History of Chicago and south branches of the Chicago River, which flows through the city's downtown. The three white stripes represent the North, West and South sides of the city, Lake Michigan being the east side. The most famous and serious disaster was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. On December 30, 1903 the "absolutely fireproof", five-week-old Iroquois Theater was engulfed by fire. The fire lasted less than thirty minutes; 602 people died as a result of being burned, asphyxiated, or trampled. The S.S. "Eastland" was a cruise ship based in Chicago and used for tours. On 24 July 1915—a calm, sunny day—the
Chicago Opera Theater would step down as artistic director at the expiration of his contract in September 2017. Douglas Clayton, formerly the executive director, assumed the role of General Director on September 1, 2017. In June 2017, COT announced the appointment of Lidiya Yankovskaya as its next music director, with immediate effect. Yankovskaya is the first female conductor to hold the music directorship of COT. Sources Chicago Opera Theater The Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. COT has been a resident at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago's Millennium Park and is currently