Great Chicago Fire of 1871

E410

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a catastrophic urban conflagration that destroyed much of Chicago, killed hundreds, left thousands homeless, and spurred major changes in building codes and city planning.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Great Chicago Fire 8

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf disaster
historical event
urban fire
affectedArea Magnificent Mile
surface form: Chicago central business district

Chicago residential neighborhoods
alsoKnownAs Great Chicago Fire of 1871
surface form: Great Chicago Fire
areaBurned approximately 3.3 square miles
approximately 9 square kilometers
buildingsDestroyed more than 17,000
cause unknown
commemoratedBy Chicago Fire Department memorials
commemoratedOn October 8
country United States of America
surface form: United States
destroyedStructure Chicago courthouse
Chicago waterworks
numerous churches
numerous factories
numerous warehouses
economicDamage approximately 200 million US dollars (1871)
endDate 1871-10-10
fatalities approximately 300
followedBy economic boom in Chicago reconstruction
rapid population growth in Chicago
fueledBy dry conditions
strong winds
wooden buildings
wooden sidewalks
wooden streets
hasLegendAssociatedWith Mrs. O’Leary’s cow knocking over a lantern
historicalPeriod Gilded Age
influenced development of skyscraper architecture in Chicago
fire insurance industry practices
municipal building regulations in US cities
ledTo changes in building codes
creation of stricter fire safety regulations
development of modern Chicago skyline
expansion of Chicago Fire Department
improvements in urban planning
increased use of fireproof materials
major rebuilding of Chicago
locatedIn Chicago, Illinois, United States
surface form: Chicago

Illinois
Midwestern United States
mediaCoverage extensive national and international press reports
originatedIn near DeKoven Street
southwest side of Chicago
partOf history of Chicago
history of urban planning
peopleLeftHomeless more than 100,000
spreadDirection north and northeast
startDate 1871-10-08

Referenced by (18)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Great Chicago Fire of 1871 alsoKnownAs Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Great Midwest Fires of 1871 coincidesWith Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Peshtigo Fire concurrentWith Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Chicago waterworks hasCauseOfDestruction Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Great Midwest Fires of 1871 hasPart Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Chicago, Illinois, United States historicalEvent Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Chicago School architecture influencedBy Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Chicago Fire namedAfter Great Chicago Fire of 1871
subject surface form: Chicago Fire FC
Chicago Fire FC namedAfter Great Chicago Fire of 1871
The Fire namedAfter Great Chicago Fire of 1871
subject surface form: Chicago Fire FC
Great Midwest Fires of 1871 notableFire Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Holy Name Cathedral previousBuildingDestroyedBy Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Chicago, Illinois, United States reconstructedAfter Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Great Fire of Portland 1866 relatedEvent Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire
Chicago waterworks significantEvent Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Chicago Water Tower survivedEvent Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Historic Water Tower survivedEvent Great Chicago Fire of 1871
Great Holland Fire of 1871 temporalOverlap Great Chicago Fire of 1871
this entity surface form: Great Chicago Fire