Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on October 19, according to the Tribune’s archives. If you think an important event is missing from this date, please email us.

**Weather Records**
*(from the National Weather Service, Chicago)*
– High temperature: 84 degrees (1971)
– Low temperature: 21 degrees (1992)
– Precipitation: 2.22 inches (1885)
– Snowfall: 3.8 inches (1989)

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### 1970
Gene Lewis was fatally shot in the Criminal Courts Building after attempting to escape using a handgun smuggled into a judge’s library inside a hollowed-out book of poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Lewis had been sentenced to death for the slaying of security guard James Wilson, 26.

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### 1983
University of Chicago astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar won the Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with William Alfred Fowler. Fifty years earlier, Chandrasekhar’s colleagues had discounted his theory about the existence of white dwarfs—dying stars that collapse into bodies of extreme density and low light.

Chandrasekhar, a native of India who became a U.S. citizen in 1953, discovered white dwarfs while traveling on a steamer ship from India to England in 1930. Since then, astronomers have proven that white dwarfs are among the most common stars in the cosmos.

At the time of the award announcement, Chandrasekhar was especially proud of his work on black holes, the remnants of collapsed stars far larger than white dwarfs. He was also praised for his dedication to students.

Notably, Chandrasekhar became the second person in his family to receive a Nobel Prize. His uncle, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, discovered a form of light scattering known as the Raman effect, which earned him the Nobel Prize in 1930.

*Read more: [Vintage Chicago Tribune: Nobel Prize winners with Chicago connections](#)*

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### 1987
Starbucks opened its first Chicago location at 219 W. Jackson Blvd. The café offered a variety of coffees and espresso drinks, as well as steamed cider, cocoa, and mineral water. One shot of espresso was priced at 81 cents, including tax.

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### 2007
Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane scored his first career goal in a 5-3 victory against the Colorado Avalanche at the United Center. His goal, along with two assists, made Kane the team’s leading scorer with seven points.

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