Chicago isn’t just deep-dish pizza, skyscrapers, and Cubs games.
The city has a history that’s wild, weird, and downright unbelievable at times.
From raising entire buildings on jackscrews to accidentally flooding its own downtown, Chicago has a knack for making headlines that sound more like tall tales than reality.
Here are 25 crazy facts about Chicago that will blow your mind (and give you something fun to bring up next time someone mentions “The Bean”):
1. Chicago Literally Lifted Itself Out of the Mud ⚙️
In the mid-19th century, the city sat on swampy, flood-prone ground. To fight disease and flooding, engineers used jackscrews to raise entire downtown blocks—buildings and all—by several feet. Streets were then filled in around the lifted structures. Imagine watching a hotel weighing thousands of tons slowly rise off the ground!
2. The “L” Trains Were Once Cable-Powered
Before electricity, Chicago’s elevated trains ran on underground cables, just like San Francisco’s cable cars. The first line opened in 1892 using this method before switching to electric power.
3. There’s a Forgotten Underground Freight Railway
Beneath the Loop lies 60+ miles of abandoned tunnels that once carried coal, ash, parcels, and mail between buildings. Built in the early 1900s, this hidden network is mostly sealed today—but it still lurks under downtown.
4. The World’s First Skyscraper Was Born Here 🏗️
Chicago’s Home Insurance Building (1885) wasn’t just tall—it was revolutionary. It introduced a steel-frame skeleton, allowing buildings to soar higher than ever without needing absurdly thick walls. Sadly, it was demolished in 1931.
5. Lake Michigan Hides a Prehistoric Forest
About 40–50 feet below the lake’s surface, divers have found an ancient submerged forest of oak and hemlock trees dating back thousands of years, to a time when lake levels were much lower.
6. Chicago Launched the Atomic Age
On December 2, 1942, in a squash court under the University of Chicago’s Stagg Field, Enrico Fermi’s team achieved the world’s first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. This moment kicked off the Atomic Age.
7. The City’s Streets Are Amazingly Logical
Chicago’s street numbering system centers on State (east–west) and Madison (north–south). Every block adds 100 numbers, making it one of the easiest big cities to navigate.
8. The “L” Was Built Over a Water Pipe
When engineers constructed the Loop “L,” they realized the easiest path was right above the city’s massive 12-foot water pipe from Lake Michigan. The columns literally straddle this vital artery.
9. The Modern Zipper Was Invented Here
At the 1893 World’s Fair, Chicagoan Whitcomb L. Judson unveiled his “clasp locker,” the forerunner of the zipper. Next time you zip up your jacket, thank the Windy City.
10. The Twinkie Was Born in Chicago
In 1930, baker James Dewar created the Twinkie in River Forest to make use of shortcake pans when strawberries were out of season. His sugary idea became a snack legend.
11. The First Blood Bank Started Here
In 1937, Dr. Bernard Fantus at Cook County Hospital founded the first blood bank in the U.S. He even coined the term “blood bank,” forever changing modern medicine.
12. The Fourth Star on the Flag Is Often Forgotten
Chicago’s flag has four stars. The last one, added in 1933, honors the “Century of Progress” World’s Fair. Most locals can name the fire and the first fair—but forget about the second one.
13. Chicago Hosted the Midwest’s First College Football Game 🏈
On May 30, 1879, Northwestern and Michigan squared off in Chicago. The rules were more like rugby, but it planted the seeds for college football in the Midwest.
14. Grant Park Hides a Buried Neighborhood
Before it was green space, much of Grant Park (including Millennium Park) was home to neighborhoods and even a cemetery. After the Great Fire, debris and landfill were used to cover it all up.
15. A Rotten Wood Piling Caused the 1992 Flood
During construction, workers punctured an old tunnel wall under the river, unleashing a flood that filled downtown basements and cost over $1 billion in damages.
16. Chicago Is Technically an “Island”
By reversing the river and digging canals, engineers rerouted water so completely that the city’s core became a hydrological island—surrounded by waterways leading to the Mississippi instead of Lake Michigan.
17. Pullman Was America’s First Planned Industrial Town
Built in the 1880s by railcar magnate George Pullman, this South Side community provided housing, shops, and churches for workers. It later became the site of a major labor strike—and is now a National Monument.
18. The Mail-Order Catalog Was Invented Here
Sears and Montgomery Ward, both Chicago companies, pioneered the mail-order catalog in the late 1800s, bringing goods to rural America long before Amazon.
19. The First Ferris Wheel Was in Chicago
Designed for the 1893 World’s Fair, the original Ferris Wheel was nearly 270 feet tall and could hold 2,000 people. It was America’s answer to Paris’s Eiffel Tower.
20. House Music Was Born in Chicago
In the 1980s, DJ Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse pioneered house music. The genre exploded globally and still influences electronic music today.
21. The Berghoff Had the First Liquor License
When Prohibition ended in 1933, The Berghoff Restaurant got Chicago’s first (and reportedly the nation’s first) liquor license. They proudly served the first legal beer in town.
22. The Water Tower Survived the Great Fire
The 1871 blaze destroyed most of Chicago, but the limestone Water Tower and Pumping Station stood firm. They remain symbols of the city’s resilience.
23. The Chicago Portage Made the City Possible
This ancient lowland route linked the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River system. It made Chicago a natural hub for trade and settlement—long before skyscrapers and hot dogs.
24. The Field Museum Was Built to Be Temporary
The museum’s structure was originally a fair building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Unlike most “White City” plaster buildings, it had a steel frame and survived—becoming today’s iconic Field Museum.
25. Chicagoans Really Can Do Anything (Even Reverse a River)
From turning rivers backward to lifting skyscrapers out of the mud, this city has a history of impossible projects made real. If Chicago had a motto, it might just be: “Why not?”
Final Thoughts
Chicago isn’t just another big city—it’s a place that constantly reinvented itself with crazy ideas, wild experiments, and bold moves. From nuclear physics to snack cakes, from buried neighborhoods to house music, the Windy City has always found a way to surprise the world.
Next time you’re here, look a little deeper. You’ll find there’s always another story under the surface—sometimes literally.
Discover The Chicago
You Don’t Know
Join 20,000+ locals getting the inside scoop. Discover hidden gems, secret events, and the best Chicago has to offer.
