The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 swallowed up more than three square miles in two days, leaving thousands homeless and 300 dead. Throughout history, the fire has

Did the Great Chicago Fire really start after a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn? Find out the truth in this addition to the What Was? series. On Sunday, Oct

Mary Ann Hoberman has adapted the well-known song based on the true story of the Great Chicago Fire, "There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight," into a fu

A definitive chronicle of the 1871 Chicago Fire as remembered by those who experienced it—from the author of Chicago and the American Literary Imagination. Ov

Examines the various debates the city faced after the Chicago fire in dealing with homelessness, the care and feeding of much of the population and the problem