Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 21, according to the Tribune’s archives.

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Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

High temperature: 103 degrees (1901)
Low temperature: 51 degrees (1970)
Precipitation: 1.78 inches (1999)
Snowfall: Trace (2017)

The Wingfoot Air Express blimp crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago on Monday, July 21, 1919. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
The Wingfoot Air Express, owned and operated by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., caught fire and fell 1,200 feet on July 21, 1919. The dirigible crashed through the skylight of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank building at the northeast corner of Jackson Boulevard and LaSalle Street in Chicago, trapping workers who were finishing up for the day. Thirteen people died 11 in the bank and two blimp passengers and 27 were injured. (Chicago Tribune)

1919: For most of the day, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.’s Wingfoot Air Express airship cruised above the city. The powerful hum of its engines and a serene shadow were the only indicators of its passage as it flew from the South Side to Grant Park and as far north as Diversey Parkway.

At about 5 p.m., the blimp hurtled through a lobby skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank at 231 S. LaSalle St., killing 13 people and injuring 27. It was America’s first recorded commercial aviation disaster.

Attorney Clarence Darrow wears a look of intense earnestness as he advances his arguments about capital punishment during his long appeal on behalf of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in 1924 Chicago. Leopold and Loeb pleaded guilty to killing Bobby Franks in 1924. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

1924 Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb’s attorney Clarence Darrow entered a plea of guilty on his clients’ behalf. By entering guilty pleas, Darrow didn’t have to persuade 12 jurors to spare his clients the hangman’s noose. In a trial’s sentencing phase, the judge has the ultimate say.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Leopold and Loeb

After the evidence had been presented, Darrow addressed the judge, speaking for 12 hours over two days. Darrow’s eloquent plea had the desired effect. Leopold and Loeb were sentenced to life in prison.

Adlai Stevenson II addresses delegates at the 1952 Democratic National Convention at the Chicago Amphitheater on July 21, 1952. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

1952: The Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago at the International Amphitheatre. Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson was chosen as the party’s nominee.

Stevenson, who did not seek the presidential nomination, was drafted on the third ballot. Although he was a reluctant candidate, he pledged a hard-fighting campaign.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Tradition of acceptance speeches at political conventions began in Chicago

“I have no feeling of exultation, nor sense of triumph,” Stevenson said outside the home of William McCormick Blair at 1416 Astor St. “I shall ask my God to give me courage in this great undertaking.”

Eisenhower won the 1952 election on Nov. 4, 1952, bringing the Republican Party its first White House victory in 24 years.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Soldier Field’s century of concerts, car races, circuses and contests

1956: The Grand National 100-mile race, considered the first NASCAR cup series race held in Chicago, was witnessed by 14,402 fans who saw Fireball Roberts win by a car length over Jim Pascal, who was ahead until Roberts passed him on the 194th of 200 laps.

Walter Polovchak lets his T-shirt express his feelings on Dec. 31, 1981, during a legal setback. “I’m happy to be in America,” it says. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)

1980: Twelve-year-old Walter Polovchak, who said he did not want to go back home to Ukraine when his family returned to the then-Soviet Union, was granted political asylum in Chicago.

Polovchak was dubbed the “the littlest defector” by the media during a yearslong court battle between his parents and the U.S. government that raised complex questions about personal freedoms, parental rights and government overreach.

2002: Pyewacket, owned by Walt Disney’s grandnephew Roy P. Disney, set a record finish time of 23 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds in the Race to Mackinac. It bested the 1987 record of 25:50:44 by Dick Jennings’ Santa Cruz 70, Pied Piper. Pyewacket, named after the cat in the film “Bell, Book and Candle,” retained the record in the race until 2024.

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