The whole region was suff’ring from drought
And a strong southwest wind was about
All around the great lake
Did the flames start to take
A cow did it? There may be some doubt

Event: The Great Chicago Fire (along with several other significant fires around Lake Michigan) begins
Year: 1871
Learn more: Great Chicago Fire
Peshtigo Fire
Great Michigan Fire

Like a rocket ship held to the ground
For their speed these white streaks are renowned
Ride on hope or on light
But be sure the time’s right
These torpedoes do not wait around

Event: The first shinkansen (bullet train) runs from Tokyo to Osaka
Year: 1964
Learn more: Shinkansen

Though the Jazz Age is long in the past
In his words it will ever on last
For whatever our tack
We are always borne back
Boats beat on, but they go nowhere fast

Event: Birth of F. Scott Fitzgerald
Year: 1896
Learn more: F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

Not content to be free by herself
She determined to share in the wealth
Though she worked underground
She became quite renowned
As she rescued her family through stealth

Event: Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery
Year: 1849
Learn more: Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad

At the first, Britain held the Lake tight
But the stage soon was set for a fight
Though his flagship went down
Perry still won renown
“Met the foe; they are ours,” he’d write

Event: U.S. ships under Oliver Hazard Perry defeat the British in the Battle of Lake Erie
Year: 1813
Learn more: The Battle of Lake Erie

Once the largest dominion on Earth
It had reached ’bout th’extent of its girth
They took Baghdad in stride
But the Mamluks defied
And to fractured empire gave birth

Event: Mamluks defeat Mongols in the Battle of Ain Jalut, the first time in history a Mongol invasion had been permanently driven back
Year: 1260
Learn more: The Battle of Ain Jalut

Through the wilds to Castlebar take
Humbert’s boys beat the pants off of Lake
To the races they flew
And though ’twas quite a coup
One win’d not a free Ireland make

Event: Combined Irish and French forces defeat the British in the Battle of Castlebar
Year: 1798
Learn more: Battle of Castlebar
Irish Rebellion of 1798

Through the whole solar system it tore
Past Uranus and Neptune and more
And inside it does hold
Our culture, in gold
Asking folks to come knock on our door

Event: Space probe Voyager 2 launches (curiously enough, 2 weeks before Voyager 1)
Year: 1977
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record

With his Birds, he made viewers distressed
At Vertiginous films he was best
Did the Man Know Too Much?
Only Psychos say such
As they wander off North by Northwest

Event: Birth of Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1899
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock

Ever since the year fourteen-nine-two
Spain’d a massive domain ‘cross the blue
But Napoleon’s war
Meant a shift was in store
And America got a new view

Event: Bolivia gains independence from Spain
Year: 1825
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_American_wars_of_independence