Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 12, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
High temperature: 97 degrees (1956)
Low temperature: 40 degrees (1985)
Precipitation: 1.5 inches (2021)
Snowfall: None
James Mayo / Chicago Tribune
A crowd surrounds a burning squad car during unrest in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago on June 12, 1966.
Chicago Tribune historical photo
A crowd pushes a squad car in an apparent attempt to tip it June 12, 1966, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Ray Foster / Chicago Tribune
Chicago police officers duck as people throw bottles and stones while officers advance on the crowd on June 12, 1966.
Chicago Tribune historical photo
Police search a man during a flareup of violence on June 12, 1966, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
James Mayo / Chicago Tribune
One of the three squad cars burned June 12, 1966, during clashes near Division Street and Damen Avenue in Chicago.
Ray Foster / Chicago Tribune
A crowd marches through the streets of Humboldt Park as it carries Juan Gonzalez, 20, after a police dog bit him on June 12, 1966.
Chicago Tribune historical photo
Chicago police Sgt. James Delaney sits in patrol car after the windshield was cracked by a rock near Division Street and California Avenue on June 12, 1966.
James Mayo / Chicago Tribune
A cat perches near Park View Restaurant, 2757 W. Division St. Its windows were smashed during looting that followed a police shooting of a young Puerto Rican resident on June 12, 1966.
Chicago Tribune historical photo
Tribune photojournalist Ray Foster checks the photos he took before people assaulted him and smashed his camera while he documented the unrest in Humboldt Park.
Chicago Tribune historical photo
A crowd gathers at the North Side boys court at 937 N. Wood St. on June 13, 1966, as many people who were arrested during the unrest in Humboldt Park faced charges ranging from burglary to disorderly conduct .
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James Mayo / Chicago Tribune
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A crowd surrounds a burning squad car during unrest in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago on June 12, 1966.
1966: In Humboldt Park, white Chicago police Officer Thomas Munyon shot Arcelis Cruz, a young Puerto Rican man, in the leg. The incident ignited two days of rioting along Division Street that sprang from deep frustrations over bad police relations, poor schools and uncaring landlords.
On the first day of unrest, the Tribune reported, three squad cars were burned, 35 people were arrested and 19 people were injured. Stores along Division Street were looted and set on fire. A firebomb was thrown into Schley Elementary School.
Firefighters had a hose wrested from their hands as they tried to extinguish the flames of a burning police car. A Tribune photographer was robbed of his camera, beaten and kicked, until neighborhood residents rescued him. The nearby St. Mary’s Hospital treated both civilians and police officers.
The violence subsided after a heavy rainfall and hundreds of police officers were placed on patrol in the area.
The Chicago Bulls championship win featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune on June 13, 1991.
1991: The Chicago Bulls won the first NBA championship in the team’s 25-year history with a 108-101 victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals over the Los Angeles Lakers. MVP Michael Jordan scored 30 points, Scottie Pippen had 32 and John Paxson added 20. The Bulls won three straight on the road at the Forum.
Chicago Bulls beat Los Angeles Lakers for NBA title in 1991
”(The championship) means so much,” said Jordan, in tears after the game, talking to a national television audience. ”Not just for me but for this team and this city. It was a seven-year struggle. It’s the most proud day I’ve ever had.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs the Reproductive Health Act into law at the Chicago Cultural Center on June 12, 2019, with bill sponsors state Sen. Melinda Bush, left, and state Rep. Kelly Cassidy. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
2019: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law sweeping abortion rights legislation that established the procedure as a “fundamental right” for women in Illinois.
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