History of Chicago
Chicago was founded in 1833 and is now a major hub for industry, telecommunications and infrastructure. The city has become a transportation hub between the eastern and western United States. The O'Hare International Airport in Chicago is the second busiest airport in the world. The city is a center for business and finance and is also known to be an economically powerful city around the world.
It is believed that the first known non-native permanent settler in Chicago was of African and European decent. During the mid 1800s a native American tribe, the Potawatomi, inhibited the area. The city's name is derived from a French rendering of the word "shikaakwa", a Native American word meaning "wild onion" or "wild garlic."
Opening in 1848, the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, Chicago's first railway, helped the city become an important transportation hub.
In 1871, fire destroyed about one-third of the city. This sparked one of the largest building booms in American history. During the re-growth of the city in 1885, Chicago constructed the world's first skyscraper using steel-skeleton construction. The re-growth included an investment in many large municipal parks which included public sanitation.
In more recent history, gangsters like Al Capone battled in the city during the Prohibition era in the 1920s. This brought attention to the city which had over 1,000 gangs in the 1920s. The city's notoriety is expressed in many novels, plays, movies, songs, journals and news media.
Today, Chicago is the home of many skyscraper, beautiful parks, upscale dining, theatre and other arts, sports teams, and ethnic culture.
Mayor Richard M. Daley
Daley is a former state senator and county prosecutor, he was elected Mayor on April 4, 1989, and has been re-elected 5 times; however has announced he will not seek re-election in 2011.
Daley has a reputation for improving the quality of life in Chicago. He has acted to improve the economy, schools and the environment in Chicago. He has faced the challenges of urban America. His forward thinking policies have been mimicked around the world.
