Keep these 10 facts about Chicago in your head while you are in the city!
Beautiful buildings, a flourishing museum culture, and a slew of Midwestern historical landmarks abound in Chicago. It's possible for students to see all that Chicago has to offer when they visit there for school. These nine interesting facts about this awe-inspiring U.S. city are for you.
The world's tallest building was designed by a woman
Architect Jeanne Gang's 82-story Aqua Tower is the world's tallest woman-designed structure, even though the Willis Tower in Chicago is the city's tallest skyscraper at 110 floors. Building extensions, designed by the architect, are an homage to Great Lakes limestone outcrops, and they also serve the practical purpose of offering residents breathtaking vistas!
Chicago River reveresed the water flow
![]() |
©vichie81 / shutterstock |
When the Chicago River began to flow into the Mississippi River instead of Lake Michigan in 1900, the city of Chicago was able to reverse the river's direction of flow. Upon completion, this project was acclaimed as the world's largest public earthmoving operation, thanks in large part to its complexity and unique design. Thanks for sharing this useful piece of information. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the Chicago River is dyed green every year on March 17th!
On the other hand, the residents of Chicago can't stop touching the Chicago River. For St. Patrick's Day and to raise money for the Special Olympics, hundreds of thousands of rubber ducks sprint down the river on St. Patrick's Day.
Spray paint was first made in Chicago
![]() |
©New Africa / shutterstock |
Is there a story behind the idea of spraying paint in the first place? Chicago paint seller E. Seymour invented this artistic fluid that is being used to make vivid artworks in public places throughout the city.
Chicago is a city called "The Windy City"
![]() |
©Rudy Balasko / shutterstock |
Contrary to popular belief, the city's nickname, "The Windy City," does not refer to the frigid air that blows in off Lake Michigan. An 1870s newspaper article labeled the city's authorities as "full of hot air" because of their pretentious demeanor, thus the term "hot air."
Sometimes it is called the "Medical Center of the United States"
![]() |
©moondogpro / shutterstock |
Since it has so many medical schools and hospitals, Chicago is sometimes called the "medical center of the United States," in addition to having the country's first and most populous urban medical area. Approximately one-fifth of all doctors in the United States have had some or all of their training in Chicago.
It is the Kingdom of rats
Pest treatment company Orkin reported that Chicago was the most rat-infested city in the United States in 2013, ahead of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York, and San Francisco. In 2012 and 2013, Chicago was ranked as the city with the most bedbug infestations.
The first televised presidential debate
![]() |
©Sandra Foyt / shutterstock |
As a result of this television innovation, citizens were able to watch important political events from the comfort of their own homes, which changed the voting process.
In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Vice President Richard Nixon faced off in the first televised presidential debate, which was carried live on television. The debate is often known for helping John F. Kennedy defeat Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, something you're undoubtedly well-aware of. Unbeknownst to many people in Chicago, the show was taped at the city's CBS Studios!
Founding Father of Chicago
![]() |
©rawf8 / shutterstock |
The first non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago is generally considered to be Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. He was of African and French descent, and he immigrated to the United States in the 1780s. "The Founding Father of Chicago" is a common moniker for him.
Once, the city held the world's tallest building
![]() |
©Songquan Deng / shutterstock |
The Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois, is a 110-story, 1,450-foot-tall skyscraper that was formerly known as the Sears Tower. Its twin antenna towers reach a total height of 520 meters, making the Willis Tower the world's tallest building for over 25 years (1,730 ft). A record it held for more than two decades when it was finished in 1973, it surpassed New York's World Trade Center skyscrapers as the world's tallest structure.
The very first all-color television station
![]() |
©Atosan / shutterstock |
Chicago's NBC 5 Chicago/WMAQ has a long and distinguished history of innovation. The culmination of many months of hard work was the channel's launch as the world's first all-color television station on April 15, 1956. In September 1986, it became the first commercial radio station broadcasting in stereo in the United States.