Franklin Pierce, who took office in 1853 following Millard Fillmore's death, was elected president.

Church of the Holy Name becomes one of the tallest buildings in Chicago, topping out at 254 feet. Catholics attended the first Mass on Christmas Day 1854. The building served as the Chicago Diocese's cathedral, but was destroyed in the Great Fire. A new cathedral (pictured) was built just north of the destroyed structure on State Street, opening its doors to worshipers Nov. 21, 1875.

The U.S. Supreme Court issues a landmark decision declaring Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet remained slaves, ending an 11-year legal battle the Scotts launched to gain their freedom.

The country is deep in the grips of civil war when President Abraham Lincoln delivers these solemn words:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”

The Illinois General Assembly votes to build a new Capitol, the state's sixth and second in Springfield. Kaskaskia was the capital when Illinois gained statehood in 1818, but lawmakers wanted a site within the fledgling state, not on its edge along the Mississippi River. Thus, a couple of years later, the capital moved to Vandalia. In 1837, however, lawmakers voted to move again, this time settling on Springfield. Kaskaskia, by the way, is now an island of sorts and is west of the Mississippi channel.

Hot temperatures and bone-dry conditions contribute to making the city a tinderbox. Vast sections of the city are all but leveled following an inferno that swept from block to block, leapt the Chicago River and left hundreds dead and tens of thousands homeless. The Great Chicago Fire raged for two days and little was left behind. Damage estimates put the loss at $200 million.

Alexander Graham Bell wins the race to patent a device that transmits voices “telegraphically.” Within a week, he places the first telephone call: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” And in 1892, Bell demonstrated the feasability of long-distance communication (pictured) in a call between New York and Chicago.

A series of rallies, marches and meetings staged by labor organizers ended with a deadly clash between workers and police at Haymarket Square. The battle was sparked when someone tossed a bomb among police, and when peace was restored, eight police officers and an unknown number of civilians were dead.

The World's Columbian Exposition opens to the public. Though it was a year late getting underway (the fair celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' voyage), the event became known as the Chicago World's Fair and drew an estimated 27 million visitors till it closed Oct. 30. Dubbed the White City, the fairgrounds spread across 600 acres around what is now Jackson Park, the Museum of Science and Industry and the University of Chicago, and 46 countries showcased their achievements. A main attaction was a 264-foot-high ride the world had never before seen the likes of — it became known as the Ferris wheel.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejects a challenge testing laws mandating separate accommodations for blacks and whites. Homer Plessy, a man of mixed race, wanted to ride first-class on a Lousiana railroad, but was orderd to sit in a car reserved for blacks. The 7-1 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson established what became known as the separate-but-equal docrtine. The lone dissenter, Justice John Marshall Harlan (pictured), wrote a stinging rebuke: "[I]n view of the constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens."

Oliver Wendell Holmes becomes a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt, Holmes would serve for nearly 30 years.

The Pennsylvania Railroad unveils what's billed as the world's fastest freight train, running from New York to Chicago in 18 hours. The average speed for the entire trip is nearly 45 mph. The next day, the railroad's passenger train for the route streaks across the eastern United States, setting a speed record of 127 mph. The train is dubbed the Broadway Limited in 1912, and the line operates for decades (shown in a 1930s postcard).

The Chicago Cubs top the Detroit Tigers to take the fifth and final game of the World Series. It will be the last time the team wins the championship in the 20th century. The team began in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings, and changed its name to the Cubs in 1907.

Employees of the Western Electric Company were excited for their annual picnic when they began boarding the SS Eastland, moored on the Chicago River between Clark and LaSalle streets. Still docked and boarding an estimated 2,500 passengers, the ship capsized after listing from side to side. Nearly 850 people died; 22 families were completely wiped out.

Grant Park Stadium opens its gates for the first time, hosting a police athletics event that was believed to have drawn 90,000 spectators. Designed by Holibird and Roche, it was rededicated Soldier Field on Nov. 27, 1926, when 110,000 turned out for the Army vs. Navy football game. Perhaps fitingly, the match ended in a tie.

A group of men posing as police descend on George "Bugs" Moran's headquarters at 2122 N. Clark St. and open fire on seven of Moran's crew. The four gunmen are linked to Al Capone, who two years later was sent to prison, though not for murder.

Amelia Earhart pilots a Lockheed Vega across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first woman to do so single-handedly and a mere five years after Charles Lindbergh's historic crossing.

Japanese forces launch an attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,400 people, most being service members, and wounding nearly 1,200. The dawn raid sank or damaged 21 ships of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, including the USS Arizona (pictured), but spared were precious aircraft carriers, which weren't moored in the harbor that morning.

The U.S. Supreme Court issues a landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, striking down school segregation and ending the separate-but-equal doctrine in place since Plessy. The unanimous civil rights ruling would set the stage for racial integration across the country. "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," Chief Justice Earl Warren (pictured) declared.

The Ramblers of Loyola University Chicago edge the University of Cincinnati 60-58 to win the championship game of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. More than that, though, Coach George Ireland started four African-American players while other college teams steadfastly remained all-white, such as Mississippi State University, which nearly fofeited to Loyola in the regional semifinals. Mississippi officials fighting integration of the sport tried to bar the state's players from facing mixed-race teams, going so far as obtaining a court order to prevent travel. The two teams nonetheless met, and Loyola won 61-51, ultimately advancing to the title game.

The United States wins the space race with the Soviet Union, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon before the end of 1960s. The Apollo 11 crew of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were gone for only eight days, but when their capsule splashed down in the Pacific, the age-old dream of flying to the moon and walking on the surface was realized.

The state sees a new constitution go into effect — a hundred years after adopting its previous charter. Although there have been numerous attempts to replace the Illinois Constitution through the years, as well as a couple of calls since 1970 for a constitutional convention, the state has been governed under only three constitutions: the 1818 original, an 1870 version and the current 1970 charter.

Richard J. Daley, the city's mayor for more than 22 years, dies of a massive heart attack. He was 64, and was revered in some quarter as much as he was reviled in others.

Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as associate justice, becoming the first woman to serve on the nation's highest court. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, the Stanford Law graduate became known as a centrist who sought pragmatic solutions, and she often was seen as the swing vote on an often splintered Supreme Court. O'Connor retired in 2006.

After a nearly perfect 1985 season, the Chicago Bears humble the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. It is the team's first NFL title since 1963. The lineup features running back great Walter Payton, linebacker Mike Singletary, Pro Bowl quarterback Jim McMahon and Da Coach Mike Ditka among a host of characters who remain local celebrities.

Led by Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls capture the NBA championship, dropping only the first game to the Los Angeles Lakers in the best of seven series. The team declared its dominance in the semifinals that year, sweeping archrival the Detroit Pistons. The 1990s would become the team's decade, with a total of six titles to the franchise's name as Jordan, Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson would gain worldwide fame. But as the Jordan era had begun, another era closed in 1995 when the Chicago Stadium — the Madhouse on Madison — was demolished after the team (along with the Blackhawks) moved next door to the new United Center.

Water surges through a little-known system of freight tunnels that a century earlier carried goods and commodities to buildings throughout the Loop, and basements across downtown flood. The initial flooding report came from the Merchandise Mart, but officials were unsure of the source till they began seeing fish. New pilings driven next to the Kinzie Street Bridge on the Chicago River had weakened a tunnel wall, and when it was breached, hundreds of millions of gallons of the river washed into the tunnels and ultimately into basements as far south as Jackson Street. The damage was pegged at nearly $2 billion and spawned a deluge of litigation. One case (Jerome B. Grubart Inc. v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co.) ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that admiralty law — and its liability limits — applied.

The Chicago White Sox make short work of the Houston Astros, sweeping the World Series in four straight and outscoring the NL champs 20-14. The championship is the team's first since 1917, and the city's first sports crown since the Bulls won their last NBA title in 1998,

The Chicago Blackhawks skate past the Philadelphia Flyers to win the NHL championship series 4-2. The win snaps a Stanley Cup drought stretching back to 1961, which had been the longest of any hockey team. The Hawks would claim the Cup again three years later, in another 4-2 series, this time over the Boston Bruins.