the devil in the white city author larson

Women were beginning to work, and this allowed young, single women to build lives for themselves for the first time. Though it was full of unrest, Chicago was also going through much-needed social change. Holmes stepped off the train in Chicago, he knew he had found the perfect place to hide dark acts. The city averaged about four murders daily. Perhaps scariest of all though was that the murder rates were some of the highest in North America, and the police were too understaffed and undertrained to handle the violent city. The trash-lined streets were full of flies, rats, and animal corpses, and there were no organized groups with the duty to collect them. People also often died in fires because the wooden shanty homes went in flames all too easily, trapping people inside.Īnother killer was the water supply, which was rife with germs like typhus and cholera. On average, two people died by trains every day. If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.ĭownload PDF Lesson 1: At the end of the 1800s Chicago was full of vice and violence.Īs the turn of the century approached, Chicago was a place full of violence and crime. Want to know the fascinating history of Chicago? Let’s go! The combination of the fair and the violence of Chicago gave birth to the first known serial killer.Even though its beginnings were messy, head architect Daniel Burnham managed to open the fair and it was a huge success.Chicago was full of vice and violence at the end of the 1800s.Here’s the book summarized in just 3 lessons: The result is a thrilling true-crime drama based on real events. Larson interwines the story of the architect put in charge of the monumental task of building the fair in chaotic Chicago and the world’s first known serial killer who used the fair to lure innocent people to their deaths. In Erik Larson’s historical nonfiction book The Devil In the White City, he tells the gripping untold story of the events surrounding the fair. While the fair was a massive success felt for generations, the violence there was far from over. This huge fair was attended by millions of people from all over the world. The so-called Windy City owes much of this notoriety to an event that it hosted at the turn of the century known as the World’s Columbian Exposition. Have you ever wondered how this once-sleepy midwest town rose to such a reputation? It is also a place known for street violence. People from all over the world come to see the impressive architecture, go to museums, experience the nightlife, and try culinary specialties such as the deep dish pizza.

Listen to the audio of this summary with a free reading.fm account*:Īs the third-biggest city in the United States, Chicago has a reputation for many things.

The devil in the white city author larson