As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from March 13. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from the depths of the Great Depression and the terror of local crime to the modern challenges of a global pandemic.
1933: The DeKalb Daily Chronicle
On March 13, 1933, the nation was gripped by the “Bank Holiday” of the Great Depression. The Daily Chronicle led with “Nation’s Chief Tells Country of Measures Taken,” reporting on President Roosevelt’s radio address to restore confidence in the banking system. While the world felt unstable, the paper also focused on international tensions with “Chinese Begin Counter Drive” against Japanese forces, and reported on a devastating earthquake in Southern California that left “over a thousand temblors” in its wake.
1976: Dixon Evening Telegraph
By 1976, the political landscape was dominated by a heated primary season. The Dixon Evening Telegraph featured “Ford, Reagan stump storm-plagued Northern Illinois,” noting how the two Republican rivals navigated the area just after a series of deadly tornadoes. Tragically, the local news was somber, reporting that “Storms claim six lives” across Lee County and the surrounding region, leaving a trail of destruction that overshadowed the political campaigning.
1980: Daily Times-Press (Streator)
The March 13, 1980, edition of Streator’s Daily Times-Press was headlined by one of the most notorious legal conclusions in Illinois history: “Gacy convicted of murders.” The front page detailed the jury’s decision to find John Wayne Gacy guilty of 33 counts of murder. Amidst this local horror, the paper also tracked global Cold War tensions, reporting that “U.S. products added to Olympic boycott list” as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
2020: The Herald-News (Joliet)
The March 13, 2020, front page captures the exact moment the world changed due to COVID-19. With a massive “RESPONSE PANNED” headline over an image of the U.S. Capitol and a virus spike protein, the paper detailed the growing criticism of the federal response. Locally, the reality of the pandemic hit home with “Series canceled,” as the IHSA pulled the plug on the state basketball tournament, marking the beginning of a long period of closures and restrictions.
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