The Myth of Mrs. O'Leary - The Great Chicago Fire: A Chicago Stories Special

Catherine O’Leary and her cow become legend, cementing her place in history as a villain who burned Chicago to the ground. In the 1990s, the city of Chicago officially vindicates Catherine O’Leary.
Watch the full documentary and learn much more about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 at www.wttw.com/c...
#ChicagoFireWTTW

[@redsoxclover11]

Regardless of how it started. It started in the O’Leary barn. A lot of old cities had major fires. Look at any older city and research. I know Seattle did and it’s right on the water.

[@robertafierro5592]

Yes! You are right! Chicago, like all the other cities that are famous now, b3came si large because everything wears added to the already built city..everything became integrated very quickly..it was never designed without any thought, really. That's what I think!

[@1927su]

The fire in Peshtigo Wisconsin happened nearly at the same time, decimated the whole town & killed many many people.
Its my understanding that it was very dry in that part if the country , most buildings were made of wood , many forests up north were logged heavily & irresponsibly in those times , cut wood etc & sawdust and dry scrub was everywhere, anyone knows it only takes a spark ; even spontaneous combustion. Or lightening or a kid or irresponsible smoker - Lord only knows , but it obviously was a fire waiting to happen I think.
Poor Mrs . O’Leary was made the scapegoat. She was cleared right away by the courts.
I too heard about Mrs Olearys cow kicking over a lamp when I was a kid . 80 years later..
Look how true blame gets cast at the poor, or immigrants even today ..

[@mariocisneros911]

True . The Irish were blamed than because they were the minority than as immigrants.

[@Sue-vb1nc]

How did her cottage not be burned? The vid states it had to be demoed?

[@robertafierro5592]

Mrs. O'Leary died a Death of Despair. That's the new term. A Death of Despair..with all the progress we've supposedly made, more and more people are Dying Deaths of Despair..how much has really changed. I don't know, maybe it's me. What do you think?

[@latiaraaugusta6524]

That’s crazy

[@mariocisneros911]

A crock at 4:30 . Who really knows , no one. Maybe the city downtown , would have been duo, residential and business . Like in Toronto

[@bspain1637]

They built a city out of timber, everybody who did this contributed to the fire

[@sppro994]

Or it was a set up to mislead more Americans history like always....

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

Well Rome was built by wood and how terrible that fire was said Nero did it

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

I heard vengeful was ex confederate soldier against the north in the civil war did to atlanta Ga and jackson Mi union set fires the reb soldier did to Chicago

[@sppro994]

To many gap in this story. How can a fire swallow nearly entire city like Chicago while a church and St Ignatius College wasn't touch? Look at the distance of the street , it would've been hard for the fire to spread or catch on other things. It's impossible for a fire to be that strong without any chemicals usage to help boost it.

[@bspain1637]

dryness, and um fire creates micro climates and vortices, heat expands, burning embers can travel hundreds of feet, more in fact...in other words, science. Wood burns, stone doesn't, wood is fuel, why the incredulity.

[@positivityxtec3367]

It was because Chicago was mostly made out of wood!

[@brianhilliard2260]

Probably Qanon did it.

[@Queenofcydonia2]

They blame women for everything 😢

[@SeraphsWitness]

They blamed her because she was Irish. Not because she was a woman. Or an immigrant. It was racism.

[@rotunda57]

@@SeraphsWitness When did Irish become a race?

[@SeraphsWitness]

@@rotunda57 Irish has always been a race. Conan Obrien is famously 100% Irish according to his DNA test.