The 1871 disaster that left one third of Chicago homeless
In short: While popular myths often point to a cow, the reality of the Great Chicago Fire was a massive urban catastrophe. This video explores the scale of the destruction and the true impact on the city's residents.
Between October 8th and October 10th, 1871, a fire ravaged 3.3 square miles of Chicago, Illinois. The blaze burned for two days, resulting in hundreds of deaths and leaving more than 100,000 people—nearly one third of the city's population at the time—without homes.
The destruction was immense: roughly 17,000 buildings were destroyed, causing an estimated $4-$5 billion in damage in today's currency. The video provides context on these staggering figures to move beyond simple folklore about how the fire began.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Was the Great Chicago Fire Really Started by a Cow?
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