Mayor Richard J. Daley, who held the office for 21 years, dies of a heart attack

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comDecember 20, 2025

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Mayor Richard J. Daley, who held the office for 21 years, dies of a heart attack

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Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Dec. 20, according to Tribune archives.

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Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

High temperature: 67 degrees (1877)
Low temperature: Minus 9 degrees (1963)
Precipitation: 1.67 inches (1895)
Snowfall: 11 inches (1960)

1951: The Edens Expressway opened during a snowstorm.

The “highway” was named in honor of Colonel William G. Edens, a retired banker who is credited with “lifting Illinois out of the mud” by promoting the state’s first highway bond issues, which were passed in 1918.

The first known use of atomic energy to generate electricity took place on December 20, 1951. This historic experiment took place at the Atomic Energy Commission's National Reactor Test Station in Idaho. Four 200 watt light bulbs were lit by electricity from the generator on the right which, in turn, ran on heat from the experimental breeder reactor 1. The first "Breeder" The reactor was operated by Argonne National Laboratory. On December 21, 1951, the nuclear power plant provided all the electricity for the building in which it was located. One of the bulbs was later presented to President Harry S. Truman. (PA) — The first known use of atomic energy to generate electricity took place on December 20, 1951. This historic experiment took place at the Atomic Energy Commission’s National Reactor Test Station in Idaho. Four 200-watt light bulbs were lit by electricity from the generator on the right which, in turn, ran with heat from the Experimental Breeder Reactor 1. The first “breeder” reactor was operated by Argonne National Laboratory. On December 21, 1951, the nuclear power plant provided all the electricity for the building in which it was located. One of the bulbs was later presented to President Harry S. Truman. (PA)

Also in 1951: Scientists and engineers at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, under the leadership of Walter H. Zinn, created the first nuclear reactor to produce useful electricity. The Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I) was commissioned for the first time in Idaho. The facility remained in operation until 1964.

The burned out hulk of a North Central Airlines DC-9 lies on the tarmac at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on December 21, 1972, where it came to rest after hitting the tail of a Delta Airlines plane as it took off on December 20. Ten people died in the collision. (Larry Stoddard/AP) — The burned out hulk of a North Central Airlines DC-9 on the tarmac at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on December 21, 1972, where it came to rest after hitting the tail of a Delta Airlines plane as it took off on December 20. Ten people died in the collision. The Delta plane was taxiing toward the passenger terminal when it was struck by the North Central plane. (Larry Stoddard/AP)

1972: Two planes collided on a fog-shrouded runway at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, killing 10 of the 138 on board. All victims initially survived the collision, but some were overcome by smoke from the burning North Central Airlines DC-9 jet.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Plane Crashes That Stunned Our City

Poor communications between controllers and the Delta Air Lines Convair 880 crew, which caused the Delta plane to taxi onto a runway used by the North Central plane for a takeoff, was cited. The ensuing fire led federal officials to recommend the use of less toxic materials and better lighting in airline cabins.

Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley died of a heart attack on December 20, 1976, in his doctor's office at 900 N. Michigan Ave. (Chicago Tribune) — Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley died of a heart attack in his doctor’s office at 900 N. Michigan Ave. on December 20, 1976. (Chicago Tribune)

1976: Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, who served in office for 21 years, has died of a heart attack.

On that frosty Monday, Daley had attended a traditional Christmas breakfast with his senior Cabinet officials at the Bismarck Hotel.

After a morning of routine work on the fifth floor of City Hall, Daley took a midday stroll with his top aide, Thomas Donovan, to the Civic Center Plaza, since named in Daley’s honor, to view the ice sculptures commissioned by the city for the Christmas season.

Daley then drove in his limousine to Ald. Edward Vrdolyak’s 10th Ward on the Far South Side to help Alderman and Chicago Park District General Superintendent Edmund Kelly dedicate a new gymnasium at Mann Park, 130th Street and Carondolet Avenue. It has become part of Chicago legend that Vrdolyak and Kelly made unsuccessful shots at a basketball hoop, but Daley, having received the ball, threw it and scored.

People line up outside the Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church in Bridgeport to pay their respects to Mayor Richard J. Daley on Dec. 21, 1976. (George Quinn/Chicago Tribune)

Upon returning to his downtown office, Daley complained of chest pains and was taken to the office of his personal physician, Thomas J. Coogan Jr., at 900 N. Michigan Ave. A quick exam convinced Coogan that Daley needed to be hospitalized, and he went to the phone to call Northwestern Memorial and tell them to get ready.

Meanwhile, Daley called his family from the exam room, and during that call he fell to the floor, struck by a fatal heart attack. By midafternoon, Frank Sullivan, Daley’s press secretary, tearfully announced to reporters that Daley was dead.

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abdulmanannet77@gmail.comDecember 20, 2025

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