Author: Craig Allen Cleve
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1609090586
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
As rush hour came to a close on the evening of May 25, 1950, one of Chicago's new fast, colorful, streamlined streetcars—known as a Green Hornet—slammed into a gas truck at State Street and 62nd Place. The Hornet's motorman allegedly failed to heed the warnings of a flagger attempting to route it around a flooded underpass, and the trolley, packed with commuters on their way home, barreled into eight thousand gallons of gasoline. The gas erupted into flames, poured onto State Street, and quickly engulfed the Hornet, shooting flames two hundred and fifty feet into the air. More than half of the passengers escaped the inferno through the rear window, but thirty-three others perished, trapped in front of the streetcar's back door, which failed to stay open in the ensuing panic. It was Chicago's worst traffic accident ever—and the worst two-vehicle traffic accident in US history. Unearthing a forgotten chapter in Chicago lore, The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster tells the riveting tale of this calamity. Combing through newspaper accounts as well as the Chicago Transit Authority's official archives, Craig Cleve vividly brings to life this horrific catastrophe. Going beyond the historical record, he tracks down individuals who were present on that fateful day on State and 62nd: eyewitnesses, journalists, even survivors whose lives were forever changed by the accident. Weaving these sources together, Cleve reveals the remarkable combination of natural events, human error, and mechanical failure that led to the disaster, and this moving history recounts them—as well as the conflagration's human drama—in gripping detail.
The Green Hornet Street Car Disaster
Author: Craig Allen Cleve
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1609090586
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
As rush hour came to a close on the evening of May 25, 1950, one of Chicago's new fast, colorful, streamlined streetcars—known as a Green Hornet—slammed into a gas truck at State Street and 62nd Place. The Hornet's motorman allegedly failed to heed the warnings of a flagger attempting to route it around a flooded underpass, and the trolley, packed with commuters on their way home, barreled into eight thousand gallons of gasoline. The gas erupted into flames, poured onto State Street, and quickly engulfed the Hornet, shooting flames two hundred and fifty feet into the air. More than half of the passengers escaped the inferno through the rear window, but thirty-three others perished, trapped in front of the streetcar's back door, which failed to stay open in the ensuing panic. It was Chicago's worst traffic accident ever—and the worst two-vehicle traffic accident in US history. Unearthing a forgotten chapter in Chicago lore, The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster tells the riveting tale of this calamity. Combing through newspaper accounts as well as the Chicago Transit Authority's official archives, Craig Cleve vividly brings to life this horrific catastrophe. Going beyond the historical record, he tracks down individuals who were present on that fateful day on State and 62nd: eyewitnesses, journalists, even survivors whose lives were forever changed by the accident. Weaving these sources together, Cleve reveals the remarkable combination of natural events, human error, and mechanical failure that led to the disaster, and this moving history recounts them—as well as the conflagration's human drama—in gripping detail.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1609090586
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
As rush hour came to a close on the evening of May 25, 1950, one of Chicago's new fast, colorful, streamlined streetcars—known as a Green Hornet—slammed into a gas truck at State Street and 62nd Place. The Hornet's motorman allegedly failed to heed the warnings of a flagger attempting to route it around a flooded underpass, and the trolley, packed with commuters on their way home, barreled into eight thousand gallons of gasoline. The gas erupted into flames, poured onto State Street, and quickly engulfed the Hornet, shooting flames two hundred and fifty feet into the air. More than half of the passengers escaped the inferno through the rear window, but thirty-three others perished, trapped in front of the streetcar's back door, which failed to stay open in the ensuing panic. It was Chicago's worst traffic accident ever—and the worst two-vehicle traffic accident in US history. Unearthing a forgotten chapter in Chicago lore, The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster tells the riveting tale of this calamity. Combing through newspaper accounts as well as the Chicago Transit Authority's official archives, Craig Cleve vividly brings to life this horrific catastrophe. Going beyond the historical record, he tracks down individuals who were present on that fateful day on State and 62nd: eyewitnesses, journalists, even survivors whose lives were forever changed by the accident. Weaving these sources together, Cleve reveals the remarkable combination of natural events, human error, and mechanical failure that led to the disaster, and this moving history recounts them—as well as the conflagration's human drama—in gripping detail.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything
Author: Mark Jacob
Publisher: Agate Digital
ISBN: 1572844078
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
For years, the Chicago Tribune's "10 Things You Might Not Know" column has been informing and entertaining readers on a diverse range of fascinating subjects. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything is a collection of the best of these columns, presented in a fun and easy-to-read format. This book gives readers well-researched, obscure facts on universal topics—including arts and culture, food and leisure, history, politics, science and technology, sports, holidays and religion, lifestyle, language, and more. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything contains a plethora of surprising trivia and pertinent tidbits on so many different areas that will appeal to everyone from history buffs to sports fans to foodies, with an especially riveting look into Chicago-area history and facts. For example, in Zion, Illinois it was once not only illegal to gamble, curse, and sell alcohol and tobacco, but also to whistle on Sundays, put on plays, eat pork or oysters, spit, or wear tan-colored shoes. Some facts will make readers laugh and some will make jaws drop. This collection is a kaleidoscope of the absurd, the outrageous, and the sometimes-gruesome, making a highly entertaining mix of people, places, and things. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything will leave readers brighter, wittier, and curious to learn more about myriad worlds they never encountered before and will never forget.
Publisher: Agate Digital
ISBN: 1572844078
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
For years, the Chicago Tribune's "10 Things You Might Not Know" column has been informing and entertaining readers on a diverse range of fascinating subjects. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything is a collection of the best of these columns, presented in a fun and easy-to-read format. This book gives readers well-researched, obscure facts on universal topics—including arts and culture, food and leisure, history, politics, science and technology, sports, holidays and religion, lifestyle, language, and more. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything contains a plethora of surprising trivia and pertinent tidbits on so many different areas that will appeal to everyone from history buffs to sports fans to foodies, with an especially riveting look into Chicago-area history and facts. For example, in Zion, Illinois it was once not only illegal to gamble, curse, and sell alcohol and tobacco, but also to whistle on Sundays, put on plays, eat pork or oysters, spit, or wear tan-colored shoes. Some facts will make readers laugh and some will make jaws drop. This collection is a kaleidoscope of the absurd, the outrageous, and the sometimes-gruesome, making a highly entertaining mix of people, places, and things. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything will leave readers brighter, wittier, and curious to learn more about myriad worlds they never encountered before and will never forget.
Chicago Trolleys
Author: David Sadowski
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1439662681
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
Chicago's extensive transit system first started in 1859, when horsecars ran on rails in city streets. Cable cars and electric streetcars came next. Where new trolley car lines were built, people, businesses, and neighborhoods followed. Chicago quickly became a world-class city. At its peak, Chicago had over 3,000 streetcars and 1,000 miles of track--the largest such system in the world. By the 1930s, there were also streamlined trolleys and trolley buses on rubber tires. Some parts of Chicago's famous "L" system also used trolley wire instead of a third rail. Trolley cars once took people from the Loop to such faraway places as Aurora, Elgin, Milwaukee, and South Bend. A few still run today.
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1439662681
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
Chicago's extensive transit system first started in 1859, when horsecars ran on rails in city streets. Cable cars and electric streetcars came next. Where new trolley car lines were built, people, businesses, and neighborhoods followed. Chicago quickly became a world-class city. At its peak, Chicago had over 3,000 streetcars and 1,000 miles of track--the largest such system in the world. By the 1930s, there were also streamlined trolleys and trolley buses on rubber tires. Some parts of Chicago's famous "L" system also used trolley wire instead of a third rail. Trolley cars once took people from the Loop to such faraway places as Aurora, Elgin, Milwaukee, and South Bend. A few still run today.
Forgotten Tales of Illinois
Author: Bryan Alaspa
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1625842953
Category : Photography
Languages : en
Pages : 97
Book Description
Dig up the men who tried to dig up Lincoln. Mull over the Mad Gasser of Mattoon and the 1977 thunderbird infestation, from a safe distance. Watch in horror as one of the greatest maritime disasters in U.S. history occurs twenty feet from the banks of the Chicago River or follow the course of the blimp crash that convinced a downtown bank employee that it was raining hell. Try not to blink as towns washed away by floods and shrines covered over by condominiums are dragged back from the margins of history into the center of the page, where they belong. After all, reasons author Bryan Alaspa, if the pope was eager to stop by the House of Crosses during his visit to Chicago, surely it is worth a look. Just beware: a quick glance into this book and you might not look up until you've read the whole gripping and grin-inspiring collection.
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1625842953
Category : Photography
Languages : en
Pages : 97
Book Description
Dig up the men who tried to dig up Lincoln. Mull over the Mad Gasser of Mattoon and the 1977 thunderbird infestation, from a safe distance. Watch in horror as one of the greatest maritime disasters in U.S. history occurs twenty feet from the banks of the Chicago River or follow the course of the blimp crash that convinced a downtown bank employee that it was raining hell. Try not to blink as towns washed away by floods and shrines covered over by condominiums are dragged back from the margins of history into the center of the page, where they belong. After all, reasons author Bryan Alaspa, if the pope was eager to stop by the House of Crosses during his visit to Chicago, surely it is worth a look. Just beware: a quick glance into this book and you might not look up until you've read the whole gripping and grin-inspiring collection.
Just a Boy from Home
Author: Catherine Bourke Chambers
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1434367908
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Just a Boy from Home With songs, stories and recipes Bill Bourke shared this entire book from memory. It contains stories and historical facts about the Catholic Church, the striping of the land after the South gained independence and the words to an IRA song, The Dublin Trials that his father sang. There are many more songs of Mayo, poems and expressions that otherwise could possibly be forgotten or lost if he had not agreed to sit for many hours reminiscing. You will read about Patrick Shannon, a Mayo man who was a hero in World War I. Also, how his good friend Michael Fitzpatrick received his American citizenship 52 years after his untimely death in Korea. Bill tells of the Irish camaraderie that was already present in Chicago upon his arrival and how he got a job being Just a Boy from Home. The singing and dancing that was found in the neighborhood pubs and said, "Oh, the fun we had!" But, still the innate loneliness that could be felt in a room full of people for the mother he left behind in the tiny cottage, at the end of the road, in the Village of Ballymacredmond, near the town of Ballina, in the County of Mayo, Ireland. Bill married Kitty Morley, a young girl form County Mayo and continues his trai
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1434367908
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Just a Boy from Home With songs, stories and recipes Bill Bourke shared this entire book from memory. It contains stories and historical facts about the Catholic Church, the striping of the land after the South gained independence and the words to an IRA song, The Dublin Trials that his father sang. There are many more songs of Mayo, poems and expressions that otherwise could possibly be forgotten or lost if he had not agreed to sit for many hours reminiscing. You will read about Patrick Shannon, a Mayo man who was a hero in World War I. Also, how his good friend Michael Fitzpatrick received his American citizenship 52 years after his untimely death in Korea. Bill tells of the Irish camaraderie that was already present in Chicago upon his arrival and how he got a job being Just a Boy from Home. The singing and dancing that was found in the neighborhood pubs and said, "Oh, the fun we had!" But, still the innate loneliness that could be felt in a room full of people for the mother he left behind in the tiny cottage, at the end of the road, in the Village of Ballymacredmond, near the town of Ballina, in the County of Mayo, Ireland. Bill married Kitty Morley, a young girl form County Mayo and continues his trai
Is There Only One Chicago?
Publications of the State of Illinois
Author: Illinois. Office of Secretary of State
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 166
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 166
Book Description
The New Madrid Quake Chronicles
Author: Claude Walker
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1462070361
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 161
Book Description
In December 1811, a series of quakes rocked the area near New Madrid, Missouri, a settlement on the Mississippi River. Sparsely populated by French fur-traders, a dwindling number of Native Americans and newly-arrived European immigrants, the region rumbled for weeks. Rivers ran backwards. Gaseous crevasses in the earth gaped, swallowing people and buildings. While "The New Madrid Quake Chronicles" is a story of a natural calamity, it is also a parable about the imprint a disaster can leave on any family for generations. The reader meets survivors of the Great Quake from two great families headed by Shawnee leader Blue Turtle and German exile Blas Baur, whose descendents share special quake-sensing abilities. Their stories are lyrically told: mighty rivers meeting, mightier tectonic plates clashing. Historical fiction, family saga and military-political history with a touch of seismic sci-fi, "The New Madrid Quake Chronicles" is a cautionary tale. If an 1811-sized quake hit New Madrid today, an estimated 3,500 residents would die. It would leave 730,000 homeless and 2.6 million without power. Most bridges over the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers would fall. Experts agree that a big one will likely strike again in the New Madrid Seismic Zone; how prepared will we be?
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1462070361
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 161
Book Description
In December 1811, a series of quakes rocked the area near New Madrid, Missouri, a settlement on the Mississippi River. Sparsely populated by French fur-traders, a dwindling number of Native Americans and newly-arrived European immigrants, the region rumbled for weeks. Rivers ran backwards. Gaseous crevasses in the earth gaped, swallowing people and buildings. While "The New Madrid Quake Chronicles" is a story of a natural calamity, it is also a parable about the imprint a disaster can leave on any family for generations. The reader meets survivors of the Great Quake from two great families headed by Shawnee leader Blue Turtle and German exile Blas Baur, whose descendents share special quake-sensing abilities. Their stories are lyrically told: mighty rivers meeting, mightier tectonic plates clashing. Historical fiction, family saga and military-political history with a touch of seismic sci-fi, "The New Madrid Quake Chronicles" is a cautionary tale. If an 1811-sized quake hit New Madrid today, an estimated 3,500 residents would die. It would leave 730,000 homeless and 2.6 million without power. Most bridges over the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers would fall. Experts agree that a big one will likely strike again in the New Madrid Seismic Zone; how prepared will we be?
Publications of the State of Illinois
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 166
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 166
Book Description
Unbroken
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812974492
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 530
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. Appearing in paperback for the first time—with twenty arresting new photos and an extensive Q&A with the author—Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit, brought vividly to life by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand. Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award “Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York “Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People “A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post “Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review “Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News “An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly “A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian “[Hillenbrand tells this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time “Hillenbrand [is] one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812974492
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 530
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. Appearing in paperback for the first time—with twenty arresting new photos and an extensive Q&A with the author—Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit, brought vividly to life by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand. Hailed as the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Indies Choice Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year award “Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] one-in-a-billion story . . . designed to wrench from self-respecting critics all the blurby adjectives we normally try to avoid: It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring.”—New York “Staggering . . . mesmerizing . . . Hillenbrand’s writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don’t dare take your eyes off the page.”—People “A meticulous, soaring and beautifully written account of an extraordinary life.”—The Washington Post “Ambitious and powerful . . . a startling narrative and an inspirational book.”—The New York Times Book Review “Magnificent . . . incredible . . . [Hillenbrand] has crafted another masterful blend of sports, history and overcoming terrific odds; this is biography taken to the nth degree, a chronicle of a remarkable life lived through extraordinary times.”—The Dallas Morning News “An astonishing testament to the superhuman power of tenacity.”—Entertainment Weekly “A tale of triumph and redemption . . . astonishingly detailed.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “[A] masterfully told true story . . . nothing less than a marvel.”—Washingtonian “[Hillenbrand tells this] story with cool elegance but at a thrilling sprinter’s pace.”—Time “Hillenbrand [is] one of our best writers of narrative history. You don’t have to be a sports fan or a war-history buff to devour this book—you just have to love great storytelling.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks