Fun Facts About Chicago: Your Essential Trivia

How much do you know about Chicago? Test your knowledge of the Windy City with our trivia below. These fun facts are sure to come in handy on your Chicago vacation!

Top Chicago facts 1-10

1. The world’s very first skyscraper was erected in the city in 1885.
2. Skydeck Chicago is a film star! Catch a glimpse of the experience in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
3. The Willis Tower is the eighth tallest building in the world, coming in at 1,450 feet and 110 stories tall.
4. Chicago invented deep-dish pizza.
5. The Navy Pier Centennial Wheel was preceded by an iconic Ferris wheel, which welcomed over 17 million riders in its ten-year life span.
6. Historic Route 66 begins in Chicago (and terminates in Santa Monica, CA).
7. The Field Museum’s newest addition is Máximo the Titanosaur: the largest dinosaur ever discovered, weighing 70 tons.
8. Chicago is known as “The Windy City” for the bombast of its politicians—not for its weather.
9. Chicago is home to an impressive 56 museums, including the famous Art Institute of Chicago.
10. The Taste of Chicago — a summer legend in Chicago — is the world’s largest free outdoor food festival.

Top Chicago facts 11-20

1. The Museum of Contemporary Art is the only museum in the city to feature dozens of works with the title, “Untitled.”
2. Batman’s iconic Gotham City was based on Chicago; not, as many people assume, NYC.
3. The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the world’s rare free zoos.
4. Malört, one of the most distinctive liquors in the world (and some say the most unpalatable), was created in Chicago. Today, more than 90% of the national consumption of Malört is still confined to the greater Chicago area.
5. The Adler Planetarium was America’s first planetarium.
6. The Adler Planetarium is also one of the best places to get a great view of the skyline.
7. The Museum of Science and Industry is one of the largest science museums in the world, with more than 400,000 square feet of exhibit space.
8. The renowned Pablo Picasso sculpture, created specifically for the city and located in Richard J. Daley Plaza, weighs an intimidating 162 tons. It is also called 'Untitled'.
9. Chicago's Brookfield Zoo was the first such institution in the world to successfully perform brain surgery on a gorilla.
10. The Brookfield Zoo is also known for its majestic fountain, named for Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States who is remembered for expanding protections on wildlife.

Top Chicago facts 21-25

1. The Chicago Theater's grand lobby is inspired by the Royal Chapel at Versailles.
2. The Chicago Theater also boasts one of the oldest Wurlitzer pipe organs remaining in existence.
3. The Ernest Hemingway Home was the first house to have electricity in Oak Park.
4. The American Writer’s Museum is the only museum in the world devoted exclusively to American writers and their works.
5. The Shedd Aquarium has more than 32,000 animal inhabitants.

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