Chicago Fire of 1871

On October 8, 1871, the Great Fire of Chicago began. It killed 200 people and destroyed over 4 square miles (10 square km) of buildings and the original Emancipation Proclamation. An excerpt from the article:

"The Chicago Fire of 1871, also called the Great Chicago Fire, burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871, and destroyed thousands of buildings, killed an estimated 300 people and caused an estimated $200 million in damages. Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn and started the fire, but other theories hold that humans or even a meteor might have been responsible for the event that left an area of about four miles long and almost a mile wide of the Windy City, including its business district, in ruins. Following the blaze, reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth."