Chicago History Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Some EXTRAS from my conversation with Mark Guarino, author of "Country and Midwestern." If you haven't listened to the main episode yet, look for episode 612 from April 1, 2023 and give that a listen first. Buy the book from the University of Chicago Press. Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you...

Send us Fan Mail One On Every Corner looks at the history of Chicago bars and the neighborhoods that surround them. This episode was recorded at Sidetrack in Northalsted with Mike McMains. Check out the in-person and virtual Tours with Mike - https://tourswithmike.com/ Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Leave me a voice message - jus...

Send us Fan Mail Author Mark Guarino 's book "Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country and the Folk Revival" tells the untold story of the vital role Chicago played in the rise of prewar country music, the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s, and the contemporary offspring of those scenes. Recorded at Carol's Pub in Chicago. Buy the book from the University of...

Send us Fan Mail She was born in Chicago into a wealthy family in the late 1800s and would go on to change the way forensic investigators do their jobs. Today we’re discussing Frances Glessner Lee, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Deaths, and Crime Scene Investigation. Glessner House - https://www.glessnerhouse.org/ Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffe...

Send us Fan Mail Geoffrey Baer is back to discuss his latest WTTW special "The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago." WTTW Special - https://video.wttw.com/video/the-most-beautiful-places-in-chicago-hkr5he/ 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 corner here:...

Send us Fan Mail In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Communist Party in Chicago encouraged black women working in sweat shops to stand up for themselves and strike for better wages, better working conditions, and more. Today we’re talking about the Black Women’s Worker Strikes of the 1930s. Read more about author Melissa A. Ford here: https://melissafordphd.com/ Special thanks to the Black Metr...

Send us Fan Mail Many towns in the Chicago area were established to be all-white, keeping out Blacks, Asians, Jews, Native Americans, and others, allowing minorities to work in those towns but not live there. Those individuals also needed to be gone by sundown. Find all things Ernest Crim III at ernestcrim.com . Signed copies of Mr. Crim's book “The ABC’s of Affirming Black Children" can...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode comes courtesy of Tony Thaxton, host of " Bizarre Albums ," a podcast devoted to exploring music's weirder side. And let's be honest - the Chicago Bears dancing and rapping? Pretty weird. Support 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 lowe...

Send us Fan Mail  One On Every Corner looks at the history of Chicago bars and the neighborhoods that surround them. This episode was recorded at Simon's on Clark Street in Andersonville with Robert Loerzel. 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 corner here:...

Send us Fan Mail The workers were on Lake Michigan, a mile and a half from shore, when the fire started. Today we’re talking about the 71st Street Crib Disaster of 1909. Support 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 corner here: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Up your cocktail or S...

Send us Fan Mail Each accused of unrelated murders, two real-life Chicago women in the 1920s use the media to garner support for themselves in order to avoid prison. Their stories inspired one of the longest-running musicals of all time. 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 r...

Send us Fan Mail Come check out GMan Tavern for yourself! https://gmantavern.com/ Chicago The Musical at the CIBC Theatre: https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/tickets/order-tickets/ 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 Affili...

Send us Fan Mail Chicago has seen some terrible winter weather over the years, with some of those icy storms bringing the city that works to a screeching halt. 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 Up your cocktail or Sodast...

Send us Fan Mail Author Connie Fairbanks joins me to discuss her book "Chicago's West Loop: Then and Now." Purchase the book from the author: https://www.conniefairbanks.com/ Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3BzEPxt 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...

Send us Fan Mail There had never been a murder in Kenilworth, just north of Chicago, until September 18, 1966, when 21-year-old Valerie Percy, the daughter of Chicago politician and businessman Charles Percy, was slain. If you have information about this crime, please contact the Kenilworth Police Department at 847-251-2141. Want to help support the show? Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee....

Send us Fan Mail Vampires? A Devil-Child? Mobsters coming back from the dead? Only in 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 Up your cocktail game for the holidays with Portland craft syrups! https://portlandsyrups.c...

Send us Fan Mail While I'm busy researching the last two episodes of the current season, I didn't want to leave you hanging, so please enjoy episode one of "If The Walls Could Talk," about the tangled history and the true crimes that brought down Chicago’s Edgewater Hospital. https://ifthewallscouldtalkpodcast.com/ Special thanks to Todd, Stephani, and Teresita Basa. You can bi...

Send us Fan Mail More stories from Chicago's Seedy Motel Row.  If you haven't listened to the original episode, please do so now. Help support the show for the cost of a cup of 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 Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The rise of motels along Chicago’s landscape brought many things – convenience, freedom, less expensive lodging than fancy hotels downtown – but in some areas, it also brought crime. Today we’re talking about Chicago’s Seedy Motel Row. Long Haul Productions audio interview with area motel residents in 2000: https://soundcloud.com/longhaulpro/lincoln_ave_motels Want to help support...

Send us Fan Mail Today I’ve got three Chicago History Mini episodes for you, including the Hoosier Slide, Clara Peller, and G.V. Black 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 s...

Send us Fan Mail 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 stuf...

Send us Fan Mail 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....

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 s...