Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Nov. 2, according to the Tribune’s archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Illinois voter guide to the 2026 midterm elections in November
Flashback: Nov. 2, 2014
2014: Nik Wallenda twice — the second time blindfolded — walked more than two city blocks on a tightrope suspended above the Chicago River between Marina City and the Leo Burnett Building in a live event for the Discovery Channel.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 78 degrees (1974)
- Low temperature: 14 degrees (1951)
- Precipitation: 0.89 inches (1876)
- Snowfall: 1.5 inches (1966)
1924: “Little Orphan Annie,” the comic strip that debuted in the New York Daily News but was created by Harold Gray in suburban Chicago, began publishing in the Tribune.
2004: Democrat Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate.
In defeating Republican Alan Keyes by the largest margin ever in a Senate contest in Illinois, the 43-year-old Obama became the only African American elected that year to the world’s most powerful legislative body and only the third since Reconstruction.
2016: “The most epic drought in sports history is over, and the Cubs are world champions,” Tribune columnist Paul Sullivan wrote.
After 108 years, the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series with a wild 8-7, 10-inning Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. The triumph completed their climb back from a 3-1 Series deficit to claim their first championship since 1908.
More Top Picks Zerowater 10 Cup 5 Stage Pitcher
Vintage baiduhai: How the Cubs and White Sox have fared in the postseason since 1906
Want more vintage Chicago?
Subscribe to the free Vintage baiduhai newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.
Have an idea for Vintage baiduhai? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at [email protected] and [email protected]