{"product_id":"chicago-1871-olsen-whiting-9798269058078","title":"Chicago 1871: City of Ashes: Inside America's Greatest Urban Fire - A True Story of Survival, Destruction, and Rebirth","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOn the night of October 8, 1871, a spark in a Chicago barn ignited America's most legendary disaster-and changed the nation forever.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn just 31 hours, the Great Chicago Fire consumed everything in its path.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThree hundred people died. Ninety thousand were left homeless. Seventeen thousand buildings vanished. An area of 3.5 square miles-the beating heart of America's fastest-growing city-was reduced to smoldering ruins and twisted metal. Financial losses exceeded $200 million, equivalent to billions today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the legend that emerged was almost as powerful as the flames themselves: Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern, and Chicago burned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe truth is far more complex-and far more fascinating.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eInside you'll discover: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hour-by-hour progression of the fire and dramatic survivor stories\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe truth behind Mrs. O'Leary's cow and 150 years of myth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow the fire revolutionized American architecture and urban planning\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirsthand accounts from the 90,000 refugees who lost everything\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe birth of modern fire safety and building codes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChicago's astonishing transformation from ashes to World's Fair host in just 22 years\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIdeal for anyone fascinated by: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmerican history and pivotal moments that shaped the nation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUrban disasters and stories of survival against impossible odds\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArchitectural history and the birth of modern cities\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrue stories of resilience, reinvention, and human perseverance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChicago history and Midwestern heritage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Gilded Age and 19th-century America\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Great Chicago Fire stands as a turning point in American urban history-the moment when a nation of wooden cities confronted the cost of unchecked growth and chose transformation over despair. This is the story of how 300 deaths and immeasurable suffering became the catalyst for progress, how 90,000 refugees rebuilt not just buildings but the very concept of the American city, and how one catastrophic night created the Chicago we know today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore than a disaster story, this is an American story-of ambition and consequence, destruction and creation, myth and truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe flames consumed Chicago in 1871. But from those ashes rose the modern American city.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Olsen Whiting\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798269058078\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/09\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 366\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.08lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.76d","brand":"Olsen Whiting","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48114089459967,"sku":"9798269058078","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_36eea988-7cb4-4dfa-9d47-d67046e3c8bc.jpg?v=1769619046","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/chicago-1871-olsen-whiting-9798269058078","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}