Today in Chicago History: Al Capone dies

News Room

Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Jan. 25, 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: 67 degrees (1950)
  • Low temperature: Minus 20 degrees (1897)
  • Precipitation: 1.12 inches (1990)
  • Snowfall: 4.6 inches (1895)
Dr. Arthur J. Logie, a chest specialist, confirmed former Chicago gang leader Al Capone had developed pneumonia on Jan. 24, 1947. “I doubt very seriously if there is a chance for recovery. It is impossible to say how long he will last,” Logie told reporters. (Chicago Tribune)

1947: Former Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone died in Florida.

Syphilis-related complications earned Capone an early release from prison in 1939, after he served seven years for tax evasion.

Al Capone’s final days, death in Florida and burial in Chicago — why we remember it 75 years later

Almost eight years later and some 1,400 miles away from Chicago, Capone’s final months were spent with family at his Palm Island estate near Miami.

1993: Sears closed its money-losing catalog division, which meant the demise of its storied Big Book.

The company closed its last store in Illinois in 2021.

Though Sears announced on Jan. 25, 1993, the closing of as many as 239 stores and the elimination of about 50,000 full- and part-time jobs, it was the death of the Big Book catalog that demanded attention. (Chicago Tribune)
Though Sears announced on Jan. 25, 1993, the closing of as many as 239 stores and the elimination of about 50,000 full- and part-time jobs, it was the death of the Big Book catalog that demanded attention. (Chicago Tribune)

1994: The Chicago Wolves formed as part of the International League and would play at the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena).

(Chicago Tribune)
An ad for the Chicago Wolves’ first season was published in the Tribune in 1994. (Chicago Tribune)

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

Related posts