patrol wagon — with “comfortable seating capacity for twelve persons,” the Tribune reported — for use by U.S. marshals in Chicago. The patrol wagon was the first one ever used in the city by national authorities.

Walter Payton (34) is king of the mountain in this pileup of Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at the season opener on Sept. 2, 1979, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Bears ruled the day, 6-3, before a sellout crowd of more than 58,000. Payton had 36 carries for a total of 125 yards. (Ernie Cox Jr./Chicago Tribune)
Walter Payton (34) is king of the mountain in this pileup of Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at the season opener on Sept. 2, 1979, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Bears ruled the day, 6-3, before a sellout crowd of more than 58,000. Payton had 36 carries for a total of 125 yards. (Ernie Cox Jr./Chicago Tribune)

1979: The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in their first game played on new artificial turf at Soldier Field. The turf stayed until 1988, when it was tossed in favor of real grass.

Northwestern's Bryan LaBelle (79) and Chad Pugh (77) celebrate upsetting Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept 2, 1995. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune)
Northwestern's Bryan LaBelle (79) and Chad Pugh (77) celebrate upsetting Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept 2, 1995. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune)

1995: Northwestern beat Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend. The Wildcats were 28-point underdogs to the Irish.

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