Twice each year—within a few days of the spring and fall equinoxes—the setting sun aligns with Chicago’s grid street system, providing a simple, but remarkable visual phenomenon. The exact dates and peak viewing times vary slightly from year to year.
The legendary Great Chicago Fire of 1871 raged from Sunday, October 8 until the early morning hours on Tuesday, October 10. The fire destroyed about 3 1/3 square miles of downtown Chicago, killing about 300 people. More than 100,000 residents lost their homes in the fire.
An artist’s rendering of the fire by Currier and Ives (1871); looking northeast from the west side of the Randolph Street Bridge across the Chicago River.
