While the theory that a comet caused the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is hardly new, research from physicist Robert Wood puts together data to support it. Miss O'Leary's cow may be vindicated in the fire which wrecked the downtown, killing 300.
The same night Chicago saw a deadly blaze, similar blazes hit upstate portions of Michigan and Wisconsin. 2,000 people North of Chicago died. physicist Robert Wood thinks a large comet fragment came from Biela's Comet and crashed into Lake Michigan.
Many eyewitness reports from that time spoke of "fire balloons" and spontaneous ignitions consistent with what would come from a comet. NASA and other agencies are interested in this research since it shows how objects from space could kill people.
