Great Chicago Fire

Great Chicago Fire

Who really sparked the Great Chicago Fire?

Star

4.5 (38)

Headphones

33 mins

Explore how a wind-fueled firestorm overwhelmed Chicago’s defenses and spread beyond control. Discover the conspiracy theories around the fire’s origins, and how greed, poor planning, and ignored warnings turned a disaster into catastrophe.

Ep 1:

Sparks in the Barn

Behind the myth of O'Leary's cow lies a murkier truth of contradictory testimonies, a runaway inferno, and the fateful loss of Chicago's waterworks that left the city defenseless.

Ep 2:

A City Primed to Burn

Beyond the barn, discover how corrupt officials and flammable ambition built Chicago into a tinderbox—and how an innocent immigrant woman became history's most convenient scapegoat.

See more

Discussions (18)

Seth

Level 4 · 8 mo ago

I’d blame the peg leg guy

Louis

Level 8 · 9 mo ago

Medill was right. Banning wooden buildings isn't 'discriminatory' it is basic SURVIVAL. People whine that standards are too expensive then act shocked when the city burns. You can't prioritize feelings over physics.

Ford

Level 10 · 9 mo ago

Cow innocent, leg guilty

View all on Skoob