Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 21, 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: 92 degrees (1977)
- Low temperature: 31 degrees (2002)
- Precipitation: 1.96 inches (2018)
- Snowfall: Trace (1969)
Nathan Leopold Jr., left, and Richard Loeb at the time of their trial for the murder of Bobby Franks in 1924. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
1924: Friends Nathan “Babe” Leopold Jr. and Richard “Dickie” Loeb — the pampered sons of prominent Kenwood families — killed Robert “Bobby” Franks after they offered him a ride home from school.
To the public, Franks’ death appeared to have been orchestrated for money and for thrill. But the two brilliant masterminds behind the crime simply referred to it as a “perfect murder” — for which they believed they could outsmart the authorities and would never stand trial.
After they dumped the boy’s body near Wolf Lake in Indiana, they confessed to the murder and were brought to trial for what became the “crime of the century.”
American aviator Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris on May 21, 1927, after making the transatlantic trip from New York. It was the first time a pilot made the nonstop trip solo. (Chicago Tribune)
1927: Aviator Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris at 10:21 p.m. after flying for 33 hours and 29 minutes from New York. It was the first nonstop transatlantic flight executed by one person.
“Am I in Paris?” were Lindbergh’s first words as he was dragged out of the cockpit of his plane, “The Spirit of St. Louis.”
“You’re here,” Tribune reporter Henry Wales — the first to greet the pilot — said.
In the first night game at Comiskey Park that season, the Chicago White Sox shut out the Washington Senators 1-0 on May 21, 1943. At just under one-and-a-half hours, it is the fastest-played nine-inning baseball game in American League history. (Chicago Tribune)
1943: The Chicago White Sox won the fastest nine-inning game in American League history under the lights at Comiskey Park. The Sox beat the Washington Senators 1-0 in 1 hour and 29 minutes.
The fastest complete game in MLB history lasted just 51 minutes.
2017: A jewel-encrusted Asprey & Co. mystery clock, valued at $425,000, was stolen from an antiques exhibition at Merchandise Mart.
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
Originally Published: May 21, 2025 at 4:00 AM CDT
