We Are Chicago

A Chicagoan’s Speech Celebrating The City’s 183rd Birthday

Happy Birthday, Chicago!!

Today, our city turns 183!

The City of Chicago was incorporated on March 4th, 1837

Since that date, our city has survived the Great Chicago fire, the engineering and re-engineering of the Chicago River, multiple generations of demographic changes, multiple weather disasters, seriously violent civil disturbances (the great Chicago race riiot, the 68 Democratic National Convention, The Occupy Movement & Black Lives Matter to name a few)

Our city has survived the great depression, the great recession, the Great Chicago Heatwave of 1995, and the national economic disaster of 2008 which led to the occupy movement.

We've hosted the world's biggest events:

• WLUP radio’s "Disco Demolition"
• The Operation Desert Storm Victory & Welcome Home Parade
• Wrestlemania
• Sumerslam
• Survivor Series
• The White Sox 2005 World Series celebration
• The 2016 World Series and Chicago Cubs World Series 2016 Victory Celebration
• Massive concerts featuring the biggest names in world history (Elton John, Rolling Stones, Olivia Newton-John, Mariah…