Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the Great Chicago Fire, which started on October 8. 1871. It burned until October 10 when rain finally squelched the flames.
While it is true the fire started in Mrs. O'Leary's barn, it is most certainly not true that she was out there milking her cow at night and the cow kicked over a lantern. The cows were settled for the night and Mrs. O'Leary was in bed nursing an injured ankle when the fire started. The exact cause was never determined – men smoking in the alley, the neighbor going in there to take milk, arson from a competitor – are all theories. So are spontaneous combustion and a comet flying through the cosmos. But the press blamed Mrs. O'Leary and vilified her.
The O'Learys are buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery on 111th Street here on the Ridge. The O'Leary son became Big Jim O'Leary, a famous Chicago gambler.