Everyone knows how the Great Chicago Fire started. The problem is, that story probably isn't true.
On October 8, 1871, a fire tore through Chicago and destroyed one of the fastest-growing cities in America. The official explanation became legend. But the real story — the one historians eventually uncovered — is far more interesting, and far stranger, than the version most people learned.
In this episode of Sidequests, we look at what actually happened that night, why the myth took hold so completely, and one wild theory that might just change how you think about the whole event.
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