Today's April snow had nothing on April, '75 blizzard

Though 1,140 flights were cancelled today, April 13, the disruption to Chicagoans was nothing compared to the calamity of April 2, 1975, when 11 inches pelted Chicago on a workday afternoon. I remember it well as about the most unusual day I spent at work in my 45 laboring years. Working as a supervisor in Montgomery Ward's Wardfleet trucking arm, my office was appropriately a remodeled trailer up against the shipping dock. By 3:00 PM it was clear we had to vacate immediately to avoid disastrous traffic. I offered to drive my boss to his Palatine home to avoid a nasty slog to the train station. We started out on Chicago and Larrabee at Ward's ancient Catalog House. Too late as we could barely move. We decided to stop at closest pub for a quick one to let traffic dissipate. But when we got out traffic was totally snarled so we hit another gin mill to chill out. Back at the car, nothing was moving and cars were being abandoned everywhere. One more tavern stop and we called it quits, inching our way back to the trailer office where we settled in for a little sleep. A blizzard can sure make strange bedfellows. Next morning we got the operation going in the 6 state region we served before heading out in now movable traffic. Finally got home about noon much to the relief of wife Mary who had been a tad alarmed. Side note: back in '75 studded tires were sill allowed but had to be removed by April 1, one day before they were most needed that winter snow season. Only in Chicago.