As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from March 19. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from early industrial booms and legendary athletic returns to the local impact of global health crises.
1936: The DeKalb Daily Chronicle
On March 19, 1936, the DeKalb Daily Chronicle announced a major economic win with the headline, “New industry moving to this city immediately,” detailing the arrival of a mattress company from Milwaukee. While DeKalb looked toward growth, the front page also captured a nation battling nature; reports detailed “Great damage done by flood” in the East and “Waters ravage Pittsburgh business zone.” Even the nation’s capital was under threat, with workers building dikes to protect historic shrines from the rising Potomac.
1995: Northwest Herald (McHenry County)
The March 19, 1995, Sunday Herald captured one of the most iconic moments in sports history. A massive, bold headline – “He’s back!“ – announced Michael Jordan’s return to the Chicago Bulls. The front page detailed the “elation and relief” felt by fans after Jordan’s simple two-word fax reached his agent. Amidst the sports frenzy, the paper also covered local gravity, reporting on four Harvard teenagers charged in a “failed attempt to force him into a gang.”
2003: The Times-Press (Streator)
By March 19, 2003, The Times-Press in Streator focused on local government friction. The lead story, “Streator police back chief‚" detailed a “no confidence” vote from the City Council against the police chief, despite the department’s rank-and-file officers appearing in chambers to support their leader. The edition also highlighted the community’s connection to the impending war in Iraq, announcing a “Prayer breakfast set to remember soldiers.”
2020: The Daily Gazette (Sterling-Rock Falls)
The March 19, 2020, edition of the Daily Gazette serves as a stark reminder of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The headlines focused on a rapidly changing world: “KSB upgrades virtual care, tests 28 more people for virus.” Photos showed a local restaurateur in Ashton delivering food “From counter to curb” as dining rooms closed across Illinois. The page balanced the crisis with a touch of local heart, featuring “Bible Joe,” a man wrapping up 40 years of preaching at the Lee County Jail.
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