On this day: October 8
POSTED: 01:42 PM PDT Oct 05, 2012
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PDT Oct 07, 2012
Chicago burns, Don Larsen is perfection in the World Series, Jerry Lee Lewis records his biggest hit, and Martha Stewart reports to prison, all on this day.
Public domain
1871: On a hot, dry and windy autumn day, major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Peshtigo, Wis., Holland, Mich., and Manistee, Mich., including the Great Chicago Fire. While the Chicago fire (pictured), which killed hundreds and burned more than 3 square miles of the city, is more well known, the Peshtigo fire was actually more deadly, killing between 1,200 to 2,500 people. That fire remains the deadliest in American history to this day.
