Today in Chicago History: Da champs. Bears win Super Bowl XX.

News Room

Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Jan. 26, 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: 62 degrees (1944)
  • Low temperature: Minus 16 degrees (1897)
  • Precipitation: 1.66 inches (1967)
  • Snowfall: 16.4 inches (1967)
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, pose with neighborhood children in their new apartment at 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. in Chicago on Jan. 26, 1966. King and his family moved into the poor neighborhood to shed light on the living conditions of Black people in Chicago in 1966. (Tom Kinahan/Chicago Tribune)

1966: Almost three weeks after announcing his intention to lead “the first significant freedom movement in the North,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family moved into a third-floor apartment in the North Lawndale neighborhood.

(Chicago Tribune)
(Chicago Tribune)

1967: The “Blizzard of ‘67” dropped 23 inches of snow on Chicago — the largest amount on record for the city.

Chicago’s 10 largest snowfalls since 1886 — and how the Tribune covered them

Snow began falling at 5:02 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Mountains of snow accumulated in drifts, whipped by winds of 50 mph or more.

Remarkably, the storm was preceded by unseasonable warmth — it was 65 degrees just two days before the snow appeared.

The Bears' William Perry (72) plows into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run during Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986. (Ed Wagner Jr./Chicago Tribune)
The Bears’ William Perry (72) plows into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run during Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986. (Ed Wagner Jr./Chicago Tribune)

1986: “At last, the Second City can chant, ‘We’re No. 1’ without fear of flying too high.”

The Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX in New Orleans with a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: The Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 46-10 to win Super Bowl XX

Also in 1986: The Discover Card, created by Sears, debuted during the broadcast of Super Bowl XX. It became a challenger to MasterCard, Visa and American Express.

Sears published advertisements in the Tribune on Jan. 26, 1986 and bought time for "kick-off commercials" to run during Super Bowl XX to announce the launch of its Discover Card credit card. (Chicago Tribune)
Sears published ads in the Tribune on Jan. 26, 1986, and bought time for “kickoff commercials” to run during Super Bowl XX to announce the launch of its Discover Card credit card. (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