Episodes

Halloween is coming! Enjoy this episode about Chicago's ghoulish past, including tales of forgotten cemeteries, grave robbers, mob graveyards, and more. Love the podcast? Leave us a review! https://lovethepodcast.com/chicagohistorypod Hidden Truths: https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/ Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase helps support the podcast): https://www.teepublic.com/user/chicago-history-podcast https://teespring.com/stores/chicago-history-podcast Chic...

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Lincoln Park had a “High Bridge” which rose 75 feet over the south lagoon water. As much appeal to sightseers as the big beautiful bridge had, it also had a dark appeal, quickly earning it the dubious name “Suicide Bridge.” Viking Ship at Good Templar Park in Geneva, IL: https://vikingship.us/tours-of-viking/ Love the podcast? Leave us a review! https://lovethepodcast.com/chicagohistorypod Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase he...

On a cold day in 1932, a Chicago cop named William Lundy was gunned down at a speakeasy in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Two men were sent to prison for the crime, but did prosecutors get the right men? 11 years later, a classified ad placed in the newspaper by the mother of one of the men blew this case wide open. The is the story of Joe Majczek, Tillie Majczek, and Ted Marcinkiewicz. Love the podcast? Leave us a review! https://lovethepodcast.com/chicagohistorypod Chicago History Podca...

The Ferris Wheel, a marvel of engineering, first appeared at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This is the story of what happened to the wheel after the fair closed. Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase helps support the podcast): https://www.teepublic.com/user/chicago-history-podcast https://teespring.com/stores/chicago-history-podcast Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-1074...

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 Chicago's Teen Rock Clubs of the 60’s. Additional Reading (using these links to purchase these items helps support the podcast): The Who: Concert File by Joe McMichael and "Irish" Jack Lyons Kindle - https://amzn.to/34YBSqA Paperback - https://amzn.to/2YVDpd5 The Chicago Musi...

On this episode we discuss a few things you may not know about Labor Day and Chicago’s role in how Labor Day as a holiday came to be. Additional Reading (your purchase using the links below helps support the podcast): Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America by James Green (Paperback edition) - https://amzn.to/356LGiz (Kindle edition) - https://amzn.to/2QUtArN The Haymarket Tragedy by Paul Avrich (Paperback edition) -...

That beautiful fountain on Columbus Drive that you see when driving on Lake Shore Drive has an amazing history behind it. This is the story of the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, Clarence's sister Kate, and Edward H. Bennett, the architect behind it. Edward H. Bennett Digital Collection: http://edwardbennett.lakeforest.edu/exhibits/show/edward--h--bennett-collection-/chicago/grant-park http://edwardbennett.lakeforest.edu/bennettexhibit Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com...

This is the story of "Big Bill" Thompson, a bigger-than-life character who served as Chicago mayor for three terms and is viewed as one of the most corrupt politicians Chicago has ever seen. Further reading (purchasing these items through these links help support our efforts): "City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth To Modern Chicago" by Gary Krist (https://amzn.to/3g0okNa) "Big Bill of Chicago" by Lloyd Wendt and Herman Kogan (https://amzn.to/310OJq4) "Big Bill Thompson...

In 1962, three of the country's top entertainers traveled to a venue at 2855 N. Milwaukee Ave. near Northbrook to perform for a who's who of Mafia notables. This is the story of Villa Venice. Additional Reading (your purchase through these links helps support the show): "Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro” by Thomas Maier (https://amzn.to/2PzmdoS) "Sinatra: The Chairman" by James Kaplan (https://amzn.to/2EWh9sw) "Mafia Princess: Growing Up in Sam Giancana's Fam...

There was a time you could sit in your car and watch a movie on a giant screen. Crazy, I know. Wait - what? Drive-ins still exist? In this episode we discuss drive-in movies and their history in the Chicagoland area. Additional Reading: Drive-in Theaters: A History from Their Inception in 1933 by Kerry Seagrave (https://amzn.to/2EsQjbv) Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https:/...

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. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Chicago History P...

It should have been a fun day of picnicking for workers at a local company but it quickly turned into chaos and death in the Chicago river in what is one of the worst accidents and loss of life on the Great Lakes. This is the story of the Eastland Disaster. Augmented Reality App: https://chicago00.org/ Suggested reading: Capsized! The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster by Patricia Sutton The Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy by Jay Bonansinga http://www.eastlanddisa...

Jay's Foods - from humble beginnings to becoming a snack food empire, their Jay's Potato Chips have been a longtime favorite created here in Chicago. This is the story of founder Leonard Japp's rise to the top. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks@gmail.com) and on https:/...

The building looks like a castle and includes a history of bombs (both literal and theatrical ones), fine dining, fires, award-winning plays, extortion, and many other ups and downs over an 80-year history. Listen to learn more about The Ivanhoe Restaurant and Theater. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Help support the Chicago Histor...

Chicago is the city that claims to be first in regards to many things. This episode has a bit of that but also stories about the first time certain events happened in the windy city. The band Nirvana's first visit to Chicago, the first ski resort in Chicago city limits, the first film studio established by an African American, the first animal cartoon, and more! Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitte...

It is a film that tops many Chicagoans’ lists of their favorite movies shot mainly here in the second city and most certainly is a huge part of Chicago history. Today, June 20th, 2020, marks the 40th Anniversary of the release of the much-loved film. In this episode we look at The Blues Brothers – not just the making of the movie, but the creation of the iconic characters known as Jake and Elwood Blues, and their indelible mark on pop culture and Chicago history. Chicago History Podcast (chica...

Was she a good girl gone bad, as some news reports would have you believe, or was Wanda Stopa a naïve, lovestruck woman taken advantage of by an older man? Either way, this is a story that rocked Chicago's news in April of 1924, when the youngest female attorney in Chicago's history got into a cab with murder on her mind. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.c...

Sure, Chicago has the National Hockey League's much loved Chicago Blackhawks and also the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves, but what about that OTHER Chicago hockey team? Today's we're discussing the Chicago Cougars, a short-lived team from the World Hockey Association in the 1970s! Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Chicago His...

It was an innovative idea in its day - a 200 store indoor shopping center 35 miles outside of Chicago with a 31-ride amusement park in the middle. Unfortunately, once you throw in costly delays, waning attendance, lackluster store selection, competition, and a trapeze death, that's when trouble starts. This is the story of Old Chicago, billed at the time as the "world's first enclosed combination theme park and shopping center," which in five years went from the next big thing to bust. Chicago...

You don't always have to be first, but when you are it certainly feels good. Chicago has had its share of firsts. The first skyscraper? Built in Chicago. The first female police officer? Chicago again. The first moving walkway? Chicago in 1893. Hear more details about these and other instances in which Chicago has led the way as well as a handful of other "first" stories. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 http...

Chicago has a long history with beer and breweries. Starting in 1881 and continuing for over 80 years, one street in Chicago was home to many breweries that experienced a number of highs and some might agree even more lows. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (jschneider152@gmail.com) and...

One building, nearly 25 years of amazing concerts and the start of many successful bands. Episode Three of the Chicago History Podcast looks at Tuts and Avalon, two clubs that occupied the second floor of a building in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood between 1978 and 1994. Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Psychedelic Furs, Material Issue, Stone Temple Pilots, Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds, Brand New Heavies, Violent Femmes, Tragically Hip, Arrested Development, Los Lobos, and...

For 25 years, one building housed some of Chicago's most interesting music venues. In this episode, we'll discuss the first rock club at that address and how Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet, and many, many others added to this amazing part of the city's history. Music from the Quiet Knight era's performers (1969-1969) can be found on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/26CZG0poDTThLh5DYmlTlA?si=RG9-WenLSJC-bfns2GAOew Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod...

Before Walgreens became its current occupant, the northwest corner of Dearborn and Division in Chicago was home to storied movie theaters for over 70 years. Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com): https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://twitter.com/chicago_pod https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (jschneider152@gmail.com) and on https://www.instagram.com/angeleyesartjks/ Like, subscribe, an...