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 trying to stay safe from the threat of polio. Support the show for the…
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 Souci. Sans Souci and Midway Gardens, although all but forgotten, paved the way for outdoor entertainment for generations to come. Support the show…
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.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Leave me a voice message - just click on the microphone…
Just days before Christmas in 1910, a fire broke out at the stockyards 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 your support of the show for…
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 forever. Today's episode is from Points North, part of Northern Michigan's Interlochen Public Radio.…
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 of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Leave me a voice message - just click on the microphone in the lower…
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 The entire catalog of Chicago History Podcast episodes can be found at www.chicagohistorypod.com or wherever you enjoy…
It is the 30th anniversary of one of the BEST action films shot in the Greatest City in the World, so today Kelli from Chicago Movie Tours (https://www.youtube.com/@ChicagoMovieTours) and I are talking about all things "The Fugitive" in Chicago. The train derailment scene (North Carolina): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-fugitive-train-wreck-sylva-north-carolina Show your support of…
Special guest Mike McMains (Chicago's Tours with Mike) helps me break down the history of Chicago LGBTQ Pride Events. Enjoy! See Chicago in an all new way on a Tours with Mike tour! https://tourswithmike.com/ Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Leave me a…
Geoffrey Baer is back with a new special for WTTW. Hear about some of the stories behind the special. 0:00 - Intro 0:48 - Trailer for "The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago" 1:48 - Geoffrey Baer Welcome 2:11 - Baer as a Teacher / Docent 6:50 - Architecture of Chicago…
Today we’re talking about the Secret Mermaid of the Lakeshore, and later we’ll be talking to Christine Solorio, an urban beach comber based here in Chicago. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory https://www.beachcombingmagazine.com/ Amazon Affiliate Links…
Some Navy Pier footage to go along with episode 425 of the podcast. Episode 425 - Navy Pier Listen here (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1022374/10485126-episode-425-navy-pier) or wherever you enjoy podcasts! Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Amazon Affiliate Links (anything…
She worked on John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, was guided through Chicago politics by "Boss" Mayor Richard J. Daley, and became the first female mayor of Chicago. Today we’re discussing Jane Byrne, whose story is part of the upcoming season of Chicago Stories on WTTW. With me to discuss Byrne…
A short promo for episode 315 of the podcast about the mysterious death of Marshall Field Jr. Listen here of wherever you enjoy podcasts: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1022374/8990978-episode-315-mysterious-death-of-marshall-field-jr-the #Chicago #ChicagoHistory #MarshallField #MysteriousDeaths #DroneFootage
It started out as a search for info about his ancestors and turned into a book detailing one Illinois infantry’s involvement in the war that pit the United States of America against the Confederate States of America. This is my discussion with Jason B. Baker, author of Chicago to Appomattox:…
It is without a doubt one of the most amazing urban-built waterfronts anywhere, and it is right here in Chicago. In their book Lakefront: Public Trust and Private Rights in Chicago, authors Joseph D. Kearney and Thomas W. Merrill do a deep dive into how this wonderful area along Lake…
"Mother Chicago: Truant Dreams and Specters Over the Gilded Age" has been called by Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan “one of the most revelatory, provocative, frightening books I've ever read about Chicago." Enjoy my interview with the book's author, Martin Billheimer. "Mother Chicago: Truant Dreams and Specters Over The Gilded…
Geoffrey Baer and Eddie Griffin are back to discuss "Beyond Chicago From The Air," their latest project for WTTW. This new project, a follow-up to last year's "Chicago From The Air," offers fun facts and fascinating history as exhilarating drone photography captures towns, parks, railroads, waterways, monuments, and more in…
Charlie Trotter was one of Chicago's first culinary bad boys, paving the way for the celebrity chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay. Today I'm talking with Rebecca Halpern, the director of Love, Charlie, the documentary about chef Charlie Trotter that the Chicago Sun-Times’ film critic Richard Roeper calls “one…
The box of old VHS tapes brought us this from Christmas Eve 1999. Chris Boden (with Katherine Bliss) discuss the Year In Sports on channel 2 - WBBM-TV Chicago. #Ditka #NancyKerrigan
Old VHS stuff yielded this from December 24, 1999 - the CBS News Crew - Lester Holt, Linda MacLennan, Steve Baskerville, and the late great Tim Weigel.
From the box of my grandfather's old VHS tapes, here's a commercial for the Nutcracker performed by the Joffrey Ballet at the Auditorium Theater Chicago - December 24 1999.
From the box of Grandpa's Les' old VHS tapes. This was part of the Christmas Eve 1999 broadcast of "An American Christmas" starring Joe Morton and Hayden Panattierre. Jeffrey Radford, music director of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, leads an exuberant, 250-member choral ensemble that combines classical European…
From an old box of VHS tapes, here is a commercial that ran on NBC Chicago's Thanksgiving Day broadcast of "Home Alone." This one features a quick glimpse of Ron Magers and Carol Marin and a lot of Lisa Parker, who had just joined NBC 5 as a consumer investigative…
