Some of the other firefighting equipment founded in Chicago is less high-tech: the snorkel truck, the fire plug or hydrant, the collapsible fire escape and the fire pole, which was invented by a Chicago fire captain in 1874 so firefighters could slide quickly to the ground floor.

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Once there, firefighters have to plug their engine into a fire hydrant--the equivalent of a wall jack in the information world.

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The company has created hundreds of American automotive jobs and its first model, the Roadster sports car, lit a fire under Detroit to begin producing electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars but with less success.

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Once the Xbox is back together, plug the external connector back in and fire up the console.

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And the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid has rebounded from the they-catch-on-fire debacle, with sales of 1, 462 in April.

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