In the waning weeks of 1913, Carter Harrison IV, mayor of a city renowned for its vices, was determined to stamp all the merriment out of Chicago’s New Year’s celebrations:
Late-night drinking and tango dancing and hat tickling, oh my! I hadn’t heard of a hat tickler, but since it’s forbidden, I’ve never wanted an accessory more in my life—except for a knee watch.
However, coming from a city that had recently issued a bestselling, 400-page report—The Social Evil in Chicago—detailing problems far more serious than tango dancing, most reacted to the proclamations just as you’d expect:
With a “sane” New Year’s ordered by the police, a $250,000 flood of champagne turned on by the big restaurants and a watch night service in almost every church, Chicagoans had their choice of celebrations tonight. Horns, confetti and ticklers were forbidden by mayor Harrison, but the street crowds had plenty of noise producers and were not noticeably subdued by the regulations. . .
The restaurant gayety showed the influence of the widespread contagion of the tango and other new dances. There was less noise and less breakage, it was said, but more singing and dancing than ever before. . .
An army of 250 church workers was enlisted by one law-enforcement league to take evidence of violations of the closing act. Restaurant keepers, notified of this, did not make any change in their arrangements.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy, hat-tickling New Year!
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Disclaimer: The modern era is far from the first to grapple with rampant “fake news.” As I am neither a historian nor journalist, I make no claims about the accuracy or lack thereof of the above historical articles. I assert only that they make for a good story.
Happy New Year! I loved your story. And I’m heartened to see that, despite the Mayor’s efforts to dampen the New Year’s Eve spirit in Chicago, the people took matters into their own hands and had a rip-roaring good time!! I’m also surprised at how many newspapers from so many different parts of the country were interested in what Chicago was going to do on New Year’s Eve.
Have a great 2020 and keep writing these great stories. I love reading them.
Joe
Elyse
Thank you for starting my year off with such a nice comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it–I too always marvel at the diversity of national and especially international stories the newspapers in even the smallest towns covered. They make for great source material for this upcoming year!
Hope you had a merrier New Year’s Eve than the mayor, and wishing you and your family all the best in 2020!
Hi Elyse:
Happy New Year! I loved your story. And I’m heartened to see that, despite the Mayor’s efforts to dampen the New Year’s Eve spirit in Chicago, the people took matters into their own hands and had a rip-roaring good time!! I’m also surprised at how many newspapers from so many different parts of the country were interested in what Chicago was going to do on New Year’s Eve.
Have a great 2020 and keep writing these great stories. I love reading them.
Joe
Thank you for starting my year off with such a nice comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it–I too always marvel at the diversity of national and especially international stories the newspapers in even the smallest towns covered. They make for great source material for this upcoming year!
Hope you had a merrier New Year’s Eve than the mayor, and wishing you and your family all the best in 2020!