As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from May 25. These archives serve as a time capsule, capturing everything from early-century tragedy to shifting cultural landscapes and major national moments felt right here at home.

1923: Dixon Evening Telegraph

Dixon Evening Telegraph cover: May 25, 1923 May 25, 1923 Dixon Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois) Newspapers.com

On May 25, 1923, the Dixon Evening Telegraph led with a sweeping, capitalized headline detailing legal drama: “ROBERTS GETS MOST SEVERE CO. COURT SENTENCE.” The front page also highlighted post-WWI economic history with the feature “First Soldier Bonus Bonds Sold,” tracking a New York firm’s multi-million dollar bid. Locally, tragedy struck nearby residents, reported under “MAN KILLED IN AUTO ACCIDENT AT ROCHELLE.”

1961: Streator Daily Times-Press

Streator Daily Times-Press cover: May 25, 1961 May 25, 1961 The Times (Streator, Illinois) Newspapers.com

By 1961, the Streator Daily Times-Press captured a defining era of American ambition with the towering headline: “Kennedy Asks Congress For Billions Of Dollars,” detailing the President’s historic request for “Urgent National Needs,” including funding to put a man on the moon. The front page balanced these global Cold War dynamics—such as “U.S. Can Aid Asian Nations Win Fight Against Communism”—with intense civil rights coverage from the South: “Jail ‘Freedom Riders’; Deny Appeal For Cooling Off Period.”

2003: Daily Chronicle (DeKalb County)

The Daily Chronicle cover: May 25, 2003 May 25, 2003 The Daily Chronicle (De Kalb, Illinois) Newspapers.com

The May 25, 2003, edition of the Daily Chronicle highlighted a profound mix of local devotion and wartime solemnity. The central feature, “HE COULDN’T RUN AWAY FROM GOD,” told the inspiring story of a minister who created the first Black church in DeKalb. Below it, the reality of the Iraq War hit home with a somber report on local veterans honoring a fallen area soldier: “The names will be read in somber roll-calls, their memories invoked in countless ways.”

2011: Kane County Chronicle

Kane County Chronicle cover: May 25, 2011 May 25, 2011 St. Charles Kane County Chronicle (St. Charles, Illinois) Newspapers.com

Rounding out the collection, the May 25, 2011, Kane County Chronicle captured a modern shift in health and lifestyle with its bold, front-page question: “GOING SOON: TRANS FATS?” The article detailed local anxiety over a potential state ban on the substance, featuring a large photo of a St. Charles movie theater employee scooping popcorn. The bottom of the page stayed close to community sports and civic matters, tracking local school budget cuts and a heartbreaking double-overtime loss for the North Stars girls’ soccer team.