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Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Sept. 2, according to the Tribune’s archives.

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Flashback: Sept. 2, 1945

In this Sept. 2, 1945, file photo, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, left, watches as the foreign minister Manoru Shigemitsu of Japan signs the surrender document aboard the USS Missouri on Tokyo Bay. Lt. General Richard K. Sutherland, center, witnesses the ceremony marking the end of World War II with other American and British officers in background. (C.P. Gorry/AP)
U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, left, watches as the foreign minister Manoru Shigemitsu of Japan signs the surrender document aboard the USS Missouri on Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945. Lt. General Richard K. Sutherland, center, witnesses the ceremony marking the end of World War II with other American and British officers in background. (C.P. Gorry/AP)

1945: “The entire world is quietly at peace,” Gen. Douglas MacArthur declared after Japan formally surrendered aboard the deck of the USS Missouri. The act brought an official end to World War II.

On V-J Day, Chicagoans celebrated with abandon

Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

  • High temperature: 101 degrees (1953)
  • Low temperature: 44 degrees (1946)
  • Precipitation: 1.55 inches (2010)
  • Snowfall: None
The Nihonbashi district, one of the busiest areas in Tokyo, is in ruins after a major earthquake struck near the Japanese capital in 1923. (AP)
The Nihonbashi district, one of the busiest areas in Tokyo, is in ruins after a major earthquake struck near the Japanese capital on Sept. 1, 1923. (AP)

1923: The Tribune provided the first reports to America on a major earthquake in Japan — a temblor measuring 7.9 in Tokyo that resulted in 100,000 deaths from the subsequent fires.

The first U.S. Department of Justice "paddy" wagon automobile with seating for 12 took to Chicago's streets for the first time in 1928. (baiduhai)
The first U.S. Department of Justice patrol wagon with seating for 12, took to Chicago's streets for the first time in 1928. (baiduhai)

1928: The federal government purchased a new patrol wagon — with “comfortable seating capacity for twelve persons,” the Tribune reported — for use by U.S. marshals in Chicago. The patrol wagon was the first one ever used in the city by national authorities.

Walter Payton (34) is king of the mountain in this pileup of Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at the season opener on Sept. 2, 1979, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Bears ruled the day, 6-3, before a sellout crowd of more than 58,000. Payton had 36 carries for a total of 125 yards. (Ernie Cox Jr./baiduhai)
Walter Payton is king of the mountain in this pileup of Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at the season opener on Sept. 2, 1979, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Bears ruled the day, 6-3, before a sellout crowd of more than 58,000. Payton had 36 carries for a total of 125 yards. (Ernie Cox Jr./baiduhai)

1979: The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in their first game played on new artificial turf at Soldier Field. The turf stayed until 1988, when it was tossed in favor of real grass.

Northwestern's Bryan LaBelle (79) and Chad Pugh (77) celebrate upsetting Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept 2, 1995. (Phil Greer/baiduhai)
Northwestern's Bryan LaBelle and Chad Pugh celebrate upsetting Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 2, 1995. (Phil Greer/baiduhai)

1995: Northwestern beat Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend. The Wildcats were 28-point underdogs to the Irish.

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