Craig Hill Media and Consulting
Chicago
October 17 1931 Al Capone goes to prison
On October 17th 1931, gangster Al Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000, signalling the downfall of one of the most notorious criminals of the 1920s and 1930s. Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1899 to Italian immigrants. He was expelled from school at … Continue reading
October 8 1871 Great Chicago Fire begins
On October 8th 1871, flames sparked in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that killed between 200 and 300 people, destroyed 17,450 buildings, left 100,000 homeless and caused an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; over $3 billion in 2012 dollars) in damages. Legend has it that a cow … Continue reading
July 24 1915 Hundreds drown in Eastland disaster
On July 24th 1915, the steamer Eastland overturned in the Chicago River, drowning between 800 and 850 of its passengers who were heading to a picnic. The disaster was caused by serious problems with the boat’s design, which were known but never remedied. The Eastland was owned by the St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company and made … Continue reading
June 27 1985 Route 66 decertified
On June 27th 1985, after 59 years, the iconic Route 66 entered the realm of history, when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decertified the road and voted to remove all its highway signs. Measuring some 2,200 miles in its heyday, Route 66 stretched from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, passing … Continue reading
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