Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Aug. 22, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Flashback: Aug. 22, 1929
1929: The Music Box Theatre opened. It was nearly named the New Blaine Theatre, in honor of Blaine Elementary School across Southport Avenue and slightly to the north. The theater was squarely in the exhibition vanguard then, designed and equipped as a boutique-size 750-seat alternative to the massive Balaban & Katz auditoriums of the day. (The Chicago Theatre was the flagship.)
The Music Box wasn’t a vaudeville house with movie capabilities. Rather, its shallow stage and newfangled technical facilities supported a new fad called “the talkies.”
Editorial: The Music Box, air-conditioned heart of a Chicago summer
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago
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)- High temperature: 99 degrees (1936)
- Low temperature: 49 degrees (2004)
- Precipitation: 4.45 inches (2002)
- Snowfall: None
1982: The Chicago Cubs retired Hall of Famer Ernie Banks’ No. 14 jersey. “Mr. Cub” became the first to have his jersey retired by the team. Banks is the all-time franchise leader in games played (2,528), at-bats (9,421) and total bases (4,706). He won two MVP awards, made 14 All-Star teams and blasted 512 home runs.
2021: Columbia University student Miguel Cisneros, 19, drowned after jumping off Pratt Pier in the Rogers Park neighborhood for a swim.
After Cisneros died, Rogers Park residents took it upon themselves to place life rings — at least four — on the pier. Each time, the Park District removed the rings. Cisneros’ mother, Maria Diaz, called for life rings to be placed at the pier and across the lakefront.
Life rings installed at pier where 19-year-old drowned
The Park District placed a life ring at Pratt Pier in September 2021, reversing a previous announcement. Then it installed 115 life rings along the lakefront in June 2022, as part of a pilot program inspired by Cisneros’ death.
Also in 2021: The Cubs set a franchise record with the team’s 13th consecutive home loss in a 9-1 defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Royals at Wrigley Field.
“Listen, it’s no fun to lose,” manager David Ross said after the game. “It’s like nobody is having a good time. But what I do know is we should be really thankful we’re in the major leagues and get a chance to put on this uniform and play baseball for the Chicago Cubs.”
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