Chicago wears its scars on its flag: Fort Dearborn, the fire of 1871, the world's fairs… Four red stars for four acts of a single story: to fall, to rebuild, to exhibit, to invent.
The first star celebrates Fort Dearborn, established in 1803 on the shore of Lake Michigan. The second marks the Great Fire of 1871 that ravaged the city but turned it into an architectural laboratory. The third and fourth honor the world's fairs of 1893 and 1933, moments when Chicago showed itself to the world.
Between them, three white stripes symbolize the three sections of the city: North, West and South.
This flag, adopted in 1917, has become one of the most recognizable in America. You see it tattooed on shoulders, printed on t-shirts, waved at sporting events. It is a symbol of pride for a city that never stops reinventing itself.