From Catastrophe to Progress — How Chicago Recovered from the Great Fire of 1871

On October 8, 1871, a fire destroyed 3 square miles of Chicago, killed 300 people, and left 100,000 homeless. What happened next changed architecture forever. In just 20 years, Chicago invented the steel-frame skyscraper, rewrote building codes adopted worldwide, and attracted 27 million visitors to the 1893 World's Fair. This is the story of how one catastrophe became the blueprint for the modern city. #Chicago #GreatFire1871 #History #Architecture #Skyscraper #WorldHistory #HistoricalFacts