In the fall of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the “big one”—a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. Then, on October 8, a minor fire broke out in the barn of Irishwoman Kate Leary. A series of unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings along with insufficient preparation and a high south-westerly wind combined to set the stage for an unmitigated catastrophe.
Over the next forty-eight hours, Chicago fell victim to the largest and most destructive natural disaster the United States had yet endured.
Scott Berg’s new book, "The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City's Soul" is an account of the fire’s inexorable march and an eye-opening look at its aftermath, telling the story of one of the most infamous calamities in history and the new Chicago it precipitated—a disaster that still shapes American cities to this day.
Scott Berg teaches writing and literature at George Mason University. He is the author of "Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C." and "38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier's End."
