1767 - Due to border violence between Pennsylvania and Maryland colonists, English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, officially established an agreed-upon border, the Mason Dixon Line. A century later, the border would be used to separate slave states and free states during the Civil War era.
1871 - Of 37 separate fires that break out on the same day in the Great Lakes region, three are massive. The Great Chicago fire killed 300, the Great Michigan fire 300-500, and the Wisconsin Peshtigo fire killed 1,200.
1927 - "The Jazz Singer" premieres, ushering out Hollywood's silent era. While hailed as the first feature-length "talkie"—and earning blockbuster sums at the box office—the film had only about two minutes of synchronized dialogue; the rest used titles.
1956 - The nation’s first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall, Southdale Mall, opens in Minneapolis. It included 72 tenants, a skating rink, a giant bird cage and post office
1970 - The popular singer, Janis Joplin dies of an accidental heroin overdose and was discovered in her Los Angeles hotel room after failing to show for a scheduled recording session. She was 27 years old.
The Midwest on Fire
On October 8, 1871, flames sparked in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that killed between 300 people, destroyed 17,450 buildings, left 100,000 homeless and caused an estimated $200 million (more than $4 billion today) in damages. Origin theories include a cow, humans, or a comet from space.
Dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings made Chicago vulnerable to fire. On average, Chicago usually experienced 2 fires a day. Reconstruction efforts led to an economic and population growth. The city would be modernized and feature the world’s first skyscrapers. In the next 20 years, Chicago would grow from 324,000 to 1.5 million people.
On the same day, another great fire swept through Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The town was a lumber and sawmill company, and it was common practice to “slash and burn” large tracts of land for farming and railroads. One such fire got out of hand due to strong winds and a very dry season. Firstly, it would burn a small village, Sugar Bush, and kill everyone in it. When it reached Peshtigo, no one was prepared. Many died in the wooden buildings and some drowned in the river.
1,200 people died and 2 billion trees were consumed by the Peshtigo fire. It is still considered the deadliest fire in U.S. history. However, newspapers neglected this tragic event, and the Chicago Fire would dominate the news and history books.
Ridiculous History Posts from Last Week
