Chicago History Podcast

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 pa...

Send us Fan Mail 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 c...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Show some love for the podcast for a one-time cost of a cup of coffee and help offset produc...

Send us Fan Mail It is one of the most-consumed food items in the Windy City - today we're talking Chicago hot dogs. 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 Anything pu...

Send us Fan Mail 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. 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 gi...

Send us Fan Mail 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.podpa...

Send us Fan Mail 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 producti...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 (an...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicag...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Bally's got their start here in Chicago. Have a listen! https://chicago.citycast.fm/ Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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. Plan a visit to the Edgewater Historical Society and see more on the Edgewater Beach Hotel: http://www.e...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chic...

Send us Fan Mail Like something out of a Michael Bay movie, a crash in downtown Chicago became America’s first civil aviation catastrophe. Today we’re discussing the Wingfoot Express Air Disaster of 1919. 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 th...

Send us Fan Mail It is one of the most popular tourist destinations not only in Chicago but in all of Illinois, although its use has changed numerous times since it was built more than 100 years ago. Today we’re talking about the history of Navy Pier. 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...

Send us Fan Mail They were some of the biggest comic actors of their time, influencing comedians for generations to come. Today we’re talking about the Marx Brothers in Chicago. We’ll also talk about what happened to some of the places the Marx Brothers frequented back in the Chicago area during their time here. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset product...

Send us Fan Mail It has been called “eighty acres of Hell” and was one of the deadliest Confederate prisons of the Civil War. Today’s we’re talking about Chicago’s Notorious Camp Douglas. 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 - throug...

Send us Fan Mail It was a two BILLION dollar catastrophe without a single fatality that brought portions of the city to a standstill. Today’s we’re talking about the Great Chicago Flood of 1992. 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 -...

Send us Fan Mail She worked on John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, was guided through Chicago politics by 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 is the producer and writer of the episode, Rachel Pikelny, and the executive producer of Chica...

Send us Fan Mail 45 years ago, one of the most horrifying transportation accidents in Chicago happened downtown at the height of rush hour. This is the story of the CTA Derailment of 1977. 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 - throu...