:: wikimiki.org ::
| Wisconsin Central Ltd. |
Wisconsin Central Ltd.There were two Wisconsin Central railroads that ran through Wisconsin and neighboring states. The Wisconsin Central Railway was incorporated in 1877 and fell into bankruptcy in 1932, after which it was purchased by the Soo Line. Wisconsin Central Ltd (WC) started in the mid 1980s using some of the original Wisconsin Central Railway's rights of way and former Milwaukee Road rights of way.
Wisconsin Central Railway
Milwaukee Road
The Wisconsin Central Railway's tracks reached Ashland, WI in 1877, St. Paul, MN in 1884, Chicago, IL in 1886 and Superior, WI in 1908. It was controlled by the Northern Pacific Railway for some years prior to the Panic of 1893.
In 1932, the railroad entered bankruptcy. It became a part of the Soo Line in a 1960 merger.
Wisconsin Central Ltd.
At one time, Wisconsin Central Ltd owned or operated railroads in America, Canada (the Algoma Central), the United Kingdom (English, Welsh and Scottish Railway), New Zealand (Tranz Rail) and Australia (Australian Transport Network).
Australia
Timeline
- April 3, 1987: The Soo Line railroad announces the sale of its Lake States Transportation Division to private investors, forming the new Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation.
- October 11, 1987: The first WC train runs, from Stevens Point, WI to North Fond Du Lac, WI.
- May 1991: WC shares begin trading under the ticker symbol WCTC, raising $36.2 million.
- 1992: Railway Age Magazine names WC "Regional Railroad of the Year".
- 1993: WC acquires the Fox River Valley and Green Bay and Western railroads through a new subsidiary, Fox Valley & Western Ltd.
- 1993: A WC-led consortium acquires New Zealand Rail Ltd through a new subsidiary, Wisconsin Central International, and renames it Tranz Rail Ltd in 1995.
- 1995: WC acquires the Algoma Central Railway through a new subsidiary, Wisconsin Central Canada Holdings.
- 1995: A WC-led consortium acquires Rail Express Systems Ltd in the United Kingdom.
- 1996: WC partners with Canadian National (CN) and CSX, inaugurating a new intermodal shipping corridor between the west and east coasts of North America.
- 1996: The three trainload rail freight operators in the United Kingdom are united under a new WC subsidiary, English Welsh and Scottish Railway Holdings Ltd (EWS).
- 1997: EWS acquires two more freight railways in the United Kingdom.
- 1997: Another WC subsidiary, the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Company, acquires 207 miles of track from Union Pacific forming a WC connection between Green Bay, WI and Ishpeming, MI.
- 1997: A new WC subsidiary, Australian Transport Network Ltd (ATN), acquires a one-third ownership and an operating interest Tasrail in Tasmania.
- 1997: Six months later, ATN acquires the Emu Bay Railway in Tasmania.
- January 30, 2001: WC and CN announce plans for CN to purchase WC.
- September 7, 2001: The Surface Transportation Board approves the sale of WC to CN.
- October 9, 2001: WC is acquired by CN.
External links
- [http://www.cn.ca/companyinfo/history/en_AboutWisconsinCentral.shtml The Wisconsin Central Story]
- [http://www.sooline.org Soo Line Historical and Technical Society] (includes information on both WC incarnations)
Category:Defunct railroad companies of the United States
Category:Illinois railroads
Category:Michigan railroads
Category:Minnesota railroads
Category:Wisconsin railroads
Category:Chicago railroads
Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States
Category:Soo Line Railroad
Wisconsin:This article is on the U.S. state. For other uses see Wisconsin (disambiguation)
Wisconsin is a state in the United States, located in the Midwest.
Although the exact etymology of the name is uncertain, "Wisconsin" is thought to be an English version of a French adaptation of an Indian word. The Ojibwe word Miskasinsin, meaning "Red-stone place," was probably the name given to the Wisconsin River, which then was recorded as Ouisconsin by the French, and changed to its current form by the English. Other theories are that the name comes from words meaning "Gathering of the Waters" or "Great Rock." Wisconsin originally was applied to the Wisconsin River, and later to the area as a whole when Wisconsin became a territory. The state's name is abbreviated WI, Wis, or Wisc.
USS Wisconsin was named in honor of this state.
History
Main Article: History of Wisconsin
In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet became Wisconsin's first European explorer, landing at Red Banks, near modern day Green Bay in search of a passage to the Orient. The French controlled the area until 1763, when it was ceded to the British.
After the American Revolutionary War, Wisconsin was a part of the U.S. Northwest Territory. It was then governed as part of Indiana Territory, Illinois Territory, and Michigan Territory. Wisconsin Territory was organized on July 3 1836 and became the 30th state on May 29 1848.
Wisconsin's political history encompasses, on the one hand, Fighting Bob La Follette and the Progressive movement; and on the other, Joe McCarthy, the controversial anti-Communist censured by the Senate during the 1950s. The first Socialist mayor of a large city in the United States was Emil Seidel, elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1910; another Socialist, Daniel Hoan, was mayor of Milwaukee from 1916 to 1940.
The state mineral is Galena, otherwise known as lead sulfide, which reflects Wisconsin's early mining history. Many town names such as Mineral Point recall a period in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s when Wisconsin was an important mining state. When Indian treaties opened up southwest Wisconsin to settlement, thousands of miners—many of them immigrants from Cornwall, England—flocked to southern Wisconsin in what could almost be termed a "lead rush." At one point Wisconsin produced more than half of the nation's lead. During the boom it appeared that southwest Wisconsin might become the population center of the state, and Belmont was briefly the state capital. By the 1840s the easily-accessible deposits were worked out, and experienced miners were drawn out of Wisconsin by the California Gold Rush. This period of mining before and during the early years of statehood directly led to the development of state's nickname, "the Badger State." Many miners and their families lived in the mines in which they worked until adequate above-ground shelters were built and were thus compared to Badgers.
See also
- Peshtigo Fire
- Territory of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Walleye War
Culture
Wisconsin Walleye War
Known as "America's Dairyland," Wisconsin is also known for cheese. Citizens of Wisconsin are referred to as Wisconsinites, although a common nickname (sometimes used pejoratively) among non-residents is "Cheeseheads," due to the prevalence and quality of cheesemaking in the state. The state is also known for its alcohol production and consumption, historically home to a large number of breweries and bars per capita.
The state is home to the Green Bay Packers, one of the most successful small-market professional sports franchises in the country. Monday Night Football national broadcasts draw strong ratings during Packers games. The Packers' home stadium, Lambeau Field, is considered by many football enthusiasts to be "hallowed ground." The University of Wisconsin Badgers football program enjoys a similar loyalty; both teams are known to sell out their entire schedules far in advance.
The Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee is known for its unique architecture. The Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens cover over 200 acres (800,000 m²) of land on the far west side of the city. Madison is home to the Vilas Zoo which is free for all visitors, and the Olbrich Gardens conservatory, as well as the hub of cultural activity at the University of Wisconsin. It is also known for Monona Terrace, a convention center that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Law and government
Frank Lloyd Wright]]
The capital is Madison and the largest city is Milwaukee. Beginning with the governorship of Robert M. La Follette, Sr. in the early 1900s and the state Progressive Party establishment soon thereafter, Wisconsin and in particular, Madison, have often been seen as leaders in labor, and social welfare legislation as well as legislation popularly termed "socially progressive." For example, in 1982 sexual orientation was added by the state legislature as a protected category under existing anti-discrimination laws, a step in the context of the 1980s seen as highly innovative. Russ Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act, and Tammy Baldwin is the only openly lesbian U.S. Representative.
The state has supported Democrats in the last five presidential contests. During both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, Wisconsin was considered a "swing" state due to its residents being relatively equally split between voting for the Democratic and Republican candidates. The state just barely (by about 5,700 votes) went for the Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000, and by 14,000 votes to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, both of whom lost the national election. Republicans are concentrated in the eastern and north-central parts of the state, especially in the suburban counties around Milwaukee.
- Governors of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin State Legislature
- Wisconsin State Senate
- Wisconsin State Assembly
- U.S. Congressional Delegations from Wisconsin
- List of U.S. Senators from Wisconsin
Geography
U.S. Senators from Wisconsin
The state is bordered by the Montreal River, Lake Superior and Michigan to the north, by Lake Michigan to the east, by Illinois to the south, and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west. Part of the state's boundaries includes the Mississippi River and St. Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast.
With its location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features. These features allow the state to be broken into five distinct regions. In the north, the Lake Superior Lowland occupies a belt of land along Lake Superior. Just to the south, the Northern Highland includes the state's highest point, Timms Hill, as well as massive forests and thousands of small glacial lakes. In the middle of the state, the Central Plain possesses some unique sandstone formations like the Dells of the Wisconsin River in addition to rich farmland. The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands region in the southeast is home to many of Wisconsin's largest cities. In the southwest, the Western Upland is a rugged landscape with a mix of forest and farmland.
The varied landscape of Wisconsin makes the state a vacation destination popular for outdoor recreation. Winter events include skiing, ice fishing and snowmobile derbies. Wisconsin has many lakes of varied size, in fact Wisconsin contains 11,188 square miles of water, more then all but three other states. The distinctive Door Peninsula, which extends off of the eastern coast of the state, contains one of the state's most beautiful tourist destinations, Door County. The area draws thousands of visitors yearly to its quaint villages, seasonal cherry picking, and ever-popular [http://www.lakemichiganangler.com/recipes/fish/door_county_fish_boil_photos.htm fish boils].
Wisconsin's self-promotion as "America's Dairyland" sometimes leads to a mistaken impression that it is an exclusively rural state. In fact, however, Wisconsin contains cities and towns of all sizes. Milwaukee is a city slightly larger than Boston and part of a largely developed string of cities that stretches down the western edge of Lake Michigan into greater Chicago and also into northwestern Indiana. Milwaukee is also, in addition, the 19th largest city in the country. This string of cities along the western edge of Lake Michigan is generally considered to be an example of a megalopolis. Madison's triple identity as state capital, university town, and working city give it a cultural richness unusual in a city its size. Medium-sized cities dot the state and anchor a network of working farms surrounding them.
See also
- List of Wisconsin counties
- List of cities in Wisconsin
- List of villages in Wisconsin
- List of towns in Wisconsin
- List of Wisconsin rivers
Economy
The economy of Wisconsin is driven by agriculture and manufacturing. Although manufacturing accounts for a far greater part of the state's income than farming, Wisconsin is usually recognized primarily as a farm state. Wisconsin produces more dairy products than any other state in the United States except California, and leads the nation in cheese production. Although California has overtaken Wisconsin in the production of milk and butter, Wisconsin still produces more milk per capita than any other state in the Union. In addition to dairying, Wisconsin ranks first in the production of corn for silage, cranberries, ginseng, and snap beans for processing. Wisconsin is also a leading producer of oats, potatoes, carrots, tart cherries, maple syrup, and sweet corn for processing.
Given Wisconsin's strong agricultural tradition, it is not suprising that a large part of the state's manufacturing sector deals with food processing. Some well known food brands produced in Wisconsin include Oscar Mayer, Tombstone and Jack's frozen pizza, and Johnsonville Bratwursts. Kraft Foods alone employs over five thousand people in the state. Through Milwaukee, Wisconsin is also a major producer of beer.
In addition to food processing, Wisconsin is home to several transportation equipment and machinery manufacturers. Major Wisconsin companies in these categories include the Kohler Company, Rockwell International, Briggs & Stratton, and Harley-Davidson. Wisconsin also ranks first nationwide in the production of paper products; the lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to the Bay of Green Bay has twenty-four paper mills along it's thirty-nine mile stretch. The largest paper companies with operations in Wisconsin are Kimberly-Clark and Georgia-Pacific, both of which rank among the state's top ten employers.
Tourism is also a major industry in Wisconsin. Tourism destinations such as the House on the Rock near Spring Green, Circus World Museum in Baraboo, and the collection of attractions around Wisconsin Dells each draw thousands of visitors every year, and festivals such as Summerfest and the EAA Oshkosh Airshow always attract large crowds.
Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2004, Wisconsin's population was 5,509,026. There are 229,800 foreign-born residents in the state (4.2% of the state population), and an estimated 41,000 illegal aliens living in the state, accounting for 18% of the foreign-born.
Between 1990 and 2004 the state's population grew 617,000, a growth of 12.6%
Race
The racial makeup of the state:
- 87.3% White
- 5.7% Black
- 3.6% Hispanic
- 1.7% Asian
- 1.2% Mixed race
- 0.9% Native American
Ancestry
The five largest ancestry groups in Wisconsin are: German (42.6%), Irish (10.9%), Polish (9.3%), Norwegian (8.5%), English (6.5%)
People of German ancestry are the largest ancestry group most of the state, with about half of the state's white population reporting at least partial German ancestry on the Census, and Wisconsin is widely regarded as the most "German-American" state in the Union (although North Dakota, with 43.9% German ancestry, can make this claim). People of Scandinavian descent, especially Norwegians, are heavily concentrated in some western parts of the state. Wisconsin also has the highest percentage of residents of Polish ancestry of any state. Menominee county is the only county in the eastern United States with an American Indian majority.
33% of Wisconsin's Asian population is Hmong, with significant communities in Milwaukee, Wausau, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Appleton, La Crosse, Madison, and Eau Claire.
6.4% of Wisconsin's population were reported as under 5, 25.5% under 18, and 13.1% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.6% of the population.
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Wisconsin are shown in the list below:
- Christian – 85%
- Protestant – 55%
- Lutheran – 23%
- Methodist – 7%
- Baptist – 6%
- Presbyterian – 2%
- United Church of Christ – 2%
- Other Protestant or general Protestant – 15%
- Roman Catholic – 29%
- Other Christian – 1%
- Other Religions – 1%
- Non-Religious – 14%
Important cities and villages
Cities and villages are incorporated urban areas in Wisconsin. Towns are unincorporated minor civil divisions of counties.
Cities/Metroplitan areas in Wisconsin with population of 50,000 or more as of 2000 include:
- Milwaukee, pop. 596,125 (1,709,926 in metropolitan area), nations 33rd largest television market.
- Madison, pop. 220,332 (588,885 in metropolitan area), nations 85th largest television market, state capital, flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin
- Green Bay, pop. 102,263 (226,778 in metropolitan area), nations 69th largest television market, home of Green Bay Packers football team; other area attractions include the National Railroad Museum and the Neville Public Museum.
- Kenosha, pop. 93,798; considered part of the greater "Chicagoland" area; site of Kenosha Velodrome, opened in 1927, oldest operating velodrome in the U. S.; International HQ of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
- Racine, pop. 81,703, headquarters of S. C. Johnson (Johnson Wax) with Frank Lloyd Wright-designed administration building. Once home of the Racine Belles, an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team.
- Appleton, pop. 70,293 (372,110 in metropolitan area). Location of Lawrence University and the Harry Houdini Historical Center, controversial for a 2004 exhibit showing the secret of Houdini's famous "Metamorphosis" trick
- Waukesha, pop. 67,258
- Oshkosh, pop. 63,515 (372,110 in metropolitan area). Home of the busiest airport in the world—during the week when the Experimental Aircraft Association, devoted to hobbyist-built aircraft, holds its annual Oshkosh Airshow.
- Eau Claire, pop. 61,702 (148,337 in metropolitan area). Home of National Presto Industries and Menards.
- Janesville, pop. 60,294. Home to a major General Motors assembly plant, 3.5 million square feet (325,000 m²) in size.
- West Allis, pop. 60,254. Home of the Pettit National Ice Center (formerly the West Allis Olympic Ice Rink), training center for the U. S. Olympic speedskating team, and the West Allis Speedskating Club, which as of 2005 has nurtured 17 Olympians and 95 national champions.
- Sheboygan, pop. 56,792.
- La Crosse, pop. 51,907. Wisconsin's main port on the Mississippi River and home of Trane.
- Fond du Lac, pop. 42,203 (57,479 in metropolitan area). Nearly equidistant from Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee.
- Wausau, pop. 38,469 (157,969 in metropolitan area). Home to Granite Peak Ski Area; located at crossroads of Interstate 39 and Wisconsin State Highway 29.
- Manitowoc , pop. 34,567 (53,456 in micropolitan area).
Among other municipalities are:
Manitowoc
- Antigo, pop. 8,560,
- Baraboo, pop. 10,717, home of Circus World Museum
- Beloit, pop. 35,821, home of Beloit College
- De Pere pop. 20,559 home of St. Norbert College. West De Pere is not a separate municipality; but, rather the neighborhoods of De Pere west of the Fox River.
- Portage, pop. 9,728, birthplace of Frederick Jackson Turner, Zona Gale
- Ripon, birthplace of the Republican Party
- Stevens Point, pop. 24,539, home of the [http://www.for-wild.org/wchf/ Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame], commemorating Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and others
- Superior, pop. 27,389
- Waterloo, pop. 3,259, home to the headquarters of one of the world's largest bicycle manufacturers, Trek Bicycle Corporation
- Watertown
- Wauwatosa, pop. 47,271, home to one of two level 1 trauma centers in the state
- Wisconsin Dells, pop. 2,418 (approx. 4,000 including Lake Delton), popular resort area, home of Tommy Bartlett's thrill shows and numerous hotels and themeparks.
- Wisconsin Rapids, pop. 18,435
Education
Colleges and universities
Four-year and postgraduate institutions
Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology
Two-year institutions
Professional sports teams
- Milwaukee Brewers, Major League Baseball
- Minor League Baseball Teams
- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Beloit Snappers
- Northwoods League baseball teams
- Eau Claire Express
- La Crosse Loggers
- Madison Mallards
- Wisconsin Woodchucks
- Milwaukee Bucks, National Basketball Association
- Green Bay Packers, National Football League
- Milwaukee Admirals, American Hockey League
- Milwaukee Wave, Major Indoor Soccer League
- Milwaukee Wave United (dormant for 2005), United Soccer Leagues
Miscellaneous information
- List of people from Wisconsin
- List of television stations in Wisconsin
- List of Wisconsin state parks
- Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- List of Wisconsin railroads
External links
- [http://www.wisconsin.gov/ State of Wisconsin]
- [http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_symbols.html Wisconsin state symbols]
- [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55000.html U.S. Census Bureau]
- [http://www.wicourts.gov/ Wisconsin Court System]
- [http://www.legis.state.wi.us/ Wisconsin State Legislature]
- [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/ Wisconsin Historical Society]
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI The State of Wisconsin Collection] from the [http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/ University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center]
- [http://strivinglife.net/articles/canwipickpres.shtml Can Wisconsin Pick a Presidential Candidate, or What?] - Article looking at the Presidential voting record of Wisconsin from 1900 to 2004.
- [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/topics/wisconsin-name/ Wisconsin's Name: Where It Came From and What It Means]
- [http://www.usnewspapers.org/state/wisconsin/ Wisconsin Newspapers]
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WIReader Wisconsin Electronic Reader]. Stories, essays, letters, poems, biographies, journals and tidbits from Wisconsin history. Many first hand accounts - profusely illustrated.
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wipionexp Wisconsin Pioneer Experience]. The Wisconsin Pioneer Experience is a digital collection of diaries, letters, reminiscences, speeches and other writings of people who settled and built Wisconsin during the 19th century.
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/SurveyNotes Wisconsin Public Land Survey Records: Original Field Notes and Plat Maps]. The field notes and plat maps of the public land survey of Wisconsin, conducted between 1832 and 1866 by the federal General Land Office. This work established the township, range and section grid; the pattern upon which land ownership and land use is based.
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIPublicDocs Public Documents of the State of Wisconsin]. Public Documents of the State of Wisconsin, commonly known as Wisconsin Public Documents (WPD), consists of the annual and biennial reports of all important Wisconsin state agencies from 1852-1914 and is an important collection of documents issued by the state of Wisconsin during this time period. In addition to the annual and biennial reports of various state officers, departments and institutions, WPD is a source for Wisconsin statistical tables, financial charts, vintage photographs, supplementary documents, maps, other graphics and research monographs on specific topics. Virtually all aspects of the social sciences in Wisconsin during the 1852-1914 timeframe are represented in this online collection of 118 volumes.
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.USAIN History of Wisconsin Agriculture and Rural Life]. The History of Wisconsin Agriculture and Rural Life collection is based on a bibliography compiled as part of the National Preservation Project for Agricultural Literature. Items in this online collection are primary and secondary materials, published through 1945, that document the history of agriculture and rural life in late 19th and early 20th century Wiscosnin.
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.HistAgSchaf A History of Agriculture in Wisconsin], by Schafer, Joseph (1867-1941)
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/EcoNatRes.GeoNatResWI Geology and Natural Resources of Wisconsin]. Geology and Natural Resources of Wisconsin consists of nine foundation volumes that provide detailed documentation of mid- to late-19th century Wisconsin geological and natural history. Contents include government reports and land surveys of Wisconsin and surrounding states, supplemented with numerous maps and illustrations.
- [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Antiquities The Antiquities of Wisconsin]. The Antiquities of Wisconsin, Increase A. Lapham's most important published work, includes 92 pages of text, illustrated with 61 wood engravings, and 55 lithographed plates and was the result of his research into the Indian effigy mounds found on Wisconsin's Landscape.
- [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/ Wisconsin Historical Images]. Online collection of over 15,000 historical photographs related to Wisconsin and North America.
-
Category:States of the United States
ko:위스콘신 주
ja:ウィスコンシン州
simple:Wisconsin
1877
1932
1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday.
Events
January-February
- January 3 - British arrest and intern Mohandas Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel
- January 8 - In Britain the Archbishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorcees
- January 12 - Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate
- January 14 - Maurice Ravel's Concerto in G (Ravel) debuts with piano soloist Marguerite Long and Ravel conducting the Lamoureux Orchestra
- January 15 - Pierre Laval forms a new government in France
- January 15 - About 6 million unemployed in Germany
- January 26 - British submarine M-2 sinks with all 50 hands
- January 28 - Japan occupies Shanghai
- January 29 - Minority government of Karl Mureschi in Austria ends the governmental crisis
- January 31 - Japanese warships arrive in Nanking
- February 2 - General convention of disarmament begins in Geneva
- February 2 - League of Nations again recommends negotiations between the Republic of China and Japan
- February 4 - 1932 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York. Japan occupies Harbin, China
- February 11 - Pope Pius XI meets Benito Mussolini in the Vatican City
- February 18 - Japan declares Manzhouguo (Japanese name for Manchuria) formally independent from China
- February 27 - Adolf Hitler gains German citizenship prior to elections
- February 27 - Mäntsälä Rebellion in Finland
March-April
- March 1 - Charles Augustus Lindbergh III, the baby son of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped
- March 9 - Eamon de Valera is elected President of the Executive Council. It is the first change of government in the Irish Free State in 10 years.
- March 18 - Peace negotiations between China and Japan begin.
- March 19 - Sydney Harbour Bridge opens
- March 20 - Graf Zeppelin begins a regular route to South America
- March 25 - Tarzan the Ape Man opens, with Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in the title role. Weismuller starred in a total of 12 Tarzan films.
- April 5 - Prohibition is lifted in Finland at 10 in the morning (local time), inventing a new mnemonic "543210".
- April 6 - U.S. president Herbert Hoover supports armament limitations
- April 6 - Trial against fraudulent art dealer Otto Wacker begins in Berlin
- April 10 - Paul von Hindenburg elected president of Germany. Adolf Hitler receives over 13 million votes.
- April 17 - Haile Selassie announces an anti-slavery law in Abyssinia
- April 19 - German art dealer Otto Wacker is sentenced for 19 months for selling fraudulent paintings of Vincent van Gogh
May-June
- May 2 - Comedian Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.
- May 6 - Paul Gorguloff assassinates French president Paul Doumer in Paris - Doumer dies the next day.
- May 10 - Albert Lebrun becomes the new president of France
- May 12 - Ten weeks after his abduction, the infant son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell, New Jersey just a few miles from the Lindbergh's home.
- May 13 - The Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, is dismissed by the State Governor, Sir Phillip Game
- May 15 - Japanese troops leave Shanghai; May 15 Incident, the assassination of Japanese prime minister Tsuyoshi Inukai, occurs.
- May 16 - Massive riots between Hindus and Muslims in Bombay - thousands dead and injured.
- May 20-21 - Amelia Earhart flies from USA to Londonderry, Northern Ireland in 14 hours 54 minutes
- May 30 - German chancellor Heinrich Brüning resigns. President Hindenburg takes Franz von Papen to form a new government.
- June - 15,000 World War I veterans march in Washington, DC
- June 4 - Military coup in Chile
- June 6 - The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States at 1 cent per US gallon (0.26 ¢/L) sold.
- June 14 - Bans against SS and SA overturned in Germany
- June 20 - Benelux customs union negotiated
- June 24 - After a relatively bloodless military rebellion, Siam becomes a constitutional monarchy
July-October
- July 1- ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) established
- July 5 - António de Oliveira Salazar becomes the fascists prime minister of Portugal (for the next 36 years)
- July 7 - French submarine Sromethee sinks off Cherbourg - 66 dead
- July 12 - Hedley Verity establishes a new first-class record by taking all ten wickets for only ten runs against Nottinghamshire on a pitch affected by a storm.
- July 17 - Bloody Sunday of Altona in Germany - armed communists attack a national socialist demonstration - 18 dead. Many other political street fights follow.
- July 28 - US President Herbert Hoover orders the United States Army to forcibly evict the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans gathered in Washington, DC. US troops dispersed the last of the "Bonus Army" the next day.
- July 30 - 1932 Summer Olympics open in Los Angeles.
- August 6 - First Venice Film Festival
- August 10 - A 5.1 kg chondrite type meteorite broke into at least seven fragments and struck earth near the town of Archie in Cass County, Missouri.
- August 18 - Auguste Piccard reaches altitude of 16.500 meters with an air balloon
- August 30 - Hermann Göring elected as a chairman of German senate
- August 31 - Total solar eclipse visible from northern Canada through NE Vermont, New Hampshire, SW Maine, and the Capes of Massachusetts
- September 9 - The Generalitat reinstaurated, Catalonia regains political autonomy inside the 2nd Spanish Republic from September 25
- September 18 - Actress Peg Entwhistle commits suicide jumping from the letter H of the (then) Hollywoodland sign
- September 20 - Mohandas Gandhi begins an hunger strike in Poona prison
- September 28 - According to Prussian statistics, 115 people have been killed in political riots during the year
- October 15 - Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight
- October 19 - Wedding of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
November-December
- November 1 - San Francisco Opera House opened
- November 7 - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century airs on radio for the first time.
- November 8 - U.S. presidential election, 1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory.
- November 9 - Riots between conservative and socialist supporters in Switzerland - 12 dead, 60 injured
- November 11 - Tornado and huge waves kills about thousand in Santa Crus del Sure in Cuba
- November 19 - Second wife of Josef Stalin is found dead in her home
- November 21 - German president Hindenburg begins negotiations with Adolf Hitler about the formation of a new government
- November 24 - In Washington, DC, the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens.
- December 3 - Hindenburg names Kurt von Schleicher as a German chancellor
- December 12 - Japan and Soviet Union reform their diplomatic connections
- December 25 - Earthquake in the Kansu Province in China - 70,000 dead
Unknown dates
- Saudi Arabia is declared a unified nation with Ibn Saud as a king.
- Female suffrage in Brazil
- Norway annexes northern Greenland.
- Chaco war between Bolivia and Paraguay
- In the next five years, Dr. Morris Bolber and associates successfully murder and collect the insurance money for more than 30 victims.
- Mars candy bar
- Zippo lighters
- Zero-length springs invented, revolutionizing seismometers and gravimeters
- The Kennedy-Thorndike experiment shows that measured time as well as length are affected by motion, in accordance with the theory of special relativity.
- Chadwick discovers the neutron.
- Geneticist J. B. S. Haldane publishes The Causes of Evolution and thereby unifies the findings of Mendelian genetics with those of evolutionary science.
- Second Polar Year, an international scientific collaboration.
- Kreuger & Toll of the "Match King" Ivar Kreuger collapses - he commits suicide.
- Republican Citizens Committee Against National Prohibition established for repeal of prohibition in U.S.
Births
January
- January 3 - Dabney Coleman, American actor
- January 3 - Coo Coo Marlin, American race car driver (d. 2005)
- January 5 - Johnny Adams, American musician (d. 1998)
- January 5 - Umberto Eco, Italian scholar and author
- January 6 - Stuart A. Rice, American chemist
- January 16 - Dian Fossey, American zoologist (d. 1985)
- January 18 - Robert Anton Wilson, American author
- January 22 - Piper Laurie, American actress
- January 26 - Coxsone Dodd, Jamaican record producer (d. 2004)
- January 29 - Tommy Taylor, English footballer (d. 1958)
- January 30 - Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician
February-March
- February 3 - Peggy Ann Garner, American actress (d. 1984)
- February 6 - François Truffaut, French film director (d. 1984)
- February 7 - Gay Talese, American author
- February 8 - John Williams, American composer and conductor
- February 9 - Gerhard Richter, German painter
- February 11 - Jerome Lowenthal, American pianist
- February 12 - Julian Lincoln Simon, American economist and author (d. 1998)
- February 14 - Alexander Kluge, German author and film director
- February 16 - Harry Goz, American actor (d. 2003)
- February 18 - Milos Forman, Czech film director
- February 22 - Edward Kennedy, American politician
- February 23 - Majel Barrett, American actress
- February 24 - Michel Legrand, French composer
- February 25 - Faron Young American singer (d. 1996)
- February 26 - Johnny Cash, American singer (d. 2003)
- February 27 - Elizabeth Taylor, English-born actress
- March 4 - Miriam Makeba, South African singer
- March 12 - Andrew Young, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
- March 16 - Don Blasingame, Major League Baseball player and Japanese baseball manager (d. 2005)
- March 18 - John Updike, American author
- March 21 - Walter Gilbert, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- March 30 - Ted Morgan, French-born author, biographer, and journalist
April-July
- April 1 - Gordon Jump, American television actor (d. 2003)
- April 1 - Debbie Reynolds, American actress
- April 2 - Michael Vernon, Australian consumer activist (d.1993)
- April 4 - Anthony Perkins, American actor (d. 1992)
- April 4 - Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian film director (d. 1986)
- April 8 - Baginda Almutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail, King of Malaysia
- April 9 - Carl Perkins, American musician (d. 1998)
- April 12 - Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (assassinated) (d. 2005)
- April 12 - Tiny Tim, American musician (d. 1996)
- April 23 - Halston, American fashion designer (d. 1990)
- April 26 - Michael Smith, English-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- April 27 - Casey Kasem, American disc jockey and voice actor
- April 27 - Gian-Carlo Rota, Italian-born mathematician and philosopher (d. 1999)
- May 8 - Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
- May 8 - Sonny Liston, American boxer (d. 1970)
- May 25 - John Gregory Dunne, American writer (d. 2003)
- June 4 - John Drew Barrymore, American actor (d. 2004)
- June 4 - Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand writer (d. 2004)
- June 12 - Rona Jaffe, American novelist
- June 18 - Dudley R. Herschbach, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- June 18 - Geoffrey Hill, English poet
- June 25 - Peter Blake, English artist
- June 27 - Anna Moffo, American soprano
- June 28 - Pat Morita, American actor (d. 2005)
- July 2 - Dave Thomas, American fast-food entrepreneur (d. 2002)
- July 9 - Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense
- July 12 - Otis Davis, American runner
- July 21 - Ernie Warlick, American football player
- July 29 - Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, U.S. Senator
August-December
- August 1 - Meena Kumari, Indian actress
- August 2 - Lamar Hunt, American sportsman
- August 2 - Peter O'Toole, Irish-born actor
- August 6 - Howard Hodgkin, British painter and print-maker
- August 11 - Fernando Arrabal, Moroccan-born writer
- August 17 - V. S. Naipaul, West Indian-born writer, Nobel Prize laureate
- August 18 - William R. Bennett, Premier of British Columbia
- September 4 - Dinsdale Landen, British actor (d. 2003)
- September 7 - Paul Getty, American-born philanthropist (d. 2003)
- September 8 - Patsy Cline, American singer (d. 1963)
- September 18 - Nikolai Rukavishnikov, cosmonaut (d. 2002)
- September 22 - Algirdas Brazauskas, President of Lithuania
- September 25 - Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist (d. 1982)
- September 26 - Richard Herd, American actor
- September 26 - Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
- September 27 - Oliver E. Williamson , American economist
- September 30 - Shintaro Ishihara, Japanese author and politician
- October 19 - Robert Reed, American actor (d. 1992)
- October 20 - Rosey Brown, American football playerr (d. 2004)
- October 24 - Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- October 24 - Robert Mundell, Canadian economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- October 28 - Suzy Parker, American actress (d. 2003)
- November 3 - Albert Reynolds, President of Ireland
- November 4 - Thomas Klestil, President of Austria (d. 2004)
- November 4 - Noam Pitlik, American actor and director (d. 1999)
- November 15 - Petula Clark, British singer, actress, and songwriter
- November 20 - Richard Dawson, British-born game show host
- November 29 - Jacques Chirac, President of France
- December 2 - Manuel Puig, Argentinian writer (d. 1990)
- December 5 - Sheldon Lee Glashow, American physicist
- December 9 - Bill Hartack, American jockey
- December 24 - Earl Dodge, American temperance movement leader
- December 28 - Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (d. 2002)
- December 28 - Dorsey Burnette, American singer (d. 1979)
- December 28 - Roy Hattersley, British politician
Unknown dates
- Mehmood, Indian actor (d. 2004)
- Irene Jai Narayan, Fiji politician
- Blaze Starr, American dancer
Deaths
- January 21 - Giles Lytton Strachey British writer and biographer (b. 1880)
- January 24 - Sir Alfred Yarrow, English shipbuilder and philanthropist (b. 1842)
- February 10 - Edgar Wallace, English novelist and screenwriter (b. 1875)
- February 16 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1841)
- March 1 - Frank Teschemacher, American musician (b. 1906)
- March 6 - John Philip Sousa, American band leader, conductor, and composer (b. 1854)
- March 7 - Aristide Briand, French statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1862)
- March 14 - George Eastman, American inventor (b. 1854)
- March 31 - Eben Byers, American steel tycoon and socialite (radiation poisoning) (b. 1880)
- April 4 - Wilhelm Ostwald, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
- April 20 - Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician (b. 1858)
- April 26 - Hart Crane, American poet (b. 1899)
- April 26 - William Lockwood, English cricketer (b. 1868)
- May 3 - Charles Fort, American researcher of the unusual (b. 1874)
- May 7 - Paul Doumer, President of France (assassinated) (b. 1857)
- May 15 - Tsuyoshi Inukai, Prime Minister of Japan (assassinated) (b. 1855)
- May 17 - Frederick C. Billard, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard (b. 1873)
- June 21 - Major Taylor, American cyclist (b. 1878)
- July 6 - Kenneth Grahame, English author (b. 1859)
- July 23 - Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian aviation pioneer (b. 1873)
- September 16 - Ronald Ross, English physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1857)
- September 20 - Wovoka, Paiute visionary
- September 23 - Jules Chéret, French poster designer (b. 1836)
- December 19 - Yoon Bong-Gil, Korean resister against Japanese occupation of Korea (executed) (b. 1908)
Unknown date
- Lucy Bacon, American painter
Nobel Prizes
- Physics - Werner Karl Heisenberg
- Chemistry - Irving Langmuir
- Physiology or Medicine - Sir Charles Scott Sherrington, Edgar Douglas Adrian
- Literature - John Galsworthy
- Peace - not awarded
Category:1932
ko:1932년
ms:1932
ja:1932年
simple:1932
th:พ.ศ. 2475
Soo Line
The Soo Line Railroad is the United States arm of the Canadian Pacific Railway, serving Chicago, Illinois and the areas to the east and west. Formerly known as Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (and commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic pronunciation of Sault), the present name was adopted as a trade name in 1950. In 1961 the company was consolidated with several subsidiaries and reorganized under the current name.
1961, June 20, 2004.]]
In 1985 the Soo Line purchased the Milwaukee Road and attempted to operate it as a wholly-owned subsidiary, the Lake States Transportation Division. This plan didn't work out too well for the Soo; most of the LSTD and most of the original Wisconsin Central Railway was sold in 1987 to the newly formed Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation.
The Soo Line is a part of the Canadian Pacific Railway system. As time passes, more and more Soo Line equipment is being repainted into the Canadian Pacific's current paint scheme, slowly erasing the Soo's identity as a subsidiary railroad.
Timeline
- September 29 1883: A consortium of flour mill owners in Minneapolis form the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Railway to build a railroad between its two namesake cities to avoid sending shipments through Chicago.
- June 11, 1888: The Canadian Pacific Railway acquires control of the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Railway, consolidating it with the Minneapolis and Pacific Railway, Minneapolis and St. Croix Railway and Aberdeen, Bismarck and North Western Railway to form the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway.
- 1908: The Soo Line acquires a majority interest in the Wisconsin Central Railway.
- January 1, 1960: The Soo Line Railroad is formed through a merger of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway, Wisconsin Central Railway and Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway.
- February 21, 1985: The Soo Line Railroad obtains a controlling interest in the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and renames it Milwaukee Road, Inc.
- January 1, 1986: The Milwaukee Road is merged into the Soo Line Railroad.
- April 4, 1987: The Soo Line Railroad announces the sale of its Lake States Transportation Division to private investors, forming the new Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation.
- 1992: The Canadian Pacific Railway, which had owned a controlling interest in the Soo Line Railroad for many years, finishes buying up all remaining stock.
Preservation
A number of the railroad's rolling stock has been preserved in museums across America, some in operational condition. Some of the more notable equipment is:
- Soo Line 1003 - A restored 2-8-2 built in 1913 by ALCO.
- Soo Line 2719 - A restored 4-6-2 built in 1923 by ALCO. This locomotive hauled the Soo Line's last steam-powered train in revenue service in 1959.
References
#
External links
- [http://www.sooline.org/ Soo Line Historical and Technical Society]
- [http://sooline.railfan.net/ Soo Line Online]
- [http://www.kohlin.com/soo/soo-hist.htm A 100-year Timeline History of The Soo Line Railroad and it's Predecessors]
Category:Soo Line Railroad
1877
St. Paul, MNSaint Paul, Minnesota
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago, colloquially known as the "Second City" and the "Windy City", is the third-largest city in population in the United States, following New York City and Los Angeles, and the largest inland city in the country. Chicago is located in the Midwestern state of Illinois along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cook County. When combined with its suburbs and eight surrounding counties, the greater metropolitan area known as Chicagoland encompasses a population greater than 9 million people.
Growing from a frontier town in 1833 to one of the world's premier cities, Chicago is ranked as one of 10 "Alpha" (most influential) world cities by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network. Today, Chicago is the financial, transportation, and cultural capital of the American Midwest. The city has long been known around the world as a financial, industrial, and transportation center and for its ethnic diversity. Chicago's skyscrapers, local cuisine, political traditions, and sports teams are some of the most recognized symbols of the city. A variety of colloquial nicknames reflect Chicago's unique character.
A resident of Chicago is referred to as a Chicagoan. About one-third of Chicagoans are White, another third African-American, and the rest Hispanic or from other ethnic groups. Chicago also has many dozen distinct neighborhoods to match the ethnic diversity; the city is divided into 77 official community areas.
History
Early days
During the mid 1700s, the Chicago area was inhabited primarily by Potawatomis, who took the place of the Miami and Sauk and Fox who had controlled the area previously. The name Chicago originates from "Checagou" (Chick-Ah-Goo-Ah) or "Checaguar," which in the Potawatomi language means "garlic" (not "onions" or "skunk"). The area was so named because of the smell of rotting marshland wild leeks (ramps) that once covered it.
The first non-native settler in Chicago was Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a Haitian of African descent, who settled on the Chicago River in the 1770s and married a local Potawatomi woman. In 1795, following the War of the Wabash Confederacy, the area of Chicago was ceded by the Native Americans in the Treaty of Greenville to the United States for a military post. In 1803, Fort Dearborn was built and remained in use until 1837, except between 1812 and 1816 when it was destroyed in the Fort Dearborn Massacre during the War of 1812.
Incorporation and growth
War of 1812
On August 12, 1833, the Town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350. The first boundaries of the new town were Kinzie, Desplaines, Madison, and State streets, which included an area of about three-eighths of a square mile (1 km²).
Within seven years the primarily French and Native American town had a population of over 4,000. Chicago was granted a city charter by Illinois on March 4, 1837. The opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 allowed shipping from the Great Lakes through Chicago to the Mississippi River and on to the Gulf of Mexico. The first rail line to Chicago, the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, was completed the same year. These projects foreshadowed Chicago's eventual development into the transportation hub of the United States. Chicago also became home to national retailers, including Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck and Company, offering catalog shopping using the city's expansive transportation connections.
Sears, Roebuck and Company
The geography of Chicago presented early citizens with many problems. The prairie bog nature of the area provided a fertile ground for disease-carrying insects. Early on, Chicago's population and commerce growth was stymied by lack of good transportation infrastructure. During spring, Chicago was so muddy from the high water that horses would be stuck past their legs in the street. One dirt road was so hazardous that it became known as the "Slough of Despond". Comical signs proclaiming "Fastest route to China" or "No Bottom Here" were placed to warn people of the mud.
To address these transportation problems, the Board of Cook County Commissioners decided to improve two country roads toward the west and southwest. The first road crossed the "dismal Nine-mile swamp" and Des Plaines River to the west, then continued southwest to Walker's Grove, now known as Plainfield. The second road headed south, but its exact route is disputed.
Early Chicago was also plagued by sewer and water problems. Many people described it as the filthiest city in America. To solve the problems, the city initiated the creation of a massive sewer system. In the first phase sewage pipes were laid across the city above-ground, with gravity moving the waste. The second phase, executed in 1855, involved raising the level of the city by four to seven feet (one to two meters); this was done by jacking up buildings and placing fill in order to raise streets above the swamp and the newly-laid sewer pipes.
By 1857, Chicago was the largest city in what was then known as the Northwest. In a period of 20 years, Chicago's population grew from 4,000 to over 90,000 people.
The 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago nominated home-state candidate Abraham Lincoln for U.S. president.
At the election of April 23, 1875 the voters of Chicago chose to operate under the Illinois Cities and Villages Act of 1872. Chicago still operates under this act in lieu of a charter. The
Cities and Villages Act has been revised several times since, and may be found in Chapter 65 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
Great Chicago Fire
In 1871, most of the city burned in the Great Chicago Fire. The damage from the fire was immense; 300 people died, 18,000 buildings were destroyed and nearly 100,000 of the city's 300,000 residents were left homeless. One of the factors contributing to the fire's spread was the abundance of wood; the streets, sidewalks and many buildings were built of wood. Some would say that this is what has led to the current tradition of most Chicagoans building with brick and steel.
While at the time the fire damage was devastating, history has shown that it proved to be a benefit to the city and surrounding communities. It afforded city planners the opportunity to begin with a clean slate and fix the mistakes of the past. In the following years it led to a building boom that cemented the city's status as the transportation hub of America, the building of the world's first skyscraper and the adoption of the grid system. All of these factors contributed to a long term framework for robust and continued growth.
Geography
grid systemgrid system
Chicago is located in northeastern Illinois at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan. When Chicago was founded in the 1830s most of the early building began around the mouth of the Chicago River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Chicago has a total area of 606.1 km² (234.0 mi²), of which 588.3 km² (227.1 mi²) is land and 17.8 km² (6.9 mi²) is water. The total area is 2.94% water. The city has been built on relatively flat land; the average height of land is 579 feet (176 meters) above sea level. The city lies beside Lake Michigan and two rivers, the Chicago in downtown and the Calumet in the industrial far South Side, entirely or partially flow through Chicago. The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal connects the Chicago River with the Des Plaines River, which runs to the west of the city.
Climate
Chicago is known as a city of climate extremes. While winters can often be bitterly cold, extreme summer heat waves are not uncommon. Chicago has a temperate climate, typical of the U.S. Midwest, with hot summers and frigid winters, subject to extremes in both seasons (though Lake Michigan has a moderating effect close to shore). Weather typical of each season can arrive unusually early or late. For example, it has snowed in September (1942) and reached 90 °F (33 °C) in March (1982). The greatest recorded single-day temperature difference was more than 65 °F (31 °C) on (February 8, 1900).
1900
In a typical Chicago summer, average high temperatures are 72 °F to 84 °F (23 °C to 28 °C), with overnight lows averaging 62 °F (17 °C). Yearly precipitation averages about 33 inches (838 mm). Summer is the rainiest season, with short-lived rainfall and thunderstorms more common than prolonged rainy periods. On average, temperatures exceed 90 °F (33 °C) on 20 days each summer. The highest temperature reached in Chicago is an unofficial 109 °F (44 °C) on July 24, 1935.
Winter in Chicago is a variable and fickle season. On average Chicago receives a total of 37.0 inches (95 cm) of snow, though total snowfall has ranged from 9.8 to 87.0 inches (25 and 223 cm). Typical snowfall accumulation is around 2 inches (5 cm), but about once a year Chicago experiences 10 to 14 inches (26 to 36 cm) of snow in one day. Temperatures can vary widely in the span of one week, and extended periods of temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C) are not uncommon in January and February. The temperature in January averages about 25 °F (-4 °C) in the afternoon and 10 °F (-12 °C) at night. Temperatures drop below 0 °F (-18 °C) an average of 15 days each winter. Although rare, the temperature can climb to 50 °F (10 °C) or higher in winter.
2004 Chicago Earthquake
An earthquake registering about 4.3 on the Richter scale shook some buildings in Chicago at 1:10 A.M. on June 28 2004. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Ottawa, Illinois and sparked worries that the New Madrid fault might become active again. An earthquake of 6 or higher in the Missouri Fault might cause moderate to high damage in Chicago.
Law and Government
New Madrid fault]
The government of the City of Chicago is divided into executive and legislative branches. The mayor is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments. The current mayor is Richard M. Daley, a Democrat. In addition to the mayor, Chicago's two other citywide elected officials are the clerk and the treasurer.
The City Council is the legislative branch and is made up of 50 aldermen, one elected from each ward in the city. The council enacts local ordinance and approves the city budget. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance usually adopted each November. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions.
Politics
Former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley once led a political machine called the Chicago Democratic Machine. Another point of interest is the party leanings of the city. For much of the last century, Chicago has been considered one of the largest Democratic strongholds in the United States. For example, the citizens of Chicago have not elected a Republican mayor since 1927, when William Thompson was voted into office. Today only one Alderman member is Republican.
Chicago's politics lean famously to the left compared to the rest of the midwest, and it is often said that Chicago is the "East Coast" of the Midwest. All precincts of the city voted for Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. Social liberalism is strong in the city, with a strong majority of Chicagoans supporting welfare programs and the | | |
