Episodes

Structures get torn down in Chicago all the time, but what about the buildings that just... become something else? 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 lower right corner here: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - through these links helps benefit the show): Fodor's Chicago (Full-Color Travel Guide) https://amzn.to/3dgxHgF St...

Extras from episode 513 - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s. A little more on the 1960s TUF Squad, Jimmy Davern and the Decoy Squad, "Too Pretty To Be A Cop" Virginia Cronk, and two listener calls from relatives of Dr. Julius Spiro. Want to leave me a voice message? Go to www.chicagohistorypod.com and click on the microphone in the lower right corner. Your message may be used on a future episode. Show some love for the podcast for a one-time cost of a cup of coffee and help offset ...

In the second half of the 1960s, a series of explosive devices began showing up on the south side of Chicago, some of them with lethal outcomes. Were these from a series of unrelated pranks or were they the work of a serial bomber? 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 lower right corner here: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuf...

Rough and tumble doesn't begin to describe Chicago in the 1850s and 1860s. 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 lower right corner here: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Read Bygone Days in Chicago; Recollections of the "Garden city" of the Sixties by Frederick Francis Cook - Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just th...

Today we are circling back for another look at the renaming of Chicago! 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 lower right corner here: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - through these links helps benefit the show): Streetwise Chicago: A History of Chicago Street Names by Don Hayner https://amzn.to/3ckFOIy Streetwise Laminate...

To create a new paradise on Earth, all you have to do is eliminate everyone and start again. This is the story of R.I.S.E. - The Plot To Poison Chicago's Water Supply. Show some love for the podcast for a one-time cost of a cup of coffee : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs. Books: History Lover's Guide To Chicago, A by Greg Borzo https://amzn.to...

1996 was a crazy year. Hurricanes, plane explosions, Olympic bombings - maybe that's why the story of a gorilla saving a child near Chicago was so popular. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Want to leave me a voice message? Click on the microphone at the bottom of the page at this link: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Amazon Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - throug...

There was a LIVE Chicago History Podcast Trivia Night on August 2, 2022, and I have edited a handful of questions and answers from that event for your enjoyment. Keep track in your head how many questions you get right. Looking for Chicago-themed gift ideas AND a way to help the show? https://www.podpage.com/chicago-history-podcast/support/ Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Podcast art by J...

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 Amazon Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - through these links helps benefit the show): BOOKS: Beachcombing at Miramar: The Quest for an Authentic Life by Richard Bode https://amzn...

One man was robbed more than 190 times, knocked unconscious at least four times, and had an eardrum burst aboard Chicago’s L, each time with Chicago cops nearby watching, all in the name of public transportation safety. This is the story of Chicago’s Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970’s. Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (July 19-31, 2022): https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/jesus-christ-superstar/ Show some love for the podcast for a one-time cost of a cup of coffee an...

It is one of the most-consumed food items in the Windy City - today we're talking Chicago hot dogs. Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (July 19-31, 2022): https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/jesus-christ-superstar/ Jack McBrayer and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the Wiener's Circle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33zPlnhymCU Show some love for the podcast for a one-time cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory A...

After two amazing World's Fairs in the city's history, why not try for a third? This is the story of Chicago's World's Fair of 1992. Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (July 19-31, 2022): https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/jesus-christ-superstar/ Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podca...

A man-made island that hosted a World’s Fair and was the site of a controversial move by former mayor Richard M. Daley in 2003 before becoming a city park? In this episode we’re discussing Chicago’s Northerly Island and Meigs Field. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Lakefront: Public Trust and Private Rights in Chicago by Joseph D. Kearney and Thomas W. Merrill https://amzn.to/3my1eDF (Hard...

There wasn’t a more effective police officer on the force during his tenure, and if anyone back then didn’t believe it, they could just ask him. Today we’re discussing Clifton R. Wooldridge, Chicago’s Real-Life Sherlock Holmes. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Looking for gift ideas for the history nerd in your life AND a way to help the show? https://www.podpage.com/chicago-history-podcas...

The 100th anniversary of the most violent labor battle in the U.S. is June 22, 2022. This is the story of the Herrin Coal Massacre of 1922. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Looking for gift ideas for the history nerd in your life AND a way to help the show? https://www.podpage.com/chicago-history-podcast/support/ Amazon Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - through thes...

One of the best known radio disc jockeys in Chicago's history is the subject of a new documentary - The Dick Biondi Film. The film's director, Pam Pulice, is working on raising funds to finish the film and has an event this Thursday (June 16th) if you're a fan of classic cars, rock and roll, and supporting Pam's creative efforts. https://www.dickbiondifilm.com/ Cruisin' With The Legends of Rock (Homer Glen, IL - June 16th 5pm-9pm) https://fb.me/e/2GzeIufe9

It isn’t the oldest one or the largest one in America, but the awesome one here in Chicago does have a fascinating history. Today we’re discussing the Lincoln Park Zoo. Looking for gift ideas for dads and grads AND a way to help the show? https://www.podpage.com/chicago-history-podcast/support/ 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 you buy - not just this stuff ...

It was supposed to be a leisurely day spent on the beach along Lake Michigan by three friends, but before the sun set, the trio of women had vanished. This is the story of the Missing Sunbathers of the Indiana Dunes. Looking for gift ideas for dads and grads? https://www.podpage.com/chicago-history-podcast/support/ 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 you buy -...

In June 1987, director Brian De Palma’s gangster-themed film set in Chicago was released to movie theaters. In this episode, Chicago History Podcast At The Movies looks at the 35th anniversary of “The Untouchables.” 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 you buy - not just this stuff - through these links helps benefit the show): The Untouchables (1987 - 4K, Blu-...

A Chicago baseball team that at times drew bigger crowds than the White Sox and the Cubs? This is the story of the most dominant team in black baseball for more than twenty years and the man who led them – Rube Foster and the Chicago American Giants. To Kill A Mockingbird is at Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre until May 29th. Get tickets here: https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/to-kill-a-mockingbird/ Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset product...

A local gal who worked at the Edgewater before becoming a singing sensation and the Edgewater Beach Hotel's connection to the Edgewater Hospital, with special guest Todd M. Ganz. Todd and Stephani Young hosted the podcast If The Walls Could Talk, which does a deep dive into Chicago's Edgewater Hospital and details a history involving Medicare fraud, unnecessary surgeries, mentally ill people being bussed in from other parts of the city, embezzlement, suicides, and worse. I interviewed Todd and S...

On Wednesday, 5/11, I was a guest on the City Cast Chicago podcast discussing the 90 year history of Bally's (pinball, slot machines, arcade games, Six Flags, casinos, and Bally's Total Fitness) and how that all got started here in Chicago. Have a listen!

It was known as the Queen of the Lakefront, a resort hotel unlike any other, offering guests luxury and entertainment by some of the day’s biggest stars. Sadly, for all its splendor, its time in Chicago was cut far too short. Today we’re talking about the Edgewater Beach Hotel. To Kill A Mockingbird is coming to Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre. Get tickets here: https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/to-kill-a-mockingbird/ Plan a visit to the Edgewater Historical Society and see more on t...

They called him “The Oil King” and the “New Rockefeller.” He was charming, generous, the life of the party, and by all appearances, an astute businessman. But was it all too good to be true? This is the story of Leo Koretz, Chicago’s greatest swindler. To Kill A Mockingbird , coming to Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre. Get tickets here: https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/to-kill-a-mockingbird/ Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production cos...