Fire Prevention Week was established in honor of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Popular legend has it that the fire was started when a cow kicked over a lamp setting the barn on fire. The fire then spread to the entire city.
The validity of this legend, however, is no more or less than the others--including a few local boys having fun with cigarettes, an arsonist neighbor, and a meteor.
Fire Prevention Week was set into action by Woodrow Wilson in 1920, and from 1922 to the present day the week has been held, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
From http://www.nfpa.org/
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