It was 141 years ago on October 8 that Patrick and Catherine O'Leary's Chicago barn caught fire. This was the beginning of a conflagration killing over 200 people, destroying thousands of buildings, and leaving 100,000 people without a home to return to. The damage of this accident would cost millions of dollars. Thinking about how a cow kicking over a lantern could be the cause of such devastation is astonishing. Luckily, despite this catastrophe, much of Chicago remained intact and improvements were made afterwards.
So what influence did this have on the world? Well, even though a city was devastated, it quickly led to positive actions. Economic development and population growth became a result of this mishap as reconstruction began to save The Windy City. While many people don't even know this great fire happened, hundreds of people lost their lives. Their family members mourned over their death and it changed the lives of many. Thousands were left with their lives torn apart. To think that so many things like this have happened in history and we don't even give a second's thought to it is quite humbling. While it may not have had a direct impact on my life, I know plenty of people then had their lives influenced greatly as this devastation occurred. However, it also gives me hope knowing good results were seen from this disaster. While some people's lives may have been ruined, some were improved and it brought the people together to reconstruct and build their home.
No comments:
Post a Comment