Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 8, according to the Tribune’s archives.
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Sports flashback: June 8, 1971
1971: The White Sox had the No. 1 pick in the draft. They selected catcher Danny Goodwin from Peoria Central High School, but he declined to sign a reported six-figure offer and opted instead to play at Southern University. Goodwin was again drafted with the No. 1 pick in 1975, this time by the California Angels, and he went on to play seven seasons in the majors.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 97 degrees (1933)
- Low temperature: 42 degrees (1885)
- Precipitation: 2.07 inches (1958)
- Snowfall: Trace (2015)
1869: Chicago inventor Ives W. McGaffey received a patent for a “sweeping machine.” It was an early version of a vacuum cleaner.
Relatively light and compact, his model had a tricky hand crank and an eyebrow-raising $25 price tag (who could afford such convenience?). With the help of the American Carpet Cleaning Co. of Boston, McGaffey sold models in Chicago and Boston. It is thought, though, that most were lost in the Chicago Fire of 1871.
1976: Boston Bruins great Bobby Orr signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. Knee injuries and operations limited his time on the ice, but the Hawks made him an assistant coach in 1978.
2013: Patrick Kane scored his third goal of the game, assisted by Jonathan Toews, in double overtime to clinch the Western Conference title for the Blackhawks over the defending champion Los Angeles Kings.
“Right now, it’s almost like I’m in a different zone, the Twilight Zone or something,” Kane said.
2025: “Purpose,” Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of the play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, was honored with two Tony Awards, including Best Play. It also won a Pulitzer Prize. The play moved to Broadway in 2025.
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