The Great Chicago Fire of 1871

September 1, 2008
Gr 6-8-On October 8, 1871, a fire started in the O'Learys' barn in Chicago. In January 1918, an outbreak of influenza, with a high death rate, began in Haskell County, KS. These occurrences brought about lasting changes in fire prevention and building codes, and medical changes in dealing with influenza. These books, which describe the disasters and their aftermath in detail, are well written and informative. Although many people know about the Chicago fire, most are wrongly informed about its origin. As the book describes, Mrs. O'Leary's cow is the unfortunate accused in a crime she did not commit. Bennie also explains the lack of photographs of the firechaos did not allow the use of the tripods that were necessary with cameras of the timebut sketches from the disaster and later photographs are reproduced and discussed. The inclusion of black-and-white and color photographs and drawings and sidebars help to make these books first-rate for reports and general browsing."Karen Scott, Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, AL"

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