Chicago
From Turtledove
Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States. Located on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the third-most densely populated major city in the U.S., and anchor to the world's 26th largest metropolitan area with over 9.5 million people across three states.
After a series of wars with the local Native Americans, Chicago was founded in 1833, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. The city became a major transportation and telecommunications hub in North America. Today, the city retains its status as a major hub, both for industry and infrastructure.
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[edit] Chicago in "The Girl Who Took Lessons"
Karen Vaughan traveled Chicago on business, a trip she kept extending. Upon her return home, her husband learned that she had had an affair while in Chicago.
[edit] Chicago in In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Chicago was not destroyed during the Third World War, but it did remain occupied by German troops and was subject to bombings both during and after the war.
[edit] Chicago in "Joe Steele"
Chicago was the site of the Democratic National convention in 1932. After two days, votes were evenly split between two front runners: Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York and Congressman Joe Steele of California. Roosevelt was killed in a fire in the Executive Mansion, and Steele received the party's nomination.
[edit] Chicago in Southern Victory
Chicago was the site of the 1882 Republican Party caucus called by Abraham Lincoln that saw the party split.
Chicago was also the site of the 1924 Socialist National Convention.
In 1944, Confederate President Jake Featherston idly threatened to destroy Chicago with a superbomb.
[edit] Chicago in Worldwar
Chicago proved to be one of the most strategic cities for the United States during the Race Invasion American physicists had been in the early stages of the project to build an atomic bomb at the University of Chicago when the Race invaded. In an attempt to disrupt the Tosevites' radio transmissions, Atvar ordered the detonation of several atomic bombs high in the Earth's atmosphere. One of these was detonated over Chicago.
The Race came close to overrunning Chicago in the first year of their invasion of the United States, prompting the team working on the atomic bomb to flee. However, in the winter of 1942 American forces lead by Generals George Patton and Omar Bradley took advantage of a snowstorm to cut off and destroy the lead elements of the Race army marching on the city. The front was pushed back halfway across the state of Illinois as a result. Chicago eventually became the primary front of the Race's invasion of the United States when the Race once again tried to overrun it. They gradually pushed the Americans back, but their progress was so slow and costly due to intense house to house combat, especially once they entered the city. When Atvar promised Cordell Hull that his infantrymales would reach Lake Michigan, Hull retorted "Some will, but how many won't?"
When the US's first atomic bomb was ready, American soldiers buried the bomb under their position and withdrew from the city. When the Race took possession of the field, the US detonated the bomb by a radio transmitter, destroying much of the city and a substantial number of Race males and their equipment.
[edit] Chicago in The Two Georges
Given its central location in the North American Union, Astoria was a major transportation hub for both the railroads and airship lines. Its O'Hare Airship Port was the busiest in the land and notorious for delays.
In 1995 Colonel Thomas Bushell and Captain Samuel Stanley arrived in Astoria onboard the Prairie Schooner. As they approached O'Hare, the captain announced on the loudspeakers that all mooring masts were occupied and that several airships were already queued up ahead of them waiting for available masts. The Prairie Schooner joined the queue and finally docked an hour and twenty minutes late. To rub salt in the wounds, the airship that cleared the mast for them was the Six Nations Special.
The airship company representatives were apologetic and did what they could to make alternative arrangements. Their tickets were exchanged for rail tickets on the Twentieth Century Limited for Doshoweh and the two got to the rail station in good time. Nevertheless, leaving at 12:15 on the train rather than 7:00 on the airship aggravated Bushell.
