As Shaw Media continues to celebrate its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from March 10. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from the aftermath of world wars and daring prison escapes to the modern anxieties of a global pandemic.
1924: Streator Daily Free Press
On March 10, 1924, the Streator Daily Free Press led with the sensational news that “Three Escaped Convicts Are Captured” following a “sensational break” from the Joliet Prison. The front page also captured a moment of political transition as Secretary Denby “bids farewell to Navy,” and a tragic local update from the “Mine Gives Up Bodies of Victims” following a disaster in Utah.
1947: Woodstock Daily Sentinel
By 1947, the Woodstock Daily Sentinel was deeply focused on the somber reality of the post-war era. The massive headline “146 War Dead In County” provided a definitive, heartbreaking list of local servicemen who lost their lives in World War II. Interspersed with this gravity were signs of returning normalcy, such as the “Knights Win Over M’Henry In Tourney” basketball update and a local report on “Home Nursing” classes.
1985: The Daily Chronicle (DeKalb County)
The March 10, 1985, Sunday edition of DeKalb’s Daily Chronicle centered on higher education and international diplomacy. The lead story announced that “NIU presidential finalists named,” while a separate piece addressed a political “lark” write-in campaign for the mayor’s race. Globally, the paper tracked the “World at peace” goal for U.S. arms talks in Geneva, reflecting the Cold War tensions of the mid-80s.
2020: Northwest Herald (McHenry County)
Rounding out the collection, the March 10, 2020, Northwest Herald captured the exact moment the world began to change. With the headline “Stocks Slide As Fears Go Viral,” the page documented the market’s “worst one-day beating since 2008.” Locally, the impact of COVID-19 was becoming a reality as a “Disaster declared in Illinois after 4 new cases announced,” marking the beginning of a historic global crisis.
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