Urban Dynamics: History of Region
Historical Information for Chicago
First European Settlement
First Colonial Settlement
1779 Chicago's first settler, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, establishes a
trading post on the north bank of the Chicago River.
1803 Fort Dearborn is built on the south bank of the Chicago River.
1833 Chicago is incorporated as a town.
1837 Chicago is incorporated as a city with a population of 4,170.
1848 The Illinois and Michigan Canal opens. Chicago's first ten miles of
railroad track are laid.
1865 The Union Stockyards open.
1871 Chicago Fire.
1885 The nine-story Home Insurance Building, the world's first "skyscrape
r," is erected.
1892 The first elevated trains begin operation.
1893 The World's Columbian Exposition opens.
1900 The flow of the Chicago River is reversed by the Chicago Sanitary an
d Ship Canal.
1909 Daniel Burnham's Chicago Plan is published.
1933 A Century of Progress International Exposition opens.
1942 The first nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago begins
the Atomic Age.
1955 O'Hare Airport begins operation.
1983 Harold Washington is elected Chicago's first African-American mayor.
1991 Harold Washington Library Center opens as the new main branch of the
Chicago Public Library and is the largest public library in the world.
1993 Chicago Bulls win a third consecutive NBA Championship.
1994 Chicago holds the opening ceremonies and the first game of the first
World Cup Soccer championship in the United States.
1996 Chicago is part of the 1996 Olympic Games Torch Relay.
1996 The Museum of Contemporary Art moves to its new home, the first new
museum building constructed in Chicago in 60 years.
1996 Chicago hosts the 1996 Democratic National Convention.
Many U.S. and state "firsts" were established in the city of Chicago:
Roller skates
Steel frame skyscraper
Elevated railway
Cracker Jacks
Zipper
Window Envelope
Hostess Twinkie
Pinball game
Spray paint
McDonald's Resetaurant
Civil War
Urban Planning
Parks
Historical Information for Milwaukee
First European Settlement
First Colonial Settlement
Many U.S. and state "firsts" were established in the city of Milwaukee:
Civil War
Urban Planning
Parks
|
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey