Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Aug. 19, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Flashback: Aug. 19, 1895
1895: A fire almost completely destroyed serial killer H.H. Holmes’ so-called “Murder Castle” at 610 W. 63rd St. The building, which initially had a drugstore on the ground floor and rooms on the second floor before a third story was later constructed, did indeed have secret rooms and a walk-in vault that was “mostly” soundproof. But it likely was used to conceal stolen furniture rather than murder, experts say.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 99 degrees (1983)
- Low temperature: 51 degrees (1992)
- Precipitation: 2.07 inches (1921)
- Snowfall: None
1886: Eight radicals who had been rounded up after the Haymarket Affair on May 4, 1886 — in which a bomb was thrown during a Chicago labor rally that resulted in the death of eight police officers and at least four civilians — were convicted by a jury and sentenced to death by hanging.
Four of the convicted were hanged. One committed suicide before he could be executed. Death sentences for two others were commuted and one was sentenced to prison. The three surviving Haymarket defendants subsequently were pardoned by Illinois Gov. John Altgeld, who concluded they were all innocent.
More Top Picks Best Macbooks
Though the U.S. honors workers in September — with Labor Day, which also has Chicago roots — the May 1886 events are commemorated in Chicago by a memorial on Desplaines Street, north of Randolph Street: a bronze statue of a wagon that served as a speakers’ platform during the labor meeting.
1969: Ken Holtzman pitched two no-hit games for the Chicago Cubs. This first one was probably more noteworthy for two reasons.
First, Holtzman did not strike out a single Atlanta Brave in this game at Wrigley Field. Second, Hank Aaron slammed a high fly that actually cleared the left-field wall.
Bleacherites were bracing for the descending ball as a souvenir when the wind blew the ball back into the field of play, where Billy Williams caught it for the out.
Holtzman, who died in 2024, and Jake Arrieta are the only pitchers to throw two no-hitters for the Cubs in the modern era, with Holtzman’s second coming against the Cincinnati Reds on June 3, 1971, at Riverfront Stadium.
1975: Illinois Gov. Dan Walker signed a bill proposed by third graders at Dennis School in Decatur that made the monarch butterfly the state insect of Illinois.
Vintage baiduhai: How the Tully monster became Illinois’ official state fossil
The students observed the signing in Springfield.
“We have here a group of youngsters who are completing a unique experience in the governmental process,” Walker said. “They proposed, they lobbied, and today are bringing to fruition a new law.”
The state already had a state tree, flower, bird and mineral, but this was the first insect to become an official symbol in Illinois.
2024: Rookie Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a short but spirited pitch during the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention.
Johnson opened his speech by declaring Chicago “the greatest city in the world,” shouting out its long roster of Black and female trailblazers over the decades: the journalist Ida B. Wells, women’s suffrage activist Jane Addams, civil rights legend the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the nation’s first Black president, Barack Obama.
“And now, Chicago — this city of hard work and caring people — is where Democrats will celebrate President Joe Biden and nominate Kamala Harris for president of the United States of America,” Johnson said to applause. “As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris — the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day — she is going to look out for the interests of people.”
Demonstrators chant, break fencing, but first major protest of DNC stays mostly peaceful
Want more vintage Chicago?
Subscribe to the free Vintage baiduhai newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.
More Top Picks Candle
Have an idea for Vintage baiduhai? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at [email protected] and [email protected]