The Chicago Tribune was born on the 10th of June 1847, when three men named James Kelly, John E. Wheeler, and Joseph K. C. Forrest published the first edition of what would become one of the most influential newspapers in American history. In its early years, the paper was not politically aligned, often supporting either the Whig or Free Soil parties against the Democrats, but by the 1850s, it had transformed into a powerful voice for the Republican Party under the leadership of Joseph Medill. Medill, who later served as mayor of Chicago, helped secure Abraham Lincoln's presidency in 1860, and the Tribune became a staunch advocate for abolitionism during the Civil War. The paper's influence grew so significantly that it absorbed three other Chicago publications between 1855 and 1861, including the Democratic Press of William Bross and the Chicago Democrat, whose editor, John Wentworth, left to become mayor of Chicago. By 1860, the paper was known as the Chicago Daily Tribune, and it had established itself as a force in Republican politics that would endure for decades.
The Colonel's Crusade
In the 1920s, the Tribune came under the control of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, a man whose influence would shape the paper's identity for much of the 20th century. McCormick, who took over the paper with his cousin Joseph Medill Patterson, transformed the Tribune into a crusading newspaper with a strong isolationist and conservative outlook. The paper's motto, "The American Paper for Americans," reflected its opposition to the New Deal and its disdain for the British and French. McCormick's influence extended beyond the newsroom; he sponsored a pioneering attempt at Arctic aviation in 1929, which ended in disaster when the aircraft was destroyed by ice near Ungava Bay. The Tribune also became a pioneer in broadcasting, buying an early station in 1924 and renaming it WGN, which stood for the paper's self-description as the "World's Greatest Newspaper." The paper's reputation for innovation extended to radio and television, with WGN Television launching on the 5th of April 1948, and the paper's sports editor, Arch Ward, creating the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1933.The Mistake That Made History
The Chicago Tribune is perhaps best known for a single, infamous mistake that would become a symbol of journalistic hubris. On the 3rd of November 1948, the day after the presidential election, the Tribune published an early edition with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman," based on early returns that suggested Republican candidate Thomas Dewey would win. The headline turned the paper into a collector's item when Democrat Harry S. Truman won the election, and he famously brandished the newspaper in a picture taken at St. Louis Union Station. The error was compounded by a false article written by Arthur Sears Henning, which purported to describe West Coast results even though East Coast election returns were not yet available. The mistake was so significant that it became a defining moment in the paper's history, and it remains a cautionary tale for journalists to this day. The Tribune's reputation for innovation and boldness was temporarily overshadowed by this blunder, but the paper would go on to achieve other significant journalistic feats.