TITLE: Example where union of increasing sigma algebras is not a sigma algebra
QUESTION [41 upvotes]: If $\mathcal{F}_1 \subset \mathcal{F}_2 \subset \dotsb$ are sigma algebras, what is wrong with claiming that $\cup_i\mathcal{F}_i$ is a sigma algebra?
It seems closed under complement since for all $x$ in the union, $x$ has to belong to some $\mathcal{F}_i$, and so must its complement.
It seems closed under countable union, since for any countable unions of $x_i$ within it, each of the $x_i$ must be in some $\mathcal{F}_j$, and so we can stop the sequence at any point and take the highest $j$ and we know that all the $x_i$'s up to that point are in $\mathcal{F}_j$, and thus so must be their union. There must be some counterexample, but I don't see it.

REPLY [25 votes]: Something more drastic is true: If $\langle \mathcal{F}_n: n \geq 1\rangle$ is a strictly increasing sequence of sigma algebras over some set $X$ then $ \bigcup_{n \geq 1} \mathcal{F_n}$ is not a sigma algebra. As a corollary, there is no countably infinite sigma algebra. See, for example, "A comment on unions of sigma fields, A. Broughton, B. Huff, American mathematical monthly, 1977 Vol. 84 No. 7, pp 553-54".