The Chicago river is colored a bright green today, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day – but how do they manage to pull off such a feat?
The tradition goes back to 1962, when Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley – a descendant of Irish immigrants – had the idea of turning Lake Michigan green. While the lake was far too big, a group of plumbers figured out a way to color the city’s river using 100 pounds of green dye.
That dye ended up keeping the water green for weeks, so nowadays they use a vegetable-based powder dye that wears off after a few days.
What are some of your favorite St. Patrick’s Day traditions?