On September 3, 1856, Louis Sullivan, the "Father of Skyscrapers," was born into a nation facing the brink of change. Modernism had just begun to enter the minds of American philosophers. Sullivan was attracted to early modernist ideas over late modernist ones, believing he could refine the buildings he produced into functioning storage units. This belief was undoubtedly influenced by the events that were occurring in the nation during the late 19th century. One of the most influential events was the Great Chicago Fire. After the Great Chicago Fire, Sullivan realized two key pieces of information. The first was that his works could be destroyed at any time, so he did not attempt to spend much time designing his building. The second was that, one of the main reasons, why the buildings of the time were made of wood that could easily burn. To solve this problem, Sullivan needed a sturdy but non-flammable material to replace what had previously been a wood-based city. The Industrial Revolution found a solution to Sullivan's dilemma. Steel, a substance created by infusing a small percentage of carbon into iron, has enabled taller, sturdier buildings at a lower cost in terms of affordable housing. Urbanization also took hold of Chicago during the 1980s and 1990s. As immigration into America has grown, the need for more affordable housing has grown accordingly. The creation of Sullivan's steel skyscrapers was the answer to the problem. Although he died on April 14, 1924, Sullivan influenced many architects who would complete his dream of a fully functioning Chicago. Louis Sullivan's modern style of functional architecture was shaped by the same forces... middle of paper... until, maintaining the golden ratio, the Bessemer process was invented. This process blew compressed air into the molten cast iron. However, the process did not remove the phosphorus, making the steel more brittle. The solution to this problem was found by developing an additional step to the Bessemer process. By adding a chemical base to the solution, phosphorus could be removed from the steel. Known as the Thomas Basic Process, this way of producing steel dominated the industry until the discovery of the Open Hearth Process. Considering larger batches due to the open furnaces in which the steel was produced, this process would take hours, allowing the steel to be chemically shaped and tested to any specified prerequisites. This ability to shape steel at a molecular level was essential to the development of the skyscrapers that Sullivan would later build.