Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Sept. 24, 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: 93 degrees (2017)
Low temperature: 35 degrees (1989)
Precipitation: 1.85 inches (1977)
Snowfall: None
A runner is taken to an ambulance at 39th Street where he went down with exhaustion during the second annual Mayor Daley Marathon on Sept. 24, 1978. (James Mayo/Chicago Tribune)
1978: Promoters for the Mayor Daley Marathon were criticized for the high entry fee ($10; or almost $50 in today’s dollars) and late start time, but it was the temperature — with a high of 80 degrees — that hit participants hardest.
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Chicago Marathon — highs and lows from the race’s 45-year history
The next year, the race (which is now known as the Chicago Marathon) was moved to October.
1980: After four months of secret negotiations, the Chicago Board of Education and the U.S. Justice Department approved desegregation guidelines to be implemented by September 1981. The agreement avoided a lengthy court battle.
The framework did not require specific racial quotas in schools, nor specific numbers of students. It also didn’t define a desegregated school.
Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Rick Sutcliffe is hugged by catcher Jody Davis as third baseman Ron Cey moves in after the Cubs clinched the National League East Championship on Sept. 24, 1984, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs won the game 4-1 in Pittsburgh. (Bob Langer/Chicago Tribune)
1984: Eventual National League Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe pitched a two-hitter at Pittsburgh, and his victory clinched the Eastern Division title for the Chicago Cubs.
“The burden of a franchise and a proud city were lifted as the Cubs scratched the 39-year itch that had represented the organization’s scarlet letter,” Tribune reporter Fred Mitchell wrote.
The Cubs lost the National League Championship Series three games to two to the San Diego Padres, who made their postseason debut, in a best of five series. The Padres lost the World Series to the Detroit Tigers.
The Chicago White Sox clinch the American League Central Division on Sept. 24, 2000, and celebrated at the Metrodome in Minneapolis after their 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins. (Chicago Tribune)
2000: Despite losing to the Minnesota Twins 6-5, the Chicago White Sox clinched the American League Central Division when the Kansas City Royals had beaten the second-place Cleveland Indians. It was the Sox’s first playoff berth since 1993.
Fans lined up outside Comiskey Park to buy American League Championship Series tickets.
The Sox were swept by the Seattle Mariners 3-0.
Teresa Guerrero prepares a fresh fruit bowl on 31st Street near Piotrowski Park in Little Village on Sept. 16, 2015. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
2015: The Chicago City Council voted to lift its ban on food carts.
A culture at risk: Chicago’s street vendors quietly disappear from familiar corners during ICE surge
The vendors, who sell tamales, cut fruit, corn on the cob known as elotes and other items primarily in Latino neighborhoods, would have to pay $350 to get a license to operate.
Megan Rapinoe waves to fans during a ceremony before the U.S. Women’s National Team International Friendly against South Africa at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 24, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
2023: U.S. soccer phenom Megan Rapinoe ended her soccer career at Soldier Field in a win over South Africa.
“There never will be another quite like her. Please forgive the cliche — it’s trite but also true,” Tribune reporter Julia Poe wrote. “Follow with her accolades, the Olympic gold and bronze medals, the pair of World Cup trophies, the Ballon d’Or. Make a turn to her activism, the lifetime of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, the leadership in a yearslong struggle for equal pay, the solidarity with campaigns against racism and transphobia.”
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