Everybody knows that Chicago is one of the world’s most historically significant cities. At least in the past few centuries, that is.

Since we at ManCertified are quite the history buffs, we’ve found this little photographical history of the Windy City. Enjoy, and be sure to comment on your favorite photos!

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You can read the court documents for yourself here.

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Which team do you think deserves to be in the NBA finals?  It’s the final four of NBA cheerleaders.

If you’re interested in reading about team stats, offensive rebounds, best defense, best dunk, then go somewhere else. If you’re interested in seeing photos more from BEHIND the scene, the best MOVES, the BIGGEST assets, then your in the right spot.  Scroll down to continue on our first installment of the final four of the NBA’s leading ladies, with this week featuring the Luvabulls of Chicago and the Miami Heat Dancers.

Photos courtesy of: Sports Illustrated, nba.com/bulls, nba.com/heat.

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Many animals including coyotes, rabbits and foxes, as well as several different bird species, consider Chicago’s lakefront home or at the very least a sort of spa or hotel. However, a recent influx of visitors, raccoons specifically, appear to have overstayed their welcome and are facing eviction.

They have taken up residence under many docks and evidently decided to do some exploring on several boats (obviously they throw some wild parties since the boat owners report that they leave quite a mess); there has also been some incidents of the little bandits being somewhat aggressive towards people. There have been complaints in the past about the creatures in other parks and even at the lakefront, but officials say it has never been this bad.

The company that manages the harbors, Westrec Marinas, has subcontracted out to Ampest Exterminating and Wildlife Control for them to trap and euthanize the creatures; the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources has given a permit to the company to remove the animals. The cost for this comes from the harbor budget which gets its revenue from concessions and boat slip rentals.

The law does allow the trappers different options in these cases; they can release the animals within one hundred yards of where they were trapped to turning them over to a vet that is a wildlife rehabilitator to euthanasia. In cases where over population is considered a problem then the option most often chosen is euthanization since officials do not want to just relocate the problem somewhere else.

A spokesman for a local migratory bird sanctuary places the blame for this “infestation” directly on humans. He states that people try to feed what they consider “Disney-like” creatures (which they are not) and this causes the raccoons to continue to come around. It has gotten to the point that police have even begun arresting people that feed the raccoons in the hopes of dissuading others.

So far there have been about 125 raccoons trapped and the process will continue until the problem is under control.

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Sponsored by Motor Age magazine, the first Chicago Auto Show was held from March 23^rd through March 30^th in 1901. The event took place in the amphitheater of the Coliseum which offered plenty of seating around all sides of the building and cost exhibitors anywhere from $1 to $1.50 per square foot.

The show was held in the Coliseum through 1935 and then moved to the International Amphitheatre which boasts over 255,000 feet (compared to the 58,000 feet in the Coliseum). During the first show in the Amphitheatre there were about 29 different makes and 300 models on display and for the first time included trailers and motor coaches.

The show took a hiatus after the 1941 event and was not held again until 1950 following the Second World War and was the first major show, as well as the largest, held in the United States. At the end of its nine day run it boasted one of the largest turn outs to date with over 478,000 visitors.

Automakers were aiming more towards economy in 1960 and during the show Chevrolet displayed its Corvair with the engine in the rear; Chrysler introduced the Valiant and Ford showed off its new compact Falcon. It was during this event that visitors got a first glimpse at over 36 different imports, including Toyota, Deutsch-Bonnet and Fiat.

In the 1070’s the trend ran towards the smaller cars and automakers took this opportunity to introduce several new, or updated, models at the Chicago Auto Show. Ford displayed two new models, the Maverick Grabber and the Mustang Grabber, while Pontiac displayed a redesigned Firebird and Oldsmobile showed off its Rallye 350.

In 1980 it was determined that more space was needed so the area available was increased to 600,000 feet in order to accommodate over 700 different vehicles that were to be on display. This is also when those enthusiastic about performance got their wish; Chevrolet came out with the Corvette ZR-1 and even with complying with all of the emission and safety standards it was the best handling and fastest model at the time.

In 1998 the Chicago Auto Show drew a record breaking 1,080,637 visitors who were treated to the introduction of the new VW Beetle, Mercedes Maybach, the Ford Libre (considered a concept convertible) and even Kia sponsored an Elan sports car.

Last years show was the 102^nd edition of the event and it covered over 1 million square feet of exhibition area. Some of the vehicles introduced were the 75^th anniversary Chevrolet Suburban, the Kia Hybrid concept and the next generation Avalon.

The 2011 Chicago Auto Show will be held from February 11^th through February 20^th and covers over 1.2 million square feet of the McCormick Place center. If you decide to attend this event you will be able to see over 1,000 different types of vehicles including imported and domestic models, sport utility models and concept, or experimental, cars. It is a great event suitable for the whole family.

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During the 1970’s there were some huge algae problems in the commercial fish farms of the Midwest and the solution sure seemed fairly simple, at least at the time. It was decided that Asian carp, also known as algae consuming machines, would be introduced into the lakes; lo and behold the algae problem is indeed gone. However, it has left behind a bigger problem and that is the Asian carp itself.

This particular fish has some interesting abilities, the first of which is that it can actually leap about ten feet out of the water. Why is this so interesting? Because it enabled them to free themselves of the fish farms and find their way into the Illinois and Mississippi rivers where they have revealed another interesting ability – ecological domination.

Keep in mind that these fish, as adults, can weigh over 40 pounds (now imagine anything weighing 40lbs leaping around in the air) and have an insatiable appetite, eating everything biological that they can find (unless, of course, it is baited on a hook). This means they have become the rivers apex as far as the food pyramid goes, which means they have absolutely no predators.

The number of Asian carp is growing rapidly while commercial fishermen are leaving by the hundreds which in turn places a big strain on all local economies. Experts are concerned that they will soon find their way to the Great Lakes and make haste in calling it home before moving to the many tributaries. This may very well drive out the trout and salmon that are currently supporting the multi-billion dollar industry.

More recently, Asian carp DNA has been detected in water samples taken from Chicago testing stations.  Even though Federal officials say that the electric barrier 25 miles south of Lake Michigan is keeping the fish out of the lake, these tests are still coming back positive in high numbers.  To date, only one Asian carp has been physically spotted past the barrier.

Still, great and uncharted measures are being taken in the rivers, lakes and even the courtroom to keep the invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.  The hopes are that these measures are adequate in order to preserve both the regional ecology and economy.

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Maybe you’ve been to a Chicago Blackhawks game recently.  Maybe you haven’t.  If you have, I’m sure you’ve noticed a bit more than just the game itself.  We mean, of course, the Blackhawks’ Ice Crew.

It’s not what you’d think.  Maybe when you hear the phrase “ice crew” you think of a couple of retired old guys who take turns driving the Zamboni during intermissions.  You couldn’t be more wrong.  This Ice Crew has some very attractive (and scantily clad) young ladies on it that are sure you keep you just as warm as that Bud Light you just bought from the beer man.  Advantage to you, because watching the “show” that these ladies put on at the United Center in Chicago won’t cost you $8 per refill.  Enjoy.

(Photos courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks.)

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For the first time in 49 years the Stanley Cup made its way back to Chicago and the arrival of both the Blackhawks and the cup was met with a water cannon salute at the O’Hare airport. Borne in on a Boeing 737 landing at a private terminal at the east end of the O’Hare airport they were greeted by two Chicago Fire Department trucks that were blasting arcs of water across the plane as it stopped on the tarmac. The scene was framed by police, emergency and fire vehicles parked with horns blaring and lights flashing.

Thus ended the longest championship drought with an overtime win over the Flyers with a final score of 4 – 3. The last time Chicago won was in 1961 when they defeated Detroit which was also done in six games. The previous two months prior to the win were a great run; both the Flyers and the Blackhawks played with everything they had and anyone witnessing the unfolding of the Stanley Cup championship and the wagering series would likely agree that it was just as amazing as last years between the Penguins and Redwings and will most certainly go down in history as one of the most memorable seasons in hockey.

There should also by kudos given to the Philadelphia Flyers for sneaking into those playoffs after the shootout against the Rangers during the last part of the regular season and a great comeback after defeating the Bruins (after trailing by 3 games in the series).

It is being said that if the Hawks can keep their core together, which includes Kane, Seabrook, Toews, Keith, Niemi and Byfuglien, then Chicago may not have to wait another 49 years to win the cup. Of course they may have their work cut out for them this summer since they are trying to work around a salary cap, but we wish them the best of luck.