Chicago history

Though Chicago got its nickname, 'The Windy City', from long-winded politicians, the original American Indians named it 'Checaugou' meaning 'strong' or 'great'. Modern-day Chicago certainly lives up to this heritage. A hub for roads, canals, railways and aeroplanes, this mere village of 350 people in 1830 is now the nation's third largest city (behind New York and Los Angeles).The Great Fire of 1871 levelled most of it. But the 1893 World's Columbia Exposition attracted 26 million visitors and made it famous. In the 1920s and 30s, Prohibition gangsters like Al Capone and police adversaries like Eliot Ness made it infamous.