Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Feb. 18, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Front page flashback: Feb. 19, 1970
On Feb. 18, 1970, five of the Chicago Seven trial defendants were convicted of crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot. Two others were acquitted. But in subsequent proceedings, the judge’s contempt charges were reversed, and all of the convictions for inciting riots were overturned. (Chicago Tribune)
1970: A jury decided five of the Chicago Seven defendants — Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis and David Dellinger — had incited riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but had not conspired to do so.
Six of the Chicago Seven defendants pose outside the Federal Building in Chicago during their conspiracy trial in February 1970: Abbie Hoffman, from left, John Froines, Lee Weiner, Jerry Rubin, Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden. (William Yates/Chicago Tribune)
Defendants Lee Weiner and John Froines were acquitted of all charges. Judge Julius Hoffman, however, sentenced all seven defendants and two defense lawyers to contempt-of-court jail sentences. Those convictions were later reversed.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
High temperature: 70 degrees (2017)
Low temperature: Minus 14 degrees (1936)
Precipitation: 1.15 inches (1908)
Snowfall: 11.1 inches (2000)
The nameplate on Ben Hecht’s Academy Award for “Underworld” (1927), located at the base of the statuette. Along with many other Hecht artifacts, the award is housed in the Newberry Library archives. (Newberry Library)
1929: Former Chicago newspaperman Ben Hecht was announced as the winner of best original story for “Underworld” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The inaugural Oscar awards were presented later at a ceremony inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel that lasted just 15 minutes, but Hecht didn’t attend.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: [SPECIAL EDITION] The Oscars that were made in Chicago
Hecht’s Oscar is the most requested artifact at the Newberry Library, where anyone with a card can ask to see nearly any object in their collection, Chicago Tribune reporter Christopher Borrelli says.
“The orphan from St. Louis, whose real name was Harry Christopher Carabina, died only a few days short of his birthday, March 1,” the Tribune reported after Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray died on Feb. 18, 1998. “According to Who’s Who in America, Caray was born in 1919, making him 78, but the Cubs’ media guide lists his birth date as 1920. Even with those dates, there was always speculation that he was a few years older.” (Chicago Tribune)
1998: Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray died in Rancho Mirage, California. He had been in a coma since he collapsed on Valentine’s Day in a Palm Springs, California, restaurant.
Shani Davis became the first Black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympics history by finishing the 1,000-meter race in 1 minute 8.89 seconds on Feb. 18, 2006. (Chicago Tribune)
2006: Chicago native Shani Davis became the first Black athlete to win an individual Olympic gold medal with his 1,000-meter victory during the Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
Four years later, Davis became the first skater to defend his title in that event. He also won silver medals in the 1,500 both years.
When Davis competed in his fourth and final Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the Tribune wrote: “Davis isn’t here to make you or U.S. Speedskating or the U.S. Olympic Committee comfortable. … He’s a complex man reminding us that athletes don’t have to come in perfectly wrapped packages to root for them.”
The USA’s Evan Lysacek skates in the free skating program at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb. 18, 2010. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
2010: Naperville’s Evan Lysacek won a gold medal at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada, during the Winter Olympics.
Shaking off the suffocating pressure of the moment — which actually lasted four minutes and 30 seconds — Lysacek delivered a brilliant, career-best performance to become the first U.S. man to win the Olympic skating gold medal since Brian Boitano in 1988.
Before boarding a United Airline flight in Colorado after he was released from federal custody on Feb. 18, 2020, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich thanked President Donald Trump for the commutation, saying he was eager to get home. (Chicago Tribune)
2020: Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was released from prison in Colorado after President Donald Trump commuted his 14-year sentence.
Rod Blagojevich saga: From arrest to Donald Trump’s pardon
Nearly five years later, Trump granted a full pardon to the disgraced former governor.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan arrives for a meeting where his replacement, Angie Guerrero-Cuellar, was chosen as the new state representative on Feb. 25, 2021. Democratic committeemen in the 22nd House District met again to choose a replacement for Madigan in the Illinois House after the original appointee, Edward Guerra Kodatt, resigned three days into the job. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
2021: A half-century after he was first sworn into the Illinois House from Chicago’s Southwest Side, state Rep. Michael Madigan announced his resignation, a little more than a month after he was deposed by fellow Democrats as the nation’s longest-serving statehouse speaker.
In a statement, the embattled 78-year-old lawmaker, ensnarled in a federal corruption investigation, lashed out at his critics as he sought to defend his actions during his 36-year reign as House speaker.
A federal jury convicted Madigan on Feb. 12, 2025, of multiple federal charges, including bribery conspiracy — but jurors deadlocked on other charges in the wide-ranging indictment, including the marquee racketeering conspiracy count.
The Dishonor Roll: Meet the public officials who helped build Illinois’ culture of corruption
Want more vintage Chicago?
Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune 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.
Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com