Rockford Fire Department Tweets Photos of 1928 Tornado Damage

Sometimes, when you're scrolling through social media, you'll come across the letters TIL. Those letters, if you weren't aware, stand for "Today I Learned." Well, thanks to a really interesting tweet by the Rockford Fire Department, today I learned (or, TIL) that Rockford experienced one hell of a tornado on September 14, 1928.

Here's the tweet:

Our friends at MyStateline picked up on the story:

According to archives, the tornado actually hit on September 14, 1928. It was among a string of other tornadoes that hit the Midwest that week in Nebraska and South Dakota.

Several major Rockford factories were among the wreckage and were where many of the deaths took place. The tornado reportedly cut a swath 100 to 200 yards wide, hitting mainly the southeastern portion of the city.

It took a little digging, but here's some video of the aftermath of not only the Rockford tornado, but of damage throughout the Midwest:

Keep in mind, this was only 3 years after the infamous Tri-State Tornado of March, 1925:

If you're interested in the topic, here's a really comprehensive piece on what happened in Rockford that day (it's a bit long, but well worth reading).