Quiz of the Day
The Great Chicago Fire & Famous Disasters
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Anchored to the Great Chicago Fire (Oct 8, 1871), covering historic fires, urban catastrophes, and city rebuilding
1. In which city did the Great Fire of 1871 destroy much of the downtown area?
- Boston
- Chicago
- New York
- Philadelphia
The Great Chicago Fire burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871, destroying roughly 3.3 square miles of the city. It killed an estimated 300 people and left about 100,000 residents homeless. Despite the devastation, Chicago rebuilt rapidly and its population continued to grow through the following decades.
2. According to popular legend, what animal was blamed for starting the Great Chicago Fire?
- A cow
- A pig
- A horse
- A goat
Legend held that a cow owned by Catherine O'Leary kicked over a lantern in her barn on DeKoven Street, igniting the blaze. The story was later shown to be a fabrication, and in 1997 the Chicago City Council formally exonerated Mrs. O'Leary and her cow. The true cause of the fire remains unknown.
3. What weather condition helped the Great Chicago Fire spread so quickly?
- Heavy rainfall
- Dense fog
- Freezing temperatures
- A prolonged drought
The summer and fall of 1871 had been unusually dry, with very little rain falling on Chicago for months. Strong winds from the southwest combined with the parched wooden buildings and sidewalks to turn the fire into an unstoppable inferno. Rain finally began to fall on October 10, helping to extinguish the flames.
4. The 1666 Great Fire that destroyed much of a major European capital occurred in which city?
- Amsterdam
- Rome
- London
- Paris
The Great Fire of London raged from September 2 to September 6, 1666, and destroyed around 13,000 houses and old St. Paul's Cathedral. It reportedly began in a bakery on Pudding Lane owned by Thomas Farriner. Remarkably, the officially recorded death toll was very low, though the true number is debated by historians.
5. The RMS Titanic sank in 1912 after striking what?
- A reef
- Another ship
- A naval mine
- An iceberg
The Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on the night of April 14, 1912, and sank in the early hours of April 15. More than 1,500 of the roughly 2,200 people aboard died, partly because there were not enough lifeboats. The disaster led to major reforms in maritime safety regulations.
6. Which building material became far more widely used in Chicago's reconstruction to make the city more fire-resistant?
- Bamboo
- Thatch
- Adobe
- Steel and stone
After the fire exposed the danger of Chicago's largely wooden construction, the city increasingly turned to brick, stone, and steel. This shift helped set the stage for architectural innovation, and Chicago became a birthplace of the modern skyscraper later in the 1880s. The Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885, is often cited as the world's first skyscraper.
7. The 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires devastated which American city?
- Seattle
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- Portland
The San Francisco earthquake struck on April 18, 1906, and the fires that followed caused even more destruction than the shaking itself. The disaster destroyed much of the city and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Broken water mains hampered firefighting efforts, allowing the flames to burn for days.
8. The Great Chicago Fire began in a barn on which street?
- DeKoven Street
- Clark Street
- State Street
- Michigan Avenue
The fire is believed to have started in or near the O'Leary family's barn on DeKoven Street on the city's West Side. Today the Chicago Fire Academy stands on the site, training the city's firefighters. A bronze sculpture called 'Pillar of Fire' marks the location where the blaze is thought to have begun.
9. The Hindenburg disaster of 1937 involved what type of aircraft catching fire?
- An airship (zeppelin)
- A seaplane
- A hot air balloon
- A biplane
The German passenger airship Hindenburg caught fire while attempting to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937. The disaster killed 36 people and was captured on film and in a famous radio broadcast. It effectively marked the end of the era of passenger airship travel.
10. The ancient Great Fire of Rome, which the emperor Nero was rumored to have watched, occurred in which century?
- 2nd century BC
- 1st century AD
- 3rd century AD
- 5th century AD
The Great Fire of Rome broke out in AD 64, during the reign of Emperor Nero. According to legend Nero 'fiddled while Rome burned,' though this is almost certainly a myth, as the fiddle did not yet exist. Nero blamed the city's Christians for the fire, leading to their persecution.
11. A famous Chicago structure that survived the 1871 fire and still stands today is the Chicago Water Tower, made of what material?
- Cast iron
- Wood
- Limestone
- Brick
The Chicago Water Tower, built in 1869 from yellow Joliet limestone, was one of the few public buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire. Its survival made it an enduring symbol of the city's resilience and rebirth. It still stands on Michigan Avenue and now serves as a small art gallery.
12. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, which spurred workplace safety reforms, took place in which city?
- Pittsburgh
- Boston
- Chicago
- New York City
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, killed 146 garment workers, most of them young immigrant women. Many died because exit doors had been locked to prevent unauthorized breaks. The tragedy led to sweeping improvements in factory safety laws and helped strengthen the labor movement.
13. On the same night as the Great Chicago Fire, an even deadlier fire struck which Wisconsin town?
- Madison
- Green Bay
- Peshtigo
- Oshkosh
The Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin also erupted on October 8, 1871, and remains the deadliest wildfire in recorded American history. It killed an estimated 1,200 to 2,500 people, far more than the Chicago fire the same night. Because it occurred in a rural area on the same date, it was largely overshadowed in the news by the Chicago disaster.
14. The bird often used as a symbol of a city rising from destruction, associated with Chicago's rebuilding, is the:
- Eagle
- Phoenix
- Falcon
- Owl
The phoenix, a mythical bird said to rise reborn from its own ashes, became a fitting symbol of Chicago's recovery after the 1871 fire. The city rebuilt so quickly that it hosted the World's Columbian Exposition just over two decades later, in 1893. Chicago's rapid rebirth cemented its reputation as a resilient American metropolis.
15. Roughly how many people were left homeless by the Great Chicago Fire?
- About 10,000
- About 1,000
- About 500,000
- About 100,000
The Great Chicago Fire left roughly 100,000 people homeless, which was about a third of the city's population at the time. Relief efforts poured in from across the United States and abroad to help the displaced residents. Temporary shelters and donated supplies helped the city cope through the harsh winter that followed.