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On This Day

April 5, 1955: Richard J. Daley is first elected mayor of Chicago, beginning a record-setting 21-year reign until his death in 1976

April 4, 1983: Chicago-born actress Gloria Swanson, best known for her role as Norma Desmond in the 1950 film “Sunset Boulevard,” dies

April 3, 1866: A year after the repeal of Illinois’ discriminatory “black laws,” abolitionist Frederick Douglass embarks on a Midwestern speaking tour and becomes the first African American to deliver a speech at the Illinois Capitol

April 2, 1908: Actor Buddy Ebsen, perhaps best known for his role as patriarch Jed Clampett on TV’s “The Beverly Hillbillies,” is born in Belleville

April 1, 1996: Olympic gold medal speed skater Bonnie Blair publishes her children’s book, “A Winning Edge”

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  5. On This Day - March 28, 1845
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