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the claim

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was caused by Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern.

the verdict
INSUFFICIENT LEANING
Recorded sources
0 sources for · 8 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was caused by Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern?

Unclear. Multiple reference and scholarly items describe the cow-and-lantern story as a legend, myth, or something merely 'supposed,' and one book excerpt says Kate Leary was not responsible for the fire. None of the retrieved items establishes what actually caused the 1871 blaze, so the evidence only partially undercuts the claim rather than settling it.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 0 sources for, 8 against · Last checked

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence against · 8
Great Chicago Fire
Get citation
Great Chicago Fire. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire

See more details
More against · 7
Mrs. Leary's Cow: A Legend of Chicago
2025
Get citation
Mrs. Leary's Cow: A Legend of Chicago. (2025). ebookcentral.proquest.com. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kxp/detail.action?docID=32487659

Mrs. O'Leary's Cow and Other Newspaper Tales about the Chicago Fire of 1871.
1985
Get citation
Fred, F. (1985). Mrs. O'Leary's Cow and Other Newspaper Tales about the Chicago Fire of 1871.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED257108

Great Chicago Fire begins | October 8, 1871 | HISTORY
Get citation
Great Chicago Fire begins | October 8, 1871 | HISTORY. (n.d.). history.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-8/great-chicago-fire-begins

GREAT CHICAGO FIRE. (Hawera & Normanby Star, 10 June 1922)
1922
Get citation
GREAT CHICAGO FIRE. (Hawera & Normanby Star, 10 June 1922). (1922). paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HNS19220610.2.61

Some Observations on the Great Fire of London, 1666
1966
Get citation
Some Observations on the Great Fire of London, 1666. (1966). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1038/211105b0

Fires and the High-Rise Phoenix
2003
Get citation
Fires and the High-Rise Phoenix. (2003). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195160321.003.0006

The burning of the world: the Great Chicago Fire and the war for a city's soul
2023
Get citation
The burning of the world: the Great Chicago Fire and the war for a city's soul. (2023). opac.k10plus.de. https://opac.k10plus.de/

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