Chicago’s towering skyline reminds us that the skyscraper was born here. The reversed flow of the Chicago River upended North American hydrology and revolutionized urban sanitation. It’s impossible to walk Chicago’s streets — or any urban street, anywhere — without seeing someone on a mobile phone, which also owes its creation to Chicago’s inventive spirit.
For the first days of Blue Sky Innovation, we spun through 20 of Chicago’s top innovations, spanning market research and manufacturing, mail-order retail, technology, the nuclear age and the digital age.
Readers inspired by innovation have responded with still more: Chicago’s hinged bascule bridges, which allowed commerce by land and water, and its claims on the meat-packing industry, confections, daily deals and even motion pictures.
In a very Chicago way, the biggest disagreement in our comments was over who had innovated the best pizza.
Debate that for yourselves and enjoy the complete list of innovations as they appear in our lives today. As ever, compelled by the past, Chicago drives on.