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What started the great Chicago fire of 1871
Chicago Fire of 1871 American history
What started the great Chicago fire of 1871
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Why was mrs. O’Leary in the barn at night, how did pegleg Sullivan Run 200 feet, these are just a couple of the flaws that determines how the Chicago fire started. Have you ever considered that maybe something else caused the Chicago fire, in these paragraphs you will learn that natural causes caused the great Chicago fire of 1871. Imagine hot ashes from a previous house, now a pile of debris. But then a strong gust of wind blows the hot ashes up into the air, but falls back down to the hard wooden sidewalks. Infusing with the dust from the drought making making it scratchy, then another gust of wind comes and the hot ashes scrape against a building which sparked the fire. The Chicago fire was caused by natural causes. I think this because in all of the other theories there are many flaws. There was a drought from natural causes. Also the entire city was made out of wood. Also why would mrs. O'Leary burn down the barn if she didn't have insurance for the barn, and why was she milking a cow at night? …show more content…
And who would just admit that they started the Chicago fire, they probably just wanted attention. Also if the comet fell from the sky why didn't they just find the pieces of the comet by now, couldn't someone said they saw the comet fall through the sky. And why did someone randomly open a floor board and find a broken lantern. Natural causes had the least flaws which proves that it is the most reasonable. Also before the fire there were small fires going around, and most of them started from natural causes. If a fire started in the barn then why couldn't mrs. O’Leary just
Conspiracy theories accuse others of a cover-up by secret planning. They may be based on a hunch, or even backed by evidence. To the curious mind, they bring about unanswered questions that have attracted the attention of many people throughout history. Among some of the more popular theories are the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; the death of Princess Diana; alien encounters in Roswell, New Mexico; and the idea that Elvis may still be alive. Perhaps the most intriguing theory, because of our neighboring location, is the underground bunker and seemingly strange characteristics at the Denver airport.
In the 19th century, the population in Chicago was quickly rising to great numbers. In 1850, population reached a great 30,000. Areas in all parts of Chicago started to become extremely over crowded especially downtown. At this point, all structures were built out of wood including buildings, streets, and even sidewalks (“Chicago Fire of 1871”). About one hundred days before the great fire occurred, not even an inch of rain had fallen throughout the city, and heavy, strong winds were blowing through Southwest. Fires were a very common obstacle at the time, but nothing was even close to the fire of 1871. On October 8th, firemen received a call from the neighbor of Catherine O’Leary. Neighbors reported seeing a number of flames appearing from the cow barn. Firemen instantly spotted the fire but miscalculated how big it really was. This event became historically known as the Chicago Fire of 1871 (“People 7 Events”). The three effects of the Chicago Fire of 1871 were the financial and political
What is the Great Chicago Fire? The fire started on October 8, 1871 (Chicago Historical Society).It burned until October 10. It was a dry and humid night in Chicago. The whole summer of 1871 was very dry, leaving the ground parched and the wooden city vulnerable. Fires, even serious ones were a recurring reality in Chicago in 1871. (AE American History) On average before the great fire there were two fires a day in Chicago. Between July 3rd and October 9th only two and a half inches of rain fell in Chicago. The winds the night of the fire were in excess of thirty miles per hour. All of the houses and sidewalks in Chicago at this time were built out of wood. The fire lasted most of the nigh, and into the next few days. In the end the fire incinerated nearly thirty-three miles of streets, houses, and buildings .Before midnight the fire leapt over the Chicago River. It was said that even the ground itself was on fire that night. (Chicago fire of 1871)The firefighters, exhausted from fighting a fire the night before, at first went to the wrong neighborhood and had to turn around and find the right one, then the waterworks, the only source of water for the firemen, broke. To get water they had to rip up sidewalks and roads, and put them into a steam engine, which took even longer to put the fire out. ...
Before the fire broke out on Sunday night, October 8, 1871 there had been a large drought causing everything to be dry and extremely flammable. Many fires had been breaking out in Chicago. Records show that in 1870 the fire fighters went to nearly 600 fires. On Saturday night there had been a large fire that destroyed about four blocks and lasted for 16 hours. Another reason why everything in Chicago was so flammable was because almost the entire city was made out of wood. It was a lot worse in the middle class and poor sections of the town (19). Just about every house was made out of wood. Even buildings that claimed to be fire proof had wood roofs covered with tar. The richer part of town had stone and brick homes, but wooden interiors, wooden stables, and wooden storage buildings (Cromie, 81). Chicago was built on marshland and every time it rained the city flooded, so to help this problem the roads were made out of wood and elevated above the waterline. The day the fire started there were over 55 miles of pine-block street and 600 miles of wooden sidewalks. “Chicago in 1871 was a city ready to burn,” according to Jim Murphy, author of The Great Fire (Murphy, 18).
There are many contributing factors to Detroit’s fire epidemic, combinations of arson, poor fire prevention and education, and so on. “An arson epidemic, the closure of fire stations and failing hydrants have taken a heavy toll on Detroit’s neighborhoods. Between 2013 and 2015, fires broke out in more than 10,000 houses, apartments, businesses, churches, schools and other buildings in
Fire played a very important role in the lives of the early Fond du Lac pioneers. It provided people with heat, light, and a means to cook. Almost every home in Fond du Lac had some sort of stove or fireplace. If a fire got out of control, that house and surrounding homes were in danger of burning down. As the town’s population grew larger and larger, the number of fire sources went up as well. The chances of a fire getting out of control were growing quickly. People soon began to fear the inevitable.
In researching this and many other conspiracy theories, one can see many uses of sensationalism, mainly by the media. This media- the news (local and national), magazines, tabloids, television shows, movies, and so on- has a huge effect on people who are exposed to it.... ... middle of paper ... ... Automotive Care, Home Improvement, Tools, DIY Tips - Popularmechanics.com.
To begin with, during the year of 1870 and 1871 Chicago was facing extreme drought. During that time period the city of Chicago was built mostly from wood, making everything extremely flammable. Richard Bales author of “The Great Chicago Fire” states in an online article, “October 8, 1871, just after nine o'clock, a fire broke out in the barn behind the home of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary at 13 DeKoven Street. How the fire started is still unknown today, but an O'Leary cow often gets the credit.” Although we are not certain what and how the fire started, we know that it quickly spread. Legends say that the O’Leary’s cow knocked over one of the fire lamps therefore starting this massive fire. You might be asking yourself, how is it possible for a small fire to spread so quickly? “Hot air rose from the flames and mixed with the cool air above it, creating convection whirls. Witnesses called them "fire devils." A fire devil could pick up a burning piece of wood and send it flying. New fires started where the flaming objects landed. (McHugh)” Firefighters were exhausted from fighting a large fire the night before; and were sent to the wrong neighborhood at first. After finally arrivin...
"Did the Great Chicago Fire Really Start with Mrs. O'Leary's Cow?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
sure,on the Sunday evening of October 8, 1871 a blaze started in Mrs. O' leary's
The Kant theory is more relevant to the entire case given that there is not enough evidence other than a witness whom saw Lizzie burning a dress. Lizzie did not testify, and no one was a direct witness of this case. It will remain unsolved given that any possible suspect has since died. All that is left is speculation of what happen on that August day.
This proof is called the “Butterfly Effect.” The Butterfly Effect was formed during the calculations of weather patterns; one tiny variable was changed within the calculations and it completely changed the result. The man responsible for this was a man by the name of Edward Lorenz who discovered this phenomenon (Dizikes). This made scientists want to study this phenomenon further. They applied it to many situations including those that involved decision making. For instance, Edward met a man named Emanuel in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Lorenz attempted to awaken a pack of coyotes, but was unsuccessful; a friend of Emanuel’s who worked there, used a call and woke them up (Dizikes). This is a prime example of the Butterfly Effect in action, as one factor was changed in the situation and brought forth a different outcome. Now, the problem with this is that the Butterfly Effect is not exactly perfect and cannot be completely applicable to things such as this story. Even in science, before the Butterfly Effect, Determinism was done with predictions on short-term while after the effect they could predict in the long-term (Dizikes). However, even if a scene is not well explained or even written, “coincidences” such as Frankenstein’s monster finding the cloak and the chest of books could be explained in a reasonable manner (Shelly 100 & 118-119). All these “plot holes” need is a little context; unfortunately, the story does not have said context, so generalizations must be made about what happened based on the text that has been given. The cloak was left close to where the fire was, so whoever left it must have been running from something or forgot it there. That same person or rather someone else could have dropped books on their way to a local town. This seems a bit out of place but when a little thought is placed, it is easy to comprehend. This point
9/11 conspiracy theories came about just six weeks after the terrorist attacks. Alex Jones, one of the earliest 9/11 conspiracy theorists did a broadcast and said, “98 percent chance this was a government-orchestrated controlled bombing"(Jones). From this viewpoint, the government knew what was going to happen on September 11, 2001. It was the government’s plan to put explosives in the buildings. Michael Ruppert is another early conspiracy theorist who had a similar idea than Alex Jones on what happened during the attacks. He watched the 9/11 attacks live on TV as the second plane hit the South Twin Tower. “I may not have reported it right away, but I was in full investigative mode from the second I saw the second airplane hit the tower” (Ruppert).
The Great Fire of London, as documented by Samuel Pepys and other writers, began on the early morning of Sunday, September 2nd 1666 when a fire erupted at Pudding Lane in Thomas Farriner’s bakery (Dailey and Tomedi 43). Farriner, who was the king’s baker, went to fetch a candle some time close to midnight. While going to get the candle, Farriner observed that his oven was not lit and that there were no embers. However, two hours later Farriner and his family awoke feeling “almost choked with smoked” (Shields 80). Farriner quickly dashed over to the top of the stairs and found flames making their way up from the shop below. According to Farriner, the fire was not in the proximity of his over nor the pile of wood close to his house (Shields 81). However this and the actual cause of the fire in the house are debatable due to Farriner possibly attempting to remove any blame placed on him from the fire by lying in his testimony of the in...
...r it is arson, an uncontrolled camp fire, or a cigarette butt it doesn’t take much for humans to spark a disaster. Yet there is as well a few set by good old Mother Nature. On top of the effects on the earth as well as humans, there is only one thing we all can do and that is listen to our old pal Smokey the Bear when he says, “only you can prevent wildfire.”