For example, a reporter of the Chicago Daily Tribune stated that the city had a vain police force that aired its vanity in the windy city. The origins of Chicago’s famous nickname are not entirely clear. The nickname “Windy City” first appeared back in 1856 in reference to the city of Green Bay in One of the most popular theories is that the name originated from a man who was known as Charles Dana.
Now, over 100 years later, the Windy City nickname endures. “The Cincinnati Enquirer’s use is clearly double-edged,” Popik told the Chicago Tribune in 2006. Many of the citations are found in newspapers from other Midwest cities, which were in a rivalry with Chicago over who was the region’s main metropolis. More specifically, these windbags were politicians and prominent people. By the term ‘blow’ he meant the words from politicians blew the ears of local citizens which made the public’s headache and burst.Such sort of sarcastic and civic name is not very common nowadays. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you.© 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Notably, most of those journalists were from New York City due to their bitter defeat.Going by this, it is clear that Chicago did not give itself the name but it is one that the city has learned to embrace over the years. Why is Chicago called the windy city. References to the ‘Windy City’ can actually be found in numerous Midwestern news publications from that era.One of the best known is a May 9, 1876, headline from “The Cincinnati Enquirer’s use is clearly double-edged,” Popik told the Chicago had previously promoted itself as a summertime vacation spot by referencing its nice Lake Michigan breezes. Why Chicago Is Really Called The Windy City. Popik also dug up references showing that it functioned as both a literal reference to Chicago’s windy weather and a metaphorical jab at its supposedly boastful citizenry. [ August 21, 2020 ] Of course, we know that Beijing was ultimately selected. My research in the 1990s debunked the commonly held theory that Chicago was called the “Windy City” from the 1893 World’s Fair.
However, there is no evidence to support this claim, which makes it a myth. The origin of the “Windy City” as the title of Chicago is thought to reside in many areas, some of which have become so popular amongst even official news reporters that popular myth has nearly become the most widely recognized origin.
It was common for newspapers in these cities to toss insults at one another. There are four main possibilities to explain the city's nickname: the weather, as Chicago is near Lake Michigan; the World's Fair; politics; and the rivalry with Cincinnati. Etymologist Barry Popik, a longtime researcher of the Windy City question, has uncovered evidence that the name was already well established in print by the 1870s—several years before Dana. And as the name suggests you might have concluded that due to the speed of the wind, or something related to the wind, the city got its nickname.
For example, on May 9, 1876, and on May 13, 1876, The Cincinnati Enquirer had headlines that clearly had the words “The Windy City.” The nickname did not appear because of the windy nature of the City of Chicago arising from the breeze from Lake Michigan.
Chicago is, indeed, a rather windy city, but it certainly isn't the windiest. In the early 1890s, New York and Chicago were completing to host the 1893 World’s Fair. As residents of such cities know, this can create a “wind tunnel” effect, especially for winter winds coming off Lake Michigan, which forms the city’s eastern border. "If you had always assumed that Chicago earned its nickname as the Windy City from the chilly gusts coming off Lake Michigan, you would be wrong. The nickname “Windy City” first appeared back in 1856 in reference to the city of Green Bay in Wisconsin. With an average wind speed of 10.3 mph, Chicago ranks 12th windiest among the nation's major cities.