Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Jan. 19, 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: 57 degrees (1933)
- Low temperature: Minus 23 degrees (1985)
- Precipitation: 1.72 inches (1907)
- Snowfall: 8.8 inches (1963)
1975: The Chicago Bears won a coin flip with the Cleveland Browns for the No. 4 pick in the 1975 NFL draft.
The Bears used the pick 10 days later to select legendary Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.
Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 1, Walter Payton
1977: Iva Ikuko Toguri D’Aquino, aka “Tokyo Rose,” received a presidential pardon following a flurry of media attention, including a series in the Tribune in which two of her chief accusers said their testimony had been coerced.
Also in 1977: “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. He was only the eighth player to be accepted in his first year of eligibility. Banks, who died in 2015, was the 55th player to earn the distinction.
Banks’ 2,528 games are the 11th most in history for a player who spent his entire career with only one team.
2021: President Donald Trump pardoned Casey Urlacher, Mettawa mayor and the brother of Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. Casey Urlacher faced federal charges alleging he acted as a recruiter and bagman for an illegal sports gambling ring.
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