Friend of the podcast Geoffrey Baer is BACK with a new special on WTTW called "Chicago Mysteries." Listen as Geoffrey and I discuss a few of the stories from the program. https://www.wttw.com/mysteries Show your support of t…
Not long after The Beatles invaded America and kids everywhere picked up guitars and drumsticks and formed their own bands, enterprising individuals all over Chicago and the suburbs saw… opportunity. This is the story of Chi…
Connie Fairbanks, author of "Chicago's West Loop: Then and Now," joins me on this episode as co-writer and co-host as we discuss five Chicago parks named for women. Purchase Connie Fairbanks' book "Chicago's West Loop: Then …
She grew up in a small town in Illinois in the late 1800s and became known worldwide as an activist, reformer, and winner of a Nobel Peace Prize. This is the story of Jane Addams and Hull House. Want to help support the show…
Local author Cynthia Pelayo's new book masterfully blends dark Chicago history and fairy-tale horrors. Listen as the author and I discuss her life growing up in Chicago and her exciting new book about two sisters and a kille…
Her last name is well known around the city, but do you know the story behind Chicago's Saint, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini? Listen and learn, Chicago history fans! Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of co…
Three! Three! Three episodes in one! Enjoy. Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Leave me a voice message - just click on the microphone in the lower right corne…
Jack Johnson not only became the first Black American heavyweight championship boxer but who also lived (and loved) in Chicago and opened the wildly popular Café de Champion before tragedy and the government forced its closu…
He has been called the first international African American sports superstar and in his time was the biggest star of any sport. Although he wasn’t born in Chicago, some of Marshall "Major" Taylor's most lasting accomplishmen…
Bartender, poet, musician, artist, and more. Sergio Mayora and the art of Weeds Tavern. In the Weeds: How Bartender, Poet, Musician and Artist Sergio Mayora Cultivated One of the Most Important Taverns in Chicago History by …
Enjoy this episode originally posted in January 2021. In 1937, 87 years before the current pandemic forced kids to find ways to learn outside of the traditional classroom, Chicago school children took classes by radio while …
Enjoy this story from July 2020, which seems like a lifetime ago. Six years after the closing of the World's Fair of 1893, on 10 acres near the University of Chicago, a new outdoor entertainment venue opened called Sans Souc…
A series of tragedies prompted one Chicago suburb to change the way trains travel through their city. This is the story of Connecting Winnetka to Chicago. Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee: https://www.b…
Just days before Christmas in 1910, a fire broke out in Chicago that resulted in the highest loss of life of firefighters due to a building collapse, a grim claim held for nearly 91 years before being surpassed on 9/11. Show…
In October 1960, Prince Akihito of Japan visited Chicago for 21 hours. Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley presented the prince with a diplomatic gift: 18 bluegill. What happened next would change the underwater world of Japan fo…
A holiday-themed episode from 2020. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a familiar sight near the river at Clark Street was the Rouse Simmons, also known as The Christmas Tree Ship, and its captain Herman Schuenemann, who bec…
Geoffrey Baer is back on the podcast to discuss his latest program for WTTW - The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago 2. https://interactive.wttw.com/most-beautiful-places-in-chicago Show your support of the show for the cost o…
With the recent crash of a Yellow Line L train into a snow removal machine (?), it seems like a good time to repost this episode. In the 1970s, one of the most horrifying transportation accidents in Chicago happened downtown…
In May of 1970, those driving past Wrigley Field were greeted with an unusual sight – a Native American teepee, surrounded by smaller tents and groups of people. This was just the beginning of the Native American protests in…
Women and poison. Chicago's history is thick with these killers. Want to help support the show? Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Leave me a voice message - just click on the microphone in the lowe…
He was an African American performer who went from humble beginnings to become a huge movie star based on a single character, but soon his Hollywood standing, his personal fortunes, and his acceptance by fellow Blacks collap…
This story of sibling rivalries, suicides, arson, missing heiresses, and murder was originally presented at a members-only event at the Chicago History Museum . Thanks to my co-writer and co-host for this episode, Anna Mason…
It was a Civil War prison in Richmond, VA, housing thousands of Union soldiers captured during that war. After the war, someone thought the building would make a good tourist attraction in… Chicago. This is the story of the …
Producer Eddie Griffin and I are discussing the new season of Chicago Stories on WTTW. The new season of Chicago Stories begins September 22, 2023 at 8pm on WTTW. Watch online at wttw.com/chicagostories For the cost of a cup…
