October 8 ~ The Great Fire of Chicago broke out on this day in 1871. The fire raged for more than 24 hours leaving in its wake more than 17,000 destroyed buildings, 250 fatalities, and 98,500 homeless. World War I hero, U.S. Corporal Alvin C. York , almost single-handedly kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132 in the Argonne Forest in France in 1918. York had originally tried to avoid being drafted as a conscientious objector. After this event he was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor .
the newsletter for the library at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology