chicago history facts

The game of 16-inch softball, played without gloves, was invented in Chicago. Accessed: February 1, 2016. Chicago's large transit system of buses and railways carries 1.7 million passengers on any weekday. Several publications used the nickname as a reference not only to the weather, but also to Chicago's politicians and the bragging habits of its citizens. Please call ahead or visit any department's website to get additional details, or visit chicago.gov/covid-19. The name Chicago was first recorded in 1688, where it appears as Chigagou, an Algonquian word meaning “onion field.”. It was originally filled with banana cream, but bananas were scarce during WWII, so vanilla cream was substituted. There are more than 2,000 hot dog stands in the city of Chicago, more than the number of Burger Kings, McDonald's, and Wendy's restaurants in the city combined. Chicago is comprised of 77 community areas. 50 States. Famed director, actor, dancer, and choreographer Bob Fosse grew up in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. The first blood bank in the United States was founded in Chicago in 1937 by Dr. Bernard Fantus at Cook County Hospital. Chicago's most well known nickname, the Windy City, was thought to be created by newspapers in rival cities. Clarinetist, composer, and band leader Benny Goodman, aka “The King of Swing”, was born in Chicago. 5"Chicago Fun Facts. Chicago’s first permanent resident was a trader named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a free black man apparently from Haiti, who came here in the late 1770s. Frank Duryea won the race at an average of 7 miles per hour. FYI: The museum is housed in the only remaining building constructed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition’s “White City.” It was originally built as the exposition’s Palace of Fine Arts. Accessed: February 2, 2016.

FYI: Willis Tower held first place until the construction of New York’s One World Trade Center in 2014. Accessed: February 8, 2016. Over the next 20 years, it would quadruple in population, amazing the rest of the world with its ability to repeatedly reinvent itself. The kits were sold until 1940, at which point they had sold over 100,000 kits. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 2012. Legendary contemporary jazz pianist, composer, and on-air jazz host Ramsey Lewis is a Chicago native. The City understands that Tribes are sovereign Nations and should have the first voice in acknowledging their historical and contemporary presence on this land. Accessed: February 4, 2016. Accessed: February 2, 2016. Four states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, can be seen from the Skydeck Chicago of Willis Tower, and its elevator is one of the fastest in the world, traveling at 1,600 feet per minute. Accessed: February 1, 2016. Before it was a city, it was the home to numerous indigenous peoples, a legacy which continues to frame our relationship with the city, the land, and the environment. What do you know about the Beehive State?

More than 8,800 acres of green space and 600 parks; the Chicago Park District is the largest municipal park manager in the nation. Chicago was home to the largest meat packing firm in the world in 1893, with the meat packing stockyards and surrounding district of the "packing town" being the number one tourist attraction in the city at the time.

More than 250 theatres, 225 music venues, and 200 dance companies.

2016. CNN. Mental Floss. - Mark Twain, 1883. Wrigley Field (1914) is the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. The CTA operates the nation’s second largest public transportation system. In 1943, Ike Sewell invented deep dish pizza at his restaurant Pizzeria Uno, where Chicago-style pies are still served today. The fire department also initially travelled in the wrong direction before finally arriving at the out of control blaze. Chicago's Field Museum owns the world's most complete T-Rex, which has been named Sue.