Chicago
“I have struck a city, and they call it Chicago. Having seen it I urgently desire never to see it again.” That was the reaction of English writer Rudyard Kipling, when he visited Chicago for the first time.
Before World War II Chicago, standing at the southern end of vast Lake Michigan, had the reputation of being one of the toughest, most lawless and corrupt cities in the world. It earned its evil reputation largely from the gang warfare promoted by the most notorious gangster of all time, Al Capone. Al Capone flourished on selling illegal liquor during the days of Prohibition (1919-1933), when a federal law forbade Americans to make or sell alcohol in any form.
Chicagoans have a great pride in their city. They boast that it is of greater importance to the nation than New York. It is the center of American commerce and transportation. O’Hare Airport is the busiest airport in the world. 44 million passengers pass through it every year, and there are 2,000 take-offs and landings every day. Chicago is still the center of the American railroad system.
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