Today in Chicago History: Catherine O’Leary — and her cow — exonerated by City Council 126 years after the Great Chicago Fire

Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Oct. 6, 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: 94 degrees (1963)
Low temperature: 28 degrees (1952)
Precipitation: 1.57 inches (1955)
Snowfall: Trace (1935)

Olaf Logan, an Andy Frain usher, stops William Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern at 1855 W. Madison St., from entering Wrigley Field in a re-enactment on Oct. 12, 1945. Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley said Sianis could come in, but the goat stays out because he smells. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

1945: Billy Goat Tavern owner Bill Sianis and his goat, Murphy, were denied entrance to Wrigley Field, starting the curse of the goat.

1949: Iva Ikuko Toguri D’Aquino, aka “Tokyo Rose,” whose family lived in Chicago, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. She was convicted on one count of treason for broadcasting propaganda targeting American troops during World War II. But she was not the only female broadcaster on Radio Tokyo.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: The pardon of ‘Tokyo Rose’

During the 12-week trial, Toguri’s husband, Felipe D’Aquino, testified that two American reporters — Clark Lee and Harry Brundidge — promised his desperate wife $2,000 for an interview about her work on “Zero Hour.” They reneged on their mutually signed contract and turned over her words to the U.S. government.

Toguri received a presidential pardon in 1977 following a flurry of media attention.

Mayoral candidate Harold Washington speaks at a memorial service for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at Operation PUSH Headquarters on April 4, 1977, in Chicago. Washington was the first successful sponsor of a bill to create a legal holiday for King in Illinois. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)

1969: A movement began immediately after the Rev. Martin Luther King’s death to create a national holiday in his honor. The first successful sponsor of such a bill was an elected official in Illinois — Rep. Harold Washington of Chicago. The future mayor of the city was the architect of a measure that created a commemorative holiday on King’s birthday (Jan. 15) and was signed into law by Gov. Richard Ogilvie.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: How Illinois became the first state to recognize MLK Day

Schools, however, wouldn’t be closed for the occasion and businesses had no obligation to shut their doors either. Ogilvie vetoed a 1971 bill that would have made King’s birthday a legal holiday — which would close schools, businesses and government offices — saying it could have “a severe impact” on commerce since it wasn’t observed elsewhere. Ogilvie’s successor, Gov. Dan Walker, signed a bill creating the legal holiday while also approving a measure to prohibit the state from ordering busing to achieve racial balance in public schools.

Holy Name Cathedral, left, and St. James Episcopal Church, right, lay in ruins after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Between them, in the background, stands the old water tower. (Chicago Tribune archive)

1971: Chicago’s Water Tower was designated a city landmark.

Members of the media gather around Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan at the Berto Center in Deerfield on Oct. 6, 1993, as he announces his retirement from professional basketball. (Mike Fisher/AP)

1993: Chicago Bulls G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan announced his first retirement from the NBA.

“I have reached the pinnacle of my career,” he told reporters at a news conference. “I just feel I don’t have anything else to prove.”

Jordan returned to the Bulls in 1995 with a two-word fax: “I’m back.”

Peggy Knight, the great-great granddaughter of Catherine O’Leary, shows the City Council resolution exonerating O’Leary of starting the Great Chicago Fire along with a photo of her and her cousins attending the 1997 hearing, Aug. 16, 2021. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

1997: City Council Committee of Fire and Police adopted a resolution exonerating Catherine O’Leary — and her cow — 126 years after the Great Chicago Fire. The resolution was introduced by then-14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke.

Sue unveiled

Visitors get a first-ever look at Sue the T. rex on May 16, 2000, at Chicago’s Field Museum. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)

2020: Sue the T. rex was no longer the priciest T. rex specimen after “Stan,” another T. rex, sold for $31.8 million at Christie’s in New York City.

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

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/06/chicago-history-october-6/