30 Fun Facts about Chicago

Chicago is one amazing city. Here are 30 things that you probably did not know about Chicago.

1. The name Chicago comes from the Algonquin word “Chicagou” or “Shikaakwa,” which translates to “onion field” or “wild garlic.”
2. In the 1850s, the entire city was hydraulically raised several feet to fix a drainage problem.
3. In 1930, the Twinkie was invented in Chicago.
4. Chicago is known as the United State’s railroad capital, with over 1,300 trains carrying freight and passengers arriving and departing from the city each day.
5. Over 52 million people visit Chicago each year.
6. The first blood bank in the United States was founded in Chicago in 1937 by Dr. Bernard Fantus at Cook County Hospital.
7. The Art Institute of Chicago is home to the largest collection of impressionist paintings in the world outside of Paris, France.
8. There are more than 2,000 hot dog stands in the city of Chicago, more than the number of Burger Kings, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s restaurants in the city combined.
9. The world’s largest cookie and cracker factory is the Nabisco Cookie factory in Chicago.
10. Chicago’s Field Museum owns the world’s most complete T-Rex, which has been named Sue.
11. The famous US highway Route 66 begins in Chicago in front of the Art Institute of Chicago.
12. The first Ferris wheel was invented in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.
13. Spray paint was invented in Chicago in 1949.
14. Chicago is home to the world’s largest free outdoor food festival, the Taste of Chicago.
15. The zipper was invented in Chicago in 1851.
16. The movie I-Robot was filmed in Chicago.
17. The first all-color TV station made its debut in Chicago in 1956.
18. The vacuum cleaner was invented in Chicago in 1868.
19. Chicago is the home of the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama.
20. Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. He studied drawing at Chicago’s McKinley High School and the Institute of Fine Arts.
21. The first McDonald’s franchise restaurant, owned by Ray Kroc, opened in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines in 1955.
22. Chicago inventor Martin Cooper invented the first cell phone.
23. In 1893, the first open heart surgery in the United States was performed in Chicago.
24. The world’s first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Company, was built in 1885 in Chicago.
25. The Pinball Game was invented in Chicago in 1930.
26. Chicago is home to 11 Fortune 500 companies, while the rest of the metropolitan area hosts an additional 21 Fortune 500 companies.
27. O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is the world’s busiest airport.
28. The Harold Washington Library downtown is the largest public library in the world.
29. The Jardine Water Purification Plant in Chicago is the world’s largest water filtration plant.
30. In 1895, Chicago became the first venue of the first ever car race in the United States of America.

If you enjoyed this article, hit the ❤️ button and share it with people you care about. You can also follow me on Twitter , Instagram, or LinkedIn