1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: I'm editor Candice Gibson, joined today by Josh Clark. Hey, 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 1: Candice here, So I no longer feel like I'm in 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: control of my life. Candice, I'm the highly suggestible type. 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,159 Speaker 1: I've fallen in with a few cults here there in 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: my lifetime. Um, I made it out. But you know, 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: I've never experienced anything as mind bending as the Chick 9 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 1: fil A cows. The mojo that they're working on me 10 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: is intense. Um. I've been waking up in the morning 11 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: with my bed littered with delicious Chick fil A brand 12 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,319 Speaker 1: chicken sandwich wrappers. And I'm not on ambient and that's 13 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: astounding to me because to my allergy, Chick fil A 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: closes at ten pm. I don't know where these are 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: coming from. Apparently I have a key. Apparently I'm not 16 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: actually breaking and entering, just entering the cow. Yes. So also, 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: I sobbed quietly anytime I eat steak. It's bad. And 18 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: and the chick flake haws have been urging me to 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,559 Speaker 1: do some research into their plight and kind cow kind. Yeah, 20 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: they are a very tight knit community. They dairy cows, 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: beef cows, pet cows. They all are are are kind 22 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: of like this, the society of cow that we're just 23 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: looking right past. They have great ideas and value. What 24 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: about cows veal? Um, Yeah, we don't like to talk 25 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: about that. That's that's they're really mad about veal. Believe me, 26 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: there's a there's a they have a cow hero even 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: uh they up in the hills, they sing folk tales 28 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: of Mrs O'Leary's cow, who exacted revenge on humankind for 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: all cow kind. Back in eighteen seventy one. You know, 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: Chicago was a huge and still is a huge um, 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: a huge slaughterhouse city. It was the end of the 32 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: cattle drive. But Mrs O'Leary's cow, this bovine you speak 33 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: of with a milk cow, he was a new danger 34 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: of being. I'm telling you. They're all very tighten it. 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: All cows are really mad about the like the slaughtering 36 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: that can oh tell me more about Apa Kappakawa. Well, okay, 37 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: i'll tell you. Let me tell you a little more 38 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: about Mrs O'Leary's cow, this hero. So it's like uh, 39 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy one, Um, and Chicago at the time was 40 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: basically made of wood, which I think the cows were 41 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: waiting for. This is pretty wild, not only where most 42 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: of the houses made of wood, but the sidewalks are 43 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: made of wood two streets to it is my understanding, 44 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: which I'm having trouble wrapping my head around. Made it 45 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: really easy to knock on wood exactly now. The the 46 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: the basically the univers aligned. There's a cow prophecy that 47 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: that the the that on October eighteen seventy one, the 48 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: stars would align and this cow would sacrifice it's life 49 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: the life of four other cows, and I believe a 50 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: horse and maybe a couple of chickens by kicking over 51 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: a lantern and Mrs O'Leary's barn and Mrs O'Leary's and 52 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: had two tons of coal in it, two tons of Hey, 53 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: don't think Mrs O'Leary didn't have anything to do with 54 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: this conspiracy, right? And um, basically Chicago burned like it 55 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: never has before. You and I talked about Rome burning 56 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: whether or not Nero played the fiddle on another podcast. Well, 57 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: when Chicago burn it was pretty serious. To here about 58 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: three and a half square miles of the city were 59 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: just completely demolished. D Twenty people died, thousands more were homeless. 60 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: It exactly about two hundred million dollars in days. I 61 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: looked it up. That's actually three point two billion dollars 62 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: into today's money. So that was a lot from that 63 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: one kick. You know, the hey went up, the coal 64 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: went up, the livestock went up in Chicago went up. Um, 65 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: and the Chicago Tribune was the first two to catch on, 66 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: get hip to the cow conspiracy and report that it 67 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: was Mrs O'Leary's cow who started this horrible fire. Um, 68 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: is that fact or fiction? I really really hate to 69 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: burst your bubble. I know that you've been having a 70 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: great time weaving this fairy tale for all of our listeners, 71 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: and I hope you've all been enjoying it. I know 72 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: I have, and I haven't been rolling my eyes at all. 73 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: But it is fiction and the story of the Great 74 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: Chicago Fire is legendary really because there's no definitive answer 75 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: to whom you started the fire and the cow. You know, again, 76 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: maybe this will plaque at you, Uh, the cow is 77 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: a likely contender, or at least it lives on in legend, 78 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: But in this case, there's been at least one confession, 79 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: one story that was recanted, one busted testimony, and a 80 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: handful morph theories about the fire. And when there was 81 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: an official inquiry into the cause of the fire, none 82 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: could be determined. Now, who's being naive, Candice? I'm sorry 83 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: taking a big by a burger. Um Uh to move 84 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: on with the story. Let me tell you about some 85 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: of the other crazy theories that are out there. Boys 86 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: playing with matches start at the fire. A comet hit 87 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,479 Speaker 1: the earth and smoldering bits of are it's actually started 88 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: the fires? Explanation? Uh, Communist Parisians started the fire. It 89 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: was the wrath of God and a tramp smoking a pipe. 90 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: And by tramp we mean like a hobo. Not to 91 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: confuse our younger audiences out there. And you know, it's 92 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: funny because this whole you know, mishmash about Ms O 93 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: Leary and her cow. The reporter who gave that stories 94 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: that he was essentially looking for a different angle, and 95 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: forty years later he said, you know what, y'all, I 96 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: made up that story. It wasn't really true. But the 97 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: reason it caused such a splash and the reason that 98 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: the cows have spoken to Josh about it. It was 99 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: that Mrs o Leary was ripe for the vengeance she 100 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 1: had been unwelfare, she her husband and her five children. 101 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: But then word got out that she'd been selling dairy 102 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,559 Speaker 1: products on the side from from a cow, from said cow, 103 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: and when the city cut her off, she was really 104 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: upset about it, and apparently she vowed to exact her revenge. 105 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: And some people said that's exactly what this fire was, 106 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: that she started at herself. Other theory being that her 107 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: cow accidentally kicked every care sing lantern. Well, then the 108 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: story sort of took a turn for the worst when 109 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: she got on the stand and said, not only did 110 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: she not start the fire, she was in bed and 111 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: her neighbors were the ones having a wild party and 112 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: they snuck into the barn to get milk and they 113 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: started the fire. You're not seeing a pattern here. Then 114 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: things took a turn for the even more complicated when uh, 115 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: peg leg Sullivan, this is Daniel peg leg Sullivan, perhaps 116 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: not the most flattering nickname. Um. Apparently he got up 117 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,719 Speaker 1: and gave his testimony and he said that he saw 118 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: the fire and he reported it and he ran for 119 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: help and this, you know, it was sort of accepted 120 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: for what it was worth, until when a lawyer named 121 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: Richard Bales set out to figure out if peg Leg 122 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: was telling the truth. And one of the points he 123 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: made was that you've got a peg leg, you can't 124 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,840 Speaker 1: really run that fast, and the distance that peg Leg 125 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: claimed to have run was about the length of a 126 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: football field. Furthermore, Baal said that his line of vision 127 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: from where he was reportedly standing when he spawned at 128 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: the fire, there would have been a house in his 129 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: way and he wouldn't have been able to see the 130 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: fire rising from the O'Leary's barn. So years after the 131 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: fire raged and burned down the city, Mrs O'Leary was 132 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: finally exonerated. So we're not sure if peg Leg was 133 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: the one who was in the barn and kicked over 134 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: the lantern or or the pipe that he was smoking 135 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: set the fire. No one really knows, but it was 136 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: it was just, you know, it was a rough night 137 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: for everyone, the cow that lost its life, the o'learys 138 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: who lived in an infamy and notoriety for years, and 139 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: for Chicago really and if the universe was aligning, whether 140 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: it was you know, cow forces or not, Chicago was 141 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: right for the burning. Like we said, everything was made 142 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: of wood. The night of the fire, there was a 143 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: strong wind blowing. And to make matters even worse, the 144 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: Chicago firemen, of whom there were only two hundred, were 145 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: exhausted and their resources depleted because the previous night they've 146 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: been finding a fire as well well. Plus also the 147 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: building that housed all their water pumps burned to the 148 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: ground as well. Yeah, and some of them even got 149 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: the wrong address to the alliers that they didn't show 150 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: up in time. And they were trying to pump water 151 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: reserves from like Michigan to help with the effort, and 152 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: that wasn't working in their favorite either. You know, the 153 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: puny humans didn't even put the fire out. It was 154 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: the rain that came the next evening that eventually did. 155 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: And I suppose a great cow and the sky commissioned 156 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 1: that weather, you know, canus. I appreciate you clearing this 157 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: up for me, but I am afraid I'm going to 158 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,320 Speaker 1: have to report your lack of faith in my cow overlords, 159 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 1: so I would strongly advise you not to send any 160 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: personal information over the internet from now on. Well, I 161 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: guess at least I'll be safe to go on our 162 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: website and read the article did the Great Chicago Fire 163 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: really start with? Mrs O'Leary's unhelped staff works dot com 164 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: for moralness and thousands of other topics. Because at how 165 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com, let us know what you think. 166 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: Send an email to podcast at how stuff works dot 167 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: com m