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Today in Chicago History: First Earth Day celebrated with Civic Center rally

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Beverly Miller, who founded an anti-pollution group, is busy on April 21, 1970, preparing for the first Earth Day event. (Chicago American)
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By | krumore@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
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Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 22, according to the Tribune’s archives.

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

Front page flashback: April 23, 1934

A federal agent and another man were shot and killed April 22, 1934 at the Little Bohemia resort in Wisconsin during a shootout with gangster John Dillinger and his gang. (Chicago Tribune)
A federal agent and another man were shot and killed April 22, 1934, at the Little Bohemia resort in Wisconsin during a shootout with gangster John Dillinger and his gang. (Chicago Tribune)

1934: John Dillinger and his cronies were engaged in a shooting rampage with federal agents at a lodge by the Little Bohemia resort in the north woods of Wisconsin. Dillinger fled as two men were killed and four were wounded in the incident near Mercer, Wisconsin, leading some to criticize FBI chief Melvin Purvis and his agency for their “criminal stupidity” in their failed efforts to bring the hooligan to justice.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: John Dillinger’s final days — and the ‘Lady in red’ who helped trap him

Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

  • High temperature: 91 degrees (1980)
  • Low temperature: 24 degrees (1986)
  • Precipitation: 1.55 inches (1981)
  • Snowfall: 0.2 inches (1893)
Some Chicagoans spent the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, attending a rally in Civic Center, now Daley Plaza. (Chicago Tribune)
Some Chicagoans spent the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, attending a rally in Civic Center, now Daley Plaza. (Chicago Tribune)

1970: As the first Earth Day was observed in the United States, Illinois Attorney General William Scott told a rally at the Civic Center (now Daley) Plaza that he planned to sue the city of Milwaukee for polluting Lake Michigan.

Mayor Byrne accepts a check for $50,000 from Dan Aykroyd, left, and John Belushi in her office on June 17, 1980, on behalf of the cast and crew of their film "The Blues Brothers" and Universal Studios. The donation was for children's and charitable organizations. Footage for the film was shot in Chicago, and while in town for the filming, the "brothers" called on the mayor last August at ChicagoFest and helped create a memorable picture along with the mayor's daughter, Kathy below. (Ernie Cox Jr./Chicago Tribune) published July 18, 1980 Date Created: 1980-07-17 Copyright Notice: Chicago Tribune Folder Description: Byrne, Jane Folder Extended Description: Chicago Mayor Groups July 1980 Title: BYRNE, JANE CHGO. MAYOR GROUPS JUL. 1980 Subject: BYRNE, JANE
Mayor Jane Byrne accepts a check for $50,000 from Dan Aykroyd, left, and John Belushi in her office on June 17, 1980, on behalf of the cast and crew of their film "The Blues Brothers" and Universal Studios. The donation was for children's and charitable organizations. Footage for the film was shot in Chicago. (Ernie Cox Jr./Chicago Tribune)

1978: “Joliet” Jake Blues (portrayed by John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (played by Dan Aykroyd) — the Blues Brothers — made their first appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Though Steve Martin was the host, the musical act opened the show. The duo returned during the show’s fourth season.

Two years later, “The Blues Brothers” film — which was largely filmed in Illinois — was released.

On April 22, 1980, shortstop Iván DeJesús became the 12th player on the Chicago Cubs to hit for the cycle. (Chicago Tribune)
On April 22, 1980, shortstop Iván DeJesús became the 12th player on the Chicago Cubs to hit for the cycle. (Chicago Tribune)

1980: Cubs shortstop Iván DeJesús hit for the cycle against the St. Louis Cardinals. DeJesús had no idea what he had just done until third-base coach Joey Amalfitano congratulated him.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Chicago Cubs who have hit for the cycle

“It’s like pitching a no-hitter. It’s something you’ve never done before. But if I go 5-for-6 in the game, and we lose, it’s not the same,” DeJesús told reporters after the game. The Cubs beat the Cardinals 16-12 at Wrigley Field.

Stefan Edlis, Chicago-based art collector and philanthropist, on Dec. 8, 2015 with Andy Warhol's "Liz #3," which he and his wife, Gael Neeson, donated to the Art Institute of Chicago. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Stefan Edlis, Chicago-based art collector and philanthropist, on Dec. 8, 2015, with Andy Warhol's "Liz #3," which he and his wife, Gael Neeson, donated to the Art Institute of Chicago. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)

2015: Iconic works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and many others were part of a contemporary art collection estimated at $400 million that was donated to the Art Institute of Chicago by local philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson. The museum called it the largest gift of art in its history and a coup for the institution and the city.

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