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
Sports in Chicago soccer-specific stadium located in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview near Midway Airport. The Fire have historically drawn an attendance average of over 15,000 fans per game. The Fire originally played at Soldier Field, also spending parts of two seasons at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville. Some notable former players include Cuauhtémoc Blanco from Mexico, Brian McBride from the USA, and Peter Nowak from Poland – a demonstration of the team's international flavor. Chicago is also home to the Chicago Red Stars, currently playing in the National Women's Soccer League. The Red Stars began their second stint at Toyota Park in 2016,