In our world, we often get to know things through constant use of the internet. Some of us use it better than others, yet we still all rely on it to learn about almost everything. Obtaining the basic information such as where to obtain more advanced information is an essential part of using the internet. Sometimes, we use it to learn new interesting facts.
One of those facts is that the Windy City is actually a nickname for Chicago. While Chicago is not the windiest city in the United States, not even close, for that matter, it is still fondly called that way, just like New York is called the Big Apple.
With that in mind, here are more interesting facts which you didn’t know about Chicago
Its River Flows Backwards
No, this is not the case of water spinning the opposite direction on the other hemisphere, it is actually man-made, for very practical purposes. The Chicago river, like any other river, moved towards another greater mass of water, in this case, Lake Michigan. But, in 1892, its flow was changed. They did that by constructing the Chicago Harbor Locks, which is another name for a canal system. The Chicago river now flows towards the Missouri, rather than Lake Michigan.
Gotham City Was Based on Chicago
Most people think that Gotham City, Batman’s favorite playground, was based on New York. But, as the artist Neil Adams once admitted, Gotham was based on Chicago, because Chicago has back alleys, something you cannot find in New York. These alleys are where Batman scoops up bad guys and often engages in combat with them. Christopher Nolan used Chicago as the stage for his Batman trilogy, with a good reason. It definitely looks like what we imagine Gotham to be.
Impressionist Paintings – Lots of Impressionist Paintings
The Art Institute of Chicago has a lot of impressionist paintings.
It was opened in 1893 and is considered one of the largest museums of art in the United States, having a particularly large collection of impressionist works. Actually, it is the second largest collection in the world, second only to the Louvre in Paris, France.
It is a City of Inventions – Ferris Wheel and Zipper
1893 was a very important year for Chicago, as you can see. Not only was the Art Institute of Chicago opened that year, but the zipper and ferris wheel were also invented. The zipper was called a clasp lock at first, and was invented by Whitcomb Judson. The name, thankfully, changed to zipper later on.
The ferris wheel was invented by Daniel Burnham. Both inventions made their way to the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.
The Willis Tower is the Second Tallest in the United States
The Willis Tower used to be the tallest building in the United States, until 2013, when the One World Trade Center was completed. The One WTC has a symbolic height of 1776 feet, a very important year in American history. The building’s architectural height is bigger than that of the Willis Tower, yet the roof of the Willis Tower is taller than that of the One WTC. Even with that, it is still the second tallest building in America, even though people often call it the tallest.
These are some interesting facts which you probably didn’t know about the Windy City, Chicago.