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
Crime in Chicago and non-fatal shootings compared to 2015. On December 1, 2016, Chicago recorded its 700th homicide for the year. In 2017, the number of homicides fell significantly, to 665, with the first quarter of 2018 seeing a further 25% drop and a return to 2015 levels. In the first week of August, Chicago witnessed the most violent weekend of 2018. 73 people were shot, of whom 11 died and 61 were wounded. Until August, 1700 people were shot, which is less than the previous two years, but more than the other recent years. Chicago is considered the most gang-infested city in