4 Events that Made All Chicago Residents Feel Like Neighbors
Chicago has more than a century of history with major milestones along the way. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire swept through the city devastating approximately 3.5 square miles. Instead of falling into ashes, the city came together and rebuilt. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition (more often referred to simply as the World’s Fair) in what is today Jackson Park in Woodlawn. Those events have left an indelible mark on Chicago, but they have the faded feeling of history.
The city has had some major events in more recent memory that have brought its people together and made them all feel like neighbors for a brief, shining moment. If you stop any Chicagoan on the street and ask them about this handful of events, chances are they were there for at least one and can recall the time with great clarity.
The Cubs Break the Curse
Traditionally, Chicago does not have a great relationship with livestock. We blamed the entire Great Chicago Fire on Mrs. O’Leary’s cow (later shown to be a mythical beast of burden) and pointed the finger at a goat for the Chicago Cubs’ interminable World Series win dry spell.
Legend has it, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern and his pet goat were ejected from Wrigley Field in 1945, prompting him to forecast a miserable outlook on the Cubs record. Whether or not you believe in the power of curses, the Cubs would not go on to win the World Series again until 2016—the first time since 1908.
The night the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, breaking the curse, was nothing short of euphoric. The game went into 10 innings, spreading a palpable tension across the entire city. The Cubs eventually clinched an 8 to 7 victory. Even if you were miles from Wrigleyville that night, you could hear the waves of celebration sweeping the streets. On Nov. 4, the city’s residents turned out in force to bleed Cubbie blue at the parade that went from Wrigley Field to Grant Park.
The Chicago White Sox World Series Win
The Chicago White Sox, playing their home games in Bridgeport, are at the heart of South Side Chicago pride. While not under the curse of the goat, the White Sox have had a pretty similar record to the Cubs. They won the World Series in 1917, but not again until 2005. The White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the four-game series, according to Baseball Reference.com. On Oct. 8, 2005, a parade starting at Guaranteed Rate Field (then U.S. Cellular Field) made its way through the South Side to downtown Chicago. The parade drew approximately two million spectators and featured 20,000 pounds of confetti, according to SBNation.
The Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Wins
The Chicago Blackhawks dominated the Stanley Cup in the 2000s. The NHL team took home the top prize in 2010 (beating the Philadelphia Flyers four to two), 2013 (beating the Boston Bruins four to two), and 2015 (beating the Tampa Bay Lightning four to two). In June 2015, the Metra and CTA lines were packed with red and black as people poured in from neighborhoods and suburbs all over Chicagoland to celebrate their team. “Chelsea Dagger” blared in the streets as approximately two million Chicagoans joined together to celebrate the Blackhawk’s third Stanley Cup victory of the decade.
President Barack Obama’s 2008 Acceptance Speech
While sports are core to the Chicago identity, they are not the only celebration that has the power to bring people together. In 2008, red, white, blue posters emblazoned with Barack Obama’s face and the single word “Hope” signified at a seismic change in the course of history. When he won the election on Nov. 4, he held his acceptance speech at a rally in Grant Park in the Loop, honoring his hometown. Nearly 1 million people stood on the grass to hear President Obama accept the presidency, according to People. “And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.” These words from his acceptance speech help capture a sliver of the unity felt in a national moment that brought so many Chicagoans together.