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The Great Chicago Fire in 1871 left 100,000 people homeless and caused two million dollars in damage. It was beneficial to the city as it led to modern high-rise buildings, wide streets, and extensive fire protection. The fire started in a shed and was fueled by dry weather and strong winds. The legend of a cow kicking a lantern in a barn was disproven. The fire consumed 4 acres of the city, and hundreds died. The fire provided an opportunity to rebuild the downtown district with modern buildings, making Chicago the ruler of the skyscraper landscape in the early 20th century.
The Great Chicago Fire was a fire that swept through the business district of the American city of Chicago in 1871, leaving 100,000 people homeless and causing two million dollars in damage. Although the Great Chicago Fire caused significant damage, it ended up being beneficial to the city, because the ensuing construction wave propelled Chicago into the early 20th century as a major city in America. Several Chicago museums have exhibits about the fire, and the Chicago Water Tower — one of the few buildings left standing in the fire-ravaged district — serves as an unofficial memorial.
There is a famous Chicago account of the origins of the fire. According to legend, the fire started when a cow in Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s barn kicked a lantern, setting fire to a batch of hay. This legend was partially fueled by reports that the O’Learys were scapegoated for the fire, especially after their home miraculously survived the fire. Inquests following the fire proved Cow O’Leary innocent, but the story lives on.
In reality, the Great Chicago Fire appears to have started in a shed on October 8, 1871, but the city was dry and a strong wind was blowing, so even the smallest spark or open flame could have started the fire. By the time the fire was noticed and the alarm went off, it was already slightly out of control. Firefighters unfortunately ran in the wrong direction, and by the time the mistake was discovered, the fire had become too big to handle, especially after consuming the Chicago water main, cutting off the water supply to put out the blaze. .
Two days later, the Great Chicago Fire had largely burned out, but many areas were too hot to touch for days. Hundreds died in the fire, which consumed 4 acres (1.5 hectares) near Lake Michigan in the heart of the city. Surveying the devastation, Chicagoans realized that the fire had provided an unlikely opportunity to rebuild the downtown district with modern high-rise buildings, wide streets, and extensive fire protection.
Although many people consider New York City to be the home of the skyscraper in the United States, Chicago was actually the ruler of the skyscraper landscape in the early 20th century, thanks to land reclaimed from the Great Chicago Fire. Downtown businesses wanted to rebuild with better, flashier buildings and managed to spark a craze for taller and taller structures that has since spread to the rest of the world.
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