A Chicago Christmas-- Part 5: Hot, Cold and Snow

This entry is very appropriate for today.  This morning, December 23, 2022, it was -8 degrees outside here in Spring Grove, Illinois.  By 1 pm, it had "Warmed Up" to -2 degrees.  It is -5 degrees right now.

Christmas 1982 saw Chicago reach 64 degrees, setting a record for highest temperature on the holiday.

Just one year later in 1983, the coldest-ever temperature for the holiday was recorded at O'Hare at bone-chilling negative 17 degrees.

As for a very white Christmas Day, it happened in 1950 when Chicago received a whopping 5.1 inches of snow, setting a city snowfall record for that day.  Yesterday and this morning we got maybe two-tenths of an inch of the white stuff.

--CootHotColdSnow

But, Back to Mark Buehrle Got Us Drenched-- Part 3: We Get All Wet

I had to stop for a day on the drenched chroncicles to write about Mark Buehrle's next pitching outing which got exciting as well.  Imagine pitching back-to-back perfect games.  Well, it didn't happen, but wow, wouldn't that have been something!

To set the story, we had remained at Chopper's (bar and grill) up on Channel Lake in Antioch, Illinois, to see if Burehrle would get the perfect game despite knowing that a nasty storm was blowing in.  (We were in our boat, School's Out... Forever!)  Had we left in the 8th inning, we might have made it home, but we stayed.  Hey, how often do you get the chance to see a perfect game?

It hadn't started raining yet, but there was plenty of lightning and thunder off in the distance and getting closer.

We, (Kevin, Kelly, Liz and myself) decided to make a run for it.  We left and walked rapidly to the boat, cast off and started on our way.  It started  drizzling about half way to the Illinois Route 173 bridge and got steadily harder until a downpour.  (At this time we decided we probably should have just stayed at Chopper's.  But, too late.)  

The wind also picked up as well.  We ended up taking cover under the bridge until the worst had passed over about fifteen minutes later.  The rain let up some, but was still coming down enough to soak us pretty well on the rest of our way home.

So, as you can see, it was all Mark Buehrle's fault we got drenched.

And, he never apologized.

Thanks A Lot, Mark.  --RoadWet

Mark Buehrle Got Us Drenched-- Part 2: But, the Perfect Game Was Worth It

We had some discussion about staying or leaving and it was decided to chance the storm and stay.  Here was a chance to see only the 18th ever perfect game in Major League Baseball.  And, of course, for me, it was the Chicago White Sox, making it even better.

Eighth inning and Buehrle still had the perfect game.  By now, we could hear the thunder and see the lightning and it was going to be a really bad storm for sure.  Come on Mark, either get this over with or give up a hit so we can get out of there.

We wanted the Sox to go down fast in their part of the eighth.  They did.  Three up, three down.

Now, we have the 9th.  Will he do it or not?  Huge clap of thunder really close by as Tampa came up to bat.  The TVs flickered and went off.  Oh, NO!!!  Not now.  No rain yet, but, oh, no.  Thankfully the TVs came back on with one out.  

What we didn't know was that when the TVs went off, Tampa player Gabe Kapler had hit what would have been a home run ball, but was caught by DeWayne Wise, who had been put in the game that inning for his defensive ability.  He lived up to that name and leaped high to catch the ball as it cleared the outfield stands.  One out.  And, I should mention that the collision with the wall knocked the ball out of his glove and he juggled it once or twice on the way down to the ground before he caught it.  WHOA!!!

Buehrle got the next two out easily and we had our perfect game.

And, We Haven't Even Gotten Wet Yet.  --Cooter

Other Facts About the Battle of Princeton

From the Mt. Vernon Organization.

**  WEATHER:  21 degrees at 8 am  "Fair & Frosty."    Some reported "shin deep snow" on the Clarke Farm battlefield.

**  STRENGTHS:    American - 4,500 est. with 35 artillery pieces.  British - 1,200 est. with  6 to 9 artillery pieces.

**  CASUALTIES:  Exact numbers are not known and estimates vary.  Fischer reports 232 killed and wounded for the British with maybe another  200 to 300 captured.  American losses were likely 31-37 killed, upwards of  37 wounded and 1 captured.

**  At the time of the battle, Princeton University was known as the College of New Jersey.  The name was changed to Princeton in 1896.

**  The Continental Congress convened in Nassau Hall from June 30, 1783, to November 4, 1783.  Congress moved here from Philadelphia to avoid risk from mutinous Continental  Army officers in and near Philadelphia.

--Cooter

The Fog That Saved George Washington-- Part 2: It Was So Thick....

The British planned to strike again the next morning, August 29, but a dense fog delayed that attack.

George Washington ordered his men "to impress every kind of watercraft ... that could be kept afloat... and have them  in the east harbor of the city by dark."  

Fog like what happened is atypical to New York weather,  but it held for the entire day.  The boats were gathered and a night time evacuation accomplished across the river to Manhattan.

This fortuitous fog  saved about 9,000 men of the fledgling Continental Army which could in no way afford to lose them.  That most likely would have ended the Revolution right there.

The British awoke the next morning, August 30 to capture Washington and his men, but they had just simply vanished into the fog.

--DaCoot

The Fog That Saved Washington-- Part 1

From the June 28, 2018, ListVerse "10 coincidences that helped shape US history" by Christopher Dale.

The United States came incredibly close to surviving just six weeks.  (That would be after the Declaration of Independence was passed.)

In August 1776, General George Washington and the bulk of the Continental Army was defending present-day Brooklyn.  In what became known as the Battle of Long Island, his forces were outnumbered, outflanked and outfought.

Even considered the lopsided British victories during these early stages of the war, this was an outright disaster.

On August 27,  970 Continental soldiers were dead or wounded and more than 1,000 taken prisoner.  Meanwhile, the British lost just 63 men.

Washington had his back to the East River and at least 15,000 British troops closing in on him.  Things looked bleaker than bleak.  But, then Mother Nature came to the rescue.

The next day it pored, causing both armies to stop.

And, Then....  --Cooter

Ten Days of Tragedy in April (11-20)-- Part 1: Civil War and Presidential Deaths

From the April 18, 2021 Fox 4 Kansas City, Mo.  "10 days of tragedy:  15 historic  disasters occurred over these days in April" by Brian Dulle.

The middle of April has proven to be a calamitous time in human history.

**  APRIL 11, 1965:  Palm Sunday tornado out break over six Midwestern states killed 271 people.

**  APRIL 12, 1861:  The Civil War begins with the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, S.C.

**  APRIL  12, 1945--  President Roosevelt dies in his 4th term.  World War II was still underway.

**  APRIL  13, 2014:  Jewish Community Center shootings in Kansas City  (3 killed)

**  APRIL  14, 1912:  Sinking of the RMS Titanic

**  APRIL  14, 1865:  Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln

**  APRIL  15, 2013:  Boston Marathon bombing  (3 dead and more than 260 wounded)

--Cooter

And, the Coronavirus Cometh to McHenry County in 2020-- Part 5: It's the Weather Channel Thing All Over Again

I myself was wondering whether or not we'd get hit with one of those pandemics of the past, but figured our medicine would be able to handle it now that we are in the 21st century.  I was wrong.  Perhaps, too much concentration on diabetes, cancer and the like.  But, as bad as those diseases are, something that hits and kills in the numbers of a virus is really scary.

Back to the article:

"So here we are, working from home and isolated -- for our own good-- from family and friends.  But rather than grouse about our lot, I'd save your recriminations for government officials who failed to stockpile adequate medical supplies and hospital beds for a time health experts long predicted could strike at a moment's notice."

Personally, I was operating under the Weather Channel Fix.  Anytime there is anything out on the oceans even remotely looking like a storm, they go overboard with dire warnings of possible catastrophe.  We've had Ebola and other possible pandemics pop up then go away along with dire warnings from health experts.  So, I just figured it was more of the same.

I heard about this new one in China, but was absolutely not concerned.

Reckon I Should Have Been.  --Cooter

Ice Cutting in 1919

From the January 23, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1919, 100 Years Ago.

"While most people are feeling grateful for the mild weather of the last few days, Frank Carter is bewailing the fact that the mercury did not remain closer to the bottom of the tube, until he gets his ice harvested.

"However, on Carter lake on the south Malta road, the ice is better than ten inches thick and today, Mr. Carter is getting his tools hauled to the spot ready for cutting which will start tomorrow."

--CootIce

The Fog of the Revolution Saves Washington and His Army

From the March 20, 2019, Washington Post  "Weird weather saved America three times" by Gillian Brockell.

General George Washington and the Continental Army lost badly to the British in the Battle of Long Island.  They were outnumbered two to one.  One fifth of his force were either killed, wounded or captured.  And, on the evening of August 29, 1776, they were pinned down in Brooklyn between the British Army and the East River.

Rain had hurt Washington in earlier endeavors, but this time he got a solid in the form of liquid and gas.  First, rain slowed the British advance and gave Washington time to plan an escape.  As the sun went down, Washington gathered every boat he could and began, very quietly,  evacuating his army.

Oars were muted and campfires remained lit to fool the British.  But the sun came up and the British saw. Americans were still on the shore and in peril when a tremendous fog rolled in.  One soldier reported that you couldn't see  more than 20 feet away.

That was all Washington needed as he boarded the last boat to leave the shore.  he and his army would be able to fight another day.

----CootFog

The Peshtigo Firestorm-- Part 2: Deadliest Fire Ever in the U.S.

This list is compiled by the United States Geological Survey.

2.  Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood of 1889 which killed 2,200 people.

3.  Peshtigo, Wisconsin, forest fire which killed 1,200 people.

4.  San Francisco earthquake of 1906 which killed 700 people.

5.  The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 which went through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana and killed 695 people.

The authors of the book believe that the real Peshtigo death toll was over 2,500.  regardless, it still remains the deadliest fire in U.S. history.

--DaCoot

May 24-- Part 1: "What Hath God Wrought!" in 1844

Kind of a special date to me  as I was born this day in 1951.

From the May 24, 2018, Chicago Tribune "On May 24..."

1607--  100 English settlers landed at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in what was to become the United States.

1686--  Physicist Daniel Fahrenheit, who developed the temperature scale that bears his name (and we use here in the U.S.) was born in modern-day Gdansk, Poland.

1819--  Queen Victoria was born in London.

1830--  "Mary Had a Little :Lamb" by Sarah Joseph Hale published.

1844--  Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message, "What hath God wrought!" from Washington to Baltimore as he opened America's first telegraph line.

More.  --Cooter24

February 9, 1870: U.S. Weather Bureau

On February 9, 1870, the United States Weather Bureau was established.

What would the Weather Channel do without it.

Of particular interest to me as I have just finished reading "Firestorm in Peshtigo" which took place on October 8, 1871, in Wisconson, just a short time later.  This was the worst fire in U.S. history both in size and scope, but as well as in number of victims.

And, as a weather event, had the Weather Bureau been further along in its development, might it have been able to warn the people to evacuate?

Sadly, it is almost always overlooked because of the Great Chicago Fire which took place on the same day.

--Cooter

Ice Cutting Time in DeKalb in 1917

From the December 27, 2017, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"The work of harvesting DeKalb's annual ice crop should begin within the next few days, especially if such weather as prevailed here last night continues for any length of time.

"Cold weather, especially below zero, as we have experienced for a week or more, means that the ice is in the process of making and it is very probable that the ice cutters, and numerous wagons, will be getting into town for the work within a very short time."

In the Days Before Refrigerators.  --CootIce

Looking Back to 1941: Heat Wave Strikes

From the August 17, 2016, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1941, 75 Years Ago.

"The crew cleaning the interior and exterior of the Sycamore city water tower were stopped by the heat yesterday.  Early hours were not so bad, but the mid-day sun which bounced its heat waves off the steel on the tower tank was too much for the workmen.

"They had to give up."

A Hot Time In the Old Town Today.  --Coothot

Chicago's Ten Biggest Snowfalls

From the January 25, 2017, Chicago Tribune.

Since 1885.

1.  Jan. 26-27, 1967--  23 inches    The Blizzard of '67
2.  Jan. 1-3, 1999--  21,6 inches
3.  Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2011--  21.2 inches    The Groundhog Day Blizzard

4.  Jan. 12-14, 1979--  20.3 inches
5.  Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2015  19.3
6.  March 25-26, 1930--  19.2 inches
7.  March 7-8, 1931--  16.2 inches

8.  January 30, 1939--  14.9 inches
9.  Jan. 6-7, 1918--  14.9 inches
10.  Dec. 17-19, 1929--  14.8 inches

Snow me Away.  --Cooter

Chicago's Blizzard of '67-- Part 1: The Warm Before the Storm

From the January 25, 2017,  Chicago Tribune "Blizzard of 1967 shut down Chicago," by Nereida Moreno.

Yesterday marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Blizzard of '67, as it has come to be known.  It started January 26th and ended 29 hours later on January 27.  Twenty-three inches of snow fell.

And, this was the impact on a city that was ready for snow in winter.  Not some southern city where an inch shuts down everything.

Earlier in the week, temperatures were unseasonably high, topping out at 65 degrees on January 25, 1967, a very unusually warm day for a Chicago January.  Local weather news predicted at least 4 inches of snow the next day, Thursday, January 26..  However, in Chicago, if you get that warm of a day in the winter, WATCH OUT!!  Something's on its way.

Everyone was getting a case of spring fever.  I wasn't much as I could only go to school and back home as I had broken my leg in wrestling practice back in December.

We had about an inch of snow here yesterday, and snow flurries afterwards, but no more accumulation.  However, eerily, the temps last week were in the 50s and lower 40s earlier this week.

Build Me a Snowman.  --Cooter

Looking Back to 1941: Hot for Factory Workers Too

From the August 17, 2016, MidWeek "DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1941, 75 Years Ago.

"On account of the high temperature here today the management of the Wurlitzer piano factory closed the plant at noon today.

"Employees were finding it difficult to continue with the regular operations on account of the high temperatures that could not b contained with forced ventilation."

I imagine forced ventilation would refer to fans all those years ago.

What, No Air Conditioning?  --Cooter

Looking Back to 1916: Extreme Heat the Last Several Days

From the August 17, 2016, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1916, 100 Years Ago.

"The extreme heat of the past several days has taken a heavy toll amongst the farm horses in this section of the state as well as elsewhere.  The farmers are now at the height of their out cutting and the horses are required to pull heavy binders through the hot fields all day and in many cases the animals have dropped dead."

DeKalb County Farmers Were Still Mostly using Animals On Their Farms.  --Cooter

Looking Back 100 Years: The News of My Death Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

From the January 21, 2016, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1916, 100 years ago.

**  An error occurred in the obituary notice of Milo Wells which appeared in our last issue.  It was stated that Mrs. Wells was dead.  This was a mistake.  Mrs. Wells is living and is a resident of Chicago.

**  Sandwich (Illinois) schools were closed for a week after the holiday season because of an epidemic of scarlet fever."

**  "Any kind of weather you want a whole lot you don't has come this week.  Tuesday there was snow, Wednesday there was heavy rain and warm weather, and Thursday night the mercury dropped like a plummeted from the forties the temperature fell to 15 degrees below zero on Thursday morning."

Of Course, Living In Chicago Today Is Definitely Dangerous To Your Health If You Live In Certain Areas.  --Cooter