Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on March 18, according to the Tribune’s archives.
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Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 81 degrees (2012)
- Low temperature: 3 degrees (1923)
- Precipitation: 1.33 inches (1983)
- Snowfall: 4.5 inches (1971)
The ruins of the town of West Frankfort, Illinois, in the wake of the Great Tri-State Tornado in March 1925. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive)
March 18, 1925: The Great Tri-State Tornado — considered the deadliest single tornado in United States history — was an estimated EF5 tornado that produced winds of at least 200 mph. It touched down at 1:01 p.m. near Ellington, Mo., then remained on the ground for 219 miles through southern Illinois and southwest Indiana.
Vintage: The Tri-State Tornado ravaged Illinois in 1925, killing roughly 700 people
“It was nearly dusk before it took its last savage blow,” the Tribune reported the next day. There were 695 deaths (at least 600 of those in Illinois), more than 2,000 people injured and more than 15,000 homes destroyed, according to the National Weather Service.
1972: What was the best boys high school basketball team in Illinois history? It’s hard to imagine a better high school team than the Thornridge Falcons of south suburban Dolton.
Coached by Ron Ferguson and captained by future Indiana star Quinn Buckner, the 1971 and 1972 teams won state titles in both seasons and compiled records of 33-1 and 33-0. Buckner scored 18 points when Thornridge edged a tough Oak Lawn team with Jim Bocinsky and C.J. Kupec 52-50 in 1971. On March 18, 1972, Thornridge breezed 104-69 over Quincy, as Boyd Batts scored 37 points, Buckner 28 and Greg Rose 26. Mike Bonczyk and Ernie Dunn also started for the unbeaten state champs.
Carlton Fisk is all smiles as he answers questions at a press conference on March 9, 1981, after agreeing to a Chicago White Sox contract. (Ovie Carter/Chicago Tribune)
1981: The Chicago White Sox signed catcher Carlton Fisk to a five-year contract reportedly worth $3 million.
The arrival of Carlton Fisk 40 years ago was a turning point in Chicago White Sox history: ‘We’re going to plaster his kisser all over town’
Fisk decided to wear No. 72 saying, “72 is 27 (his old number) backwards.”
“Michael Jordan may be too tall for baseball, too competitive to stay at home and too confident in his fairway wagering, but he is still a basketball god,” Tribune reporter George Papajohn wrote after Jordan announced via fax on March 18, 1995, that he was returning to the Chicago Bulls. (Chicago Tribune)
1995: “The words did not have to be eloquent or poetic. They did not even have to be spoken, and weren’t,” Tribune reporter Melissa Isaacson wrote. “They came Saturday in a crisp, two-word fax.”
“I’m back.” Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls.
Michael Jordan: Top moments and stats in the life and career of the Chicago Bulls and NBA legend
Wearing No. 45, the same number he wore for the Birmingham Barons and as a basketball player in junior high school, Jordan played 38 minutes for the Bulls the next night, scoring 19 points on 7-for-28 shooting with six rebounds and six assists in a 103-96 overtime loss to Indiana.
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