On This Day
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Plans for the city of Chicago are laid out

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States.

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census. The Chicago metropolitan area has 9.41 million residents and is the third-largest metropolitan area in the country. Chicago is the seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, but Chicago's population continued to grow.

Historical Significance

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.

Events Before

  1. Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London,

    Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London, the city's first modern police force

  2. William Austin Burt patents America's first typewriter, the typographer

    The typographer was an early typewriter invented by William Austin Burt. Intended to aid in office work, the machine worked by using a lever to press characters onto paper one at a time.

  3. First units of the London Metropolitan Police appear on the streets of the British capital, the city's first modern poli

    First units of the London Metropolitan Police appear on the streets of the British capital, the city's first modern police force

  4. German composer Fanny Mendelssohn (23) weds German artist Wilhelm Hensel (35), until her death in 1847 [1]

    German composer Fanny Mendelssohn (23) weds German artist Wilhelm Hensel (35), until her death in 1847 [1]

  5. Britain outlaws "suttee" in India, a Hindu practice where a widow burns herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre

    Sati or suttee is a chiefly historical Hindu practice in which a widow burns alive on her deceased husband's funeral pyre, either voluntarily, by coercion, or by a perception of the lack of...

Events After

  1. Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

    Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

  2. Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virgini

    Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virginia

  3. "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith has its first public performance at Park Street

    "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith has its first public performance at Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts

  4. Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Head of State of modern Greece, is assassinated in Nafplion

    Count Ioannis Antoniou Kapodistrias, sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century...

  5. Michael Faraday demonstrates his dynamo invention, an electric generator

    Michael Faraday (22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism.

More from the 1830s

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

German Zollverein (Customs Union) comes into effect

The Zollverein, or German Customs Union, was a coalition of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories.

First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 4, 1830?
Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census.
Why is Plans for the city of Chicago are laid out significant?
Chicago is the most populous city in the U.

Explore More

August 4 in HistoryYear 1830