Dupage Policy Journal

Oct. 8, 1871 — Chicago. Firefighters battled the Great Chicago Fire. The blaze started in Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s barn, claimed nearly 300 lives as it raged for two days, History.com reports. Although some say a cow knocked over a lantern, which started the fire, others blame people or an astronomical event. No matter the cause, 100,00 people were left without homes by the fire that caused $200 million worth of damage.

Oct. 9, 1942 — Crest Hill. Bootlegger Roger “The Terrible” Touhy escaped from Stateville Prison. Though police caught Touhy weeks after he fled, the breakout is as noteworthy as the circumstances surrounding the crime. History.com says mobster Al Capone set Touhy up to take a kidnapping rap after Touhy wouldn’t give Capone a share of his bootlegging operation. Touhy, whose father was a cop, climbed a guard tower to hatch his escape.

Oct. 10, 1946 — Maywood. Folk singer and songwriter John Prine was born. Though his online biography admits his albums “never enjoyed much commercial success,” Prine remains an influential figure in music. After a major label dropped him from its roster in the early 1990s, Prine launched his own record label and released an album with cameos from Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Bonnie Raitt. The record sold a quarter-million units, and Prine earned a Grammy Award for another album in the mid-2000s.

Oct. 11-13, 1853 — Springfield. Illinois’ first state fair drew thousands to view exhibits. According to a 2002 issue of the Cook-Witter Report, some planners believed the fair’s showcase of farm equipment would help lift the state’s farmers from rural isolation and ignorance. The admission price was 25 cents, and more than 15,000 people crowded the space on Day 3. Even after prize money was paid to the winning exhibitors, the fair generated $853 in profits.

Oct. 12, 1960 — Morris. The first full-scale, privately-financed nuclear power plant in the United States was dedicated at Morris. For nearly two decades, the Dresden Generating Station produced thousands of megawatts of energy to “Chicago and other parts of northern Illinois,” according to the Mesothelioma Resource Center. Its parent, the Exelon Corp., retired the plant in 1978, according to a press release.

Oct 13, 1983 — Chicago. Ameritech Mobile (later Cingular/AT&T) initiated the first cellphone network. Thanks to a four-year test project involving 2,000 customers, Chicago already had the infrastructure in place to host the first cellular network, as an article on The Free Library states. The cellphones cost $4,000 at the time, Mashable reports.

Oct. 14, 2003 — Chicago. Cubs fan Steve Bartman caught a fly ball, causing the team to lose a championship to the Florida Marlins. History.com states it took a security team to usher Bartman safely from Wrigley Field after his catch interfered with the game. “I’ve been a Cub fan all my life and fully understand the relationship between my actions and the outcome of the game — I am so truly sorry from the bottom of this Cubs fan’s broken heart,” he told the media from seclusion the next day.