The first record of chili appearing in the United States was between 1826 and 1829, through the journal writings of J.C. Clooper and his experience with San Antonio's Chilli Con Carne. 

Mexican women known as the Chili Queens cooked and sold chili at San Antonio's Military Plaza as early as the 1860s. Soldiers, travelers, cattlemen, and others congregated at the plaza for the dish. Customers often ordered chili with tamales or beans and a tortilla.

Andrew Carnegie opens his first public library in the United States. A  place for all to learn and have community. 

A San Antonio chili stand at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair introduced many to the Texas-born dish. Soon, chili parlors began cropping up all over the Midwest and elsewhere in the United States. Chili Con Carne's key ingredients are chopped or ground beef, tomatoes, chili peppers, paprika, cumin, and Mexican oregano. It is usually served in a bowl, often with cheese and chopped raw onions sprinkled on top; eaten with cornbread or tortilla chips.

Oklahoma is the first state (outside of Texas) to have a written mention of chili and one of the first locations with a chili parlor. Their average recipe resembles Texas Red, but with beans added! However, you can find plenty of variety; in Tulsa, they have served it with no beans and no tomatoes since 1926.

In the early 1900s, chili started spreading through the Midwest, with slight variations from the original Chili Con Carne. 1908 brought the Indiana Hoosier Chili. Hoosier Chili is made with elbow macaroni. It is also soup-like due to the use of tomato juice in its cooking. It is served in a bowl with shredded cheddar on top with a side of Frito chips.

• In 1909 Springfield, Illinois brought us Tavern Style Chili. Tavern Style Chili uses beer and beef suet. The suet leaves a layer of grease at the top of the pot, which is included in the chili. This chili is topped with shredded cheddar and chopped raw onions and eaten with oyster crackers (to dip in the layer of fat). 
• 1920’s Cincinnati Chili was created by  Macedonian immigrants to Cincinnati, drawing on the Mediterranean and Slavic influences of their homelands. What really sets Cincinnati Chili apart, however, is serving it as a topping over spaghetti. People also enjoy it over hot dogs, called coneys. 

• Kansas City produced a favorite of President Harry S. Truman.  In this barbeque hub on the Kansas-Missouri border, pulled pork and the burnt ends of brisket are used to bulk up pots of chili. For recipes with ground beef, some cooks add oomph with a squirt of barbeque sauce and include the option of extra meat juice or extra bean broth. Here, ketchup, pepper-infused vinegar, and spicy mustard are toppings as acceptable as shredded cheese.
• New Mexico's Chile Verde relies on green chillis grown in the American Southwest. The key ingredients are chopped pork shoulder, green chiles, and garlic; optional add-ins include onions, cumin, Mexican oregano, and cilantro. It is served with tortillas. 

On October 5, 1952, at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, Texas. Mrs. F. G. Ventura of Dallas won the Texas State Fair contest, and her recipe was declared the “Official State Fair of Texas Chili Recipe” and the first-ever “World Champion Chili Cook.”  Mrs. Ventura held the title of World Champion Chili Cook for fifteen years. The most famous cook-off was in 1967 in Terlingua, Texas, between two men: Texas chili champ Homer "Wick" Fowler and New York humorist and author H. Allen Smith. The cook-off challenge started when H. Allen Smith wrote a story in Holiday Magazine entitled Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do, which offended many Texans because Mr.  Smith included beans. This battle ended in a tie. 

The Braddock Carnegie Library Association holds its very first Chili Cook-Off to benefit the ongoing programs at the library.