Chicago History Podcast

Send us Fan Mail He served as a Chicago policeman for more than 32 years and was Chicago’s chief of police for four, but Francis O’Neill is probably better known for his efforts in preserving the music of his homeland. Today we’re talking about Police Chief Francis O’Neill – Chicago’s Savior of Irish Music. Chicago History Podcast blogs for episodes can be found at chicagohistorypod.com . Show som...

Send us Fan Mail It was called “The Madhouse on Madison” and had the reputation as being “The Loudest Arena in the NBA,” but this venue hosted much more than just some of the most memorable sports events in the city’s history and had an unusual history behind the scenes as well. Today we’re discussing the Chicago Stadium. Chicago History Podcast blogs for episodes can be found at chicagohistorypod...

Send us Fan Mail In what was then primarily farmlands 39 miles outside of Chicago, a gun battle erupted between federal law enforcement agents and an outlaw on the run, resulting in chaos and death. This is the story of Baby Face Nelson and The Battle of Barrington. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicago...

Send us Fan Mail Chicago's Black-Owned Record Labels (Part Two) looks at Rhumboogie Records, a short-lived label in the 1940s, and Vee-Jay Records, credited with introducing records by The Beatles to America. Special guest: author John F. Lyons. Chicago History Podcast blogs for episodes can be found at chicagohistorypod.com . Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and...

Send us Fan Mail 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). Chicago History Podcast blogs for episodes can be found at chicagohistorypod.com . Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help off...

Send us Fan Mail 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 million people visited the World’s Fair at a time when the country’s population was not quite 63 million, proving to all that Chicago had truly risen from the ashe...

Send us Fan Mail 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 my discussion with Jason B. Baker, author of Chicago to Appomattox: The 39th Illinois Infantry in the Civil War . Chicago to Appomattox: The 39th Illinois Inf...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Amazon Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - through these links helps benefit the show): Great Chicago Beer Riot: How Lager Struck A Blo...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Want to start a podcast of your own? Do it through Buzzsprout like I did and you can get a $20 gift card! https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=968401 Show some love...

Send us Fan Mail 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, threadbare hotels, injuring and even killing those who were already down on their luck. This is the story of Chicago’s Skid Row Flophouse Fires. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: h...

Send us Fan Mail 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 podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Up your cocktail game with Portland craft s...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Merrill do a deep dive into how this wonderful area along Lake Michigan came about. Enjoy. The more in-depth YouTube version can be found here: https://youtu.be...

Send us Fan Mail 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 coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Up your cocktail or Sodastream game with Portland craft syrups! https:/...

Send us Fan Mail 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 the book's author, Martin Billheimer, about the Chicago Parental School, Chicago's Tuberculosis Sanitarium, the Dunning Asylum, and much mo...

Send us Fan Mail On October 20, 1974, one of the biggest vault thefts in U.S. history happened here in Chicago. This is the story of the Great Purolator Armored Express Heist. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Up your cocktail game for the holidays with Portland craft syrups! https://portland...

Send us Fan Mail 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 as well as episode 217. To purchase John's book and support a local author (and possibly generate a small commission for the podcast at no...

Send us Fan Mail 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 viewers a unique look at places many of us know but have never seen from above. Geoffrey Baer and Eddie Griffin are back with Beyond Chicago From The Air , which d...

Send us Fan Mail Jack Johnson not only became the first Black 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 closure. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Up your cockta...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Enjoy the podcast? Leave us a review! https://lovethepodcast.com/chicagohistorypod Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset pr...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Today’s we’re discussing the “Titanic of the Great Lakes” – the Sinking of the Lady Elgin. Enjoy the podcast? Leave us a review! https://lovethepodcast.com/chica...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Up your cocktail game for the holidays with Portland craft syrups! https://portlandsyr...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Original Sears Tower. Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 Here is...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Trotter called "Love, Charlie." See the film here on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hTs4H9 YouTube Version of this interview: https://youtu.be/A2VXXdf...

Send us Fan Mail 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, and what is on that site now. 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 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 Hannigan books, including The Great Chicago Fire: Rising From the Ashes https://smile.amazon.com/Kate-Hannigan/e/B004FZVPA0/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1 Enj...