Some of the most successful record companies headed by African Americans over the last century were started right here in the greatest city in the world. Today we’re discussing Chicago’s Black-Owned Record Labels (Part One).…
The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 showcased the people and cultures from 46 countries on 690 acres of land south of downtown Chicago a little more than 20 years after the Great Fire of 1871 decimated the city. 27 mill…
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…
In 1855, when city policies in Chicago threatened to interfere with livelihood of German and Irish immigrant saloon owners and the consumption of beer by immigrants on their one day off, a full-on uprising was not far behind…
In 1988, two attractive young students attending a prominent suburban Chicago religious school disappeared, setting off a frenzied search that lasted months before the truth about what happened to them was revealed. Enjoy th…
In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, Chicago was plagued by fires that had one key thing in common – they took place at often unsafe, downtrodden hotels, injuring and even killing those who were already down on their l…
It is the venue by the lake that has hosted music concerts, religious events, civil rights protests, sports competitions, and much more for nearly 100 years. In this episode we tackle Soldier Field. Show some love for the po…
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. M…
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…
Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan called Mother Chicago: Truant Dreams and Specters Over the Gilded Age “one of the most revelatory, provocative, frightening books I've ever read about Chicago." In this episode, I talk with …
On October 20, 1974, one of the biggest heists in U.S. history happened here in Chicago. This is the story of the Great Purolator Armored Express Heist. Chi-Outreach Holiday Gift-Away - Make a difference this holiday to thos…
An EXTRAS episode - a few more stories about The Beatles in Chicago from John F. Lyons, author of "Joy and Fear: The Beatles, Chicago and The 1960s" that didn't make the original episode (#314). Be sure to check out that one…
In November of 2020, Chicago’s WTTW debuted a new special called Chicago From The Air , narrated by Geoffrey Baer and produced by Eddie Griffin. Utilizing drones and the skills of local pilots, Chicago From The Air gave view…
Jack Johnson not only became the first African 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 clo…
2020 marked the 60th anniversary of one of the biggest stories of police misconduct Chicago had ever seen up until then, shocking residents and even city officials. Today we’re discussing The Summerdale Police Scandal. Parad…
There are approximately 1,500 shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Michigan. Of those lost, none resulted in as great a loss of life as the one that went down on September 8, 1860, off the shores north of the city of Chicago. To…
They called me many things… “Monster,” “The Man Without A Soul,” “Hammer Man.” My name is Henry Spencer and this is the story of the Tango Teacher Murder. Paradise Square at the Nederlander Theatre in Chicago - November 2nd …
The Sears Tower (now WIllis Tower) was once the tallest building in the world and is easily the most recognizable building in Chicago, but that building was not the first Sears Tower. In this episode we're discussing the Ori…
Charlie Trotter was Chicago's culinary bad-boy, paving the way for the celebrity chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay. Today I'm talking with Rebecca Halpern, the director of the documentary about chef Charlie Trott…
On this Great Chicago Fire-themed episode we discuss one home not destroyed by the fire – the Ogden mansion – and learn little more about the person who once owned it, what happened to that area immediately after the fire, a…
A two-in-one episode! First I talk with local author Kate Hannigan about her book The Great Chicago Fire: Rising From the Ashes , and then I share some stories from the Great Chicago Fire you may not have heard before. Kate …
For many coming into the city from the west, the drive on the Eisenhower Expressway under that massive building at Van Buren is truly a sight to behold, but few seem to know much about its history. Today we’re talking about …
When it was built, it was called the “largest, safest, and modern hotel west of New York City,” but when a fire broke out there one early June morning, dozens of lives were senselessly lost. Today we’re talking about the LaS…
Thomas Edison called him “one of the greatest businessmen in the USA.” He was a self-made mogul who amassed enormous wealth while bringing electricity and more to the masses and helped get the Civic Opera House in Chicago bu…
