1871

* It is said by some that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a kerosene lantern. * Arson investigators today doubt that source of ignition. * The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

It took about 10 years for Chicago to recover from the fire damages. - by: Joshua Vargas

Between 200 and 300.

The water turned it off. ((GREAT CHICAGO FIRE))

The flat, dry conditions and wooden structures in Chicago made it susceptible to fire. The fire spread quickly due to strong winds and lack of proper firefighting resources, resulting in the destruction of a large part of the city.

In October of 1871.

there were about 150 people injured in the fire of 1871

A human resource lady told me they went through the first 1000 in '07 and are working on the next 1000 in '08

That lady is the one pulling the numners that were supposed to be a call nunber a number to identify you not your call number. Its really sad that even if through a mircale your called by that number you probally wont be the right age to enter the fire training because unless your in the academy before your 37 birthday you will not be allowed in according to human resources. Its a big joke and the biggest waste of time waiting for nothing to happen. I wonder how many chiefs kids and other personal kids are in and out of the training and this lottery for numbers never was ever goinig to happen. I'm like 7000 something so that means with an avg of 1000 pulls a year i wouldn't get called for atleast 7 years what a joke. I will be over the age to get in and off in to something else. This like all jobs of this nature are a political and clout based hiring no matter what is ever done or what the unions try to do or what ever any of them say its all just one big scam after another. I payed for my application remember that scam. Thousand of dollars collected and thousands of guys who want the job and can do it will never be even callled un less your on the other list. I tried to be positive and was a beliver in the lies of city hall about the number lottery and how all people who did apply would be called, a shortage they said and a high turn over in the process will move things along was all lies and bull even the high powered union cant do anything. There are two lists one for the in's and one for the minorties so if your not on either then either your young enough to keep trying. I suggest to work somewhere else in another field sure keep trying and if your not on one of the lists i mentioned above your wasting your time and money. The city fire department hiring is about money for a app and for the in;s and minorities. Call the HR dept there they have all the answers to your questions and you get off the phone and be sick. I saw in the suntimes about the retest for vets what a joke how are they gonna be called? this a number i thought how can there number be any lower? It all bull politics and a worthless thankless job that normal guys and gals with any education would never even want anyways. Its a pipe dream if your not on the 2 lists remember in this city is not what you know but who you know or what your race is. Go to any fire house and look at the ****heads there they don't want the job and most arent even there most times they have clout or are the right race to get in its bull. Gone are the days of trying to get in and getting your dream the citys broke and with a number of firehouses closing and guys off hurt lawsuits and alike im sure in our life time it will be privatised by the city bugget master and chief to save money. Get a degree move on or clout or change your race and you might have a shot. The governor had it right to sell to the highest bidder why not is good ole fashion Chicago way style hiring never will change or ever will. It makes me sick for my kids and the city to know that the rules don't apply to all just a few. Look who's in charge in the top spots its not about what they know but who they know. Go to a fire house and look at the new guys they have a smirk and a gait when they walk or the old timers who cant wait to get out and retire. Forget the fire dept as a career unless you in with the ins or have a race card to play.

2.>Easy for you to say, you must not be a minority because if you were you would know that the only reason the scoring system for the 2005 test was designed the way it was, is to keep minorities out. Not giving you an official score you have no way of disputing how someone else got in before you, or how you got weeded out. Pay attention because I aced the exam, I do not believe that their was one question on their I didn't know the answer to, and I fully completed it. So, where would that put me on the list? Number one, that's right or in the top 100 of the others who aced the exam. However my number just so happens to be not far from yours the mid 6,000's and nobody has contacted me. Further more my dad is a Chief! To get a few other numbers and facts straight my cousin's so called random number is about 1600 and they just contacted him in December of 2009. According to they did the next 1000 in 2008 and 1000 per year, that means when they contacted my cousin they should have been well past 3000, which would mean he had been skipped for a while, and he is a minority. So, since my number is lower than yours lets keep it fair you let me know right here when they contact you and I will let you know if I am still waiting! Their is only one list its just a matter of who is called on that list 1st and based on what you said, buddy it ain't the minorities, it may the sons of chiefs but not the sons of minority chiefs. The same race of people are still being called first nothing has changed so good luck, cause you have a better chance than I have. I mean it outside of all that was said here. We know what the scam was, the scoring system

3. my father is a chief and yet mine and my 2 other brothers names have yet to get called. maybe its cause were hispanic lol

4. "In the test given in 1995, we grouped applicants for further testing based on their written exam score. The new written exam will be pass/fail. All applicants who pass the written exam will be processed for further testing on a random basis.

Those who pass all phases of testing will have an opportunity to attend the Fire Academy. An even more important change comes in the frequency of testing. Let me assure you....the Chicago Fire Department is committed to never allowing a decade to go by between tests to join this department. Never again.

That is why our goal is to test for the position of Firefighter/EMT every three years. This examination and future examinations will secure the future of this department. In order to move forward we need to constantly bring in fresh faces...diverse people...and new ideas."

pass or fail?? wow that's so racist.........

The Great Chicago Fire was October 8th to 10th, 1871.

The true cause of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is not known. Folklore of the time said the fire was started in the barn of Mrs. Patrick O'Leary when her cow kicked over a lantern. A reporter, Michael Ahern, first reported this, however recanted his statement about Mrs. O'Leary's cow being the cause of the fire. Many people believe Mrs. O'Leary was a scapegoat because of her Irish Catholic heritage.

Other theories include that the fire was started by Daniel "Pegleg" Sullivan, a drunkard, who was one of the first to report the fire. Another theory is the fire was started by Louis M. Cohn during a game of craps. It is also rumored to be that Mr. Cohn confessed to starting the fire.

The Chicago Fire started on October 8, 1871.

After the fire, the people of Chicago started a frantic rebuilding process. The city grew so fast that space became very limited. An architect named William Le Baron Jenney then came up with the idea to "build upwards instead of outwards". He designed the first skyscraper- the Home Insurance Building. It was completed in 1885. At the time, the ten-story building was considered a triumph of engineering, and soon Chicago was full of the new structures. And from there they spread to other cities. So not only did the fire modernize Chicago, but the world also. Hope that helps. I like skyscrapers and cities alot so I research them every chance I get! :)

a long time

Near the O'Leary barn in the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street, but it was not started by a cow kicking over a lantern.

The Great Chicago Fire burned from Sunday October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871.

The Chicago Fire burned for 3 days on October 8, 9, and 10, 1871.

A Feminist Newspaper called "The Revolution" written shortly after the Chicago Fire of 1871, read as follows: "Mrs. Leary denies that her cow kicked over the lamp that set fire to the straw that burned the stable that caused the destruction of half of Chicago. Which is rendered exceedingly probable by the well-known fact that Chicago cows never kick, and Chicago kerosene is a non-combustible fluid, and Chicago hay is gathered from marshes and is so saturated with salt that it will not burn, and that Mrs. Leary's shed was built of fire-proof materials, and that the destruction of Chicago was in punishment of its sins, and, moreover, is a great blessing for which those who were not burned out are exceedingly grateful. The cow must be exonerated." In regard to the newspaper "The Revolution", for those who may be interested, see Women in American History" http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Revolution_The.html Also, reliable historians say there is no doubt that the Great Fire did begin in the cowshed behind the home of Patrick O'Leary. Nope, that's just a urban legend. It is said that Daniel Peg Leg Sullivan started the fire accidentally, though it may have been intentional. One theory is that he was smoking and one of his ashes fell in to the hay and started a small fire that eventually became the Chicago Fire. One reason is it is said that he was the first to see the fire and try to put it out. However, he said that he saw it from his porch even though there was a whole bulding blocking his view and making it impossbale for him to see the fire from where he was sitting. Another theory is that a group of neighborhood toughs were playing cards, drinking and smoking by lantern light in the O'Leary's shed. They knocked the lantern over, and blamed it on the cow later. The question you have to answer is. . . why was a lantern there in the first place? Cows were milked before dark, so what was the cow doing? Reading the newspaper all alone by lantern light? The cow maybe got scared by something and then they when wild? Why would a lit lantern be in a shed with a cow? If a cow kicked over a lantern that was lit, someone would have been there, and it would have been an easy matter of putting out a small fire, if a fire started at all. Lanterns typically have a glass shroud/cylinder protecting the flame. Even if the flame did not go out, the shroud would have given whoever was there enought time to prevent a fire or stomp out a very small one. The whole thing with the cow kicking a lantern is absurd, as are most other hypotheses. It was probably arson, or some type of more significant fire in a area that was prone to quick spreading. Maybe it did start around the barn area; maybe the buildings in the area were made of old, dry wood that would easily burn; maybe it did not take much for a fire to spread if ruptured gas lines were involved.

Check a reference librarian at the Chicago Public Library.

These sites can get you started.
http://www.familytree.com/blog/great-chicago-fire/
https://blog.newspapers.com/the-great-chicago-fire-october-8-10-1871/

Ulysses S. Grant was the President of the United States in 1871.

Perhaps because a four square mile park built on ashes and rubble in the center of the city seemed to be a poor Real Estate investment at the time. It is also an American tradition when given Lemons to make Lemonade. It was a chance to make a new start while correcting the errors of the past decades of urban planning.

The San Francisco Earthquake and ensuing fire cost the lives of roughly 3,000 people and $400M in damage - $80M attributed to the earthquake and $320M to the fire that burned 4.7 square miles of San Francisco in 1906.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 resulted in an estimated 300 deaths and $200M in damage over 3.3 square miles.

Almost 4 square miles...approximately 2000. Acres burned in 27 hours. Destroyed 17,000 structures in the downtown core of the city.