Curious City

Editor’s Note: This story was first published in 2018. On a warm September night, a gunman walked into a West Side restaurant, greeted the manager, and shot him three times. Hours after the murder, Chicago cops were still trying to figure out if the shooting was gang-related, the Chicago Tribune reported. This may sound a lot like Chicago in 2018. But the murder actually happened in 1936. The alle...

Looking around Chicago today, you won’t find many stink balls or cannons—but did you know the city has ordinances regulating both? When these laws were first passed more than a century ago, aldermen may have believed they posed a real threat. But today, these old laws don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Logan Square resident Ty McCarthy was wondering whether Chicago had any outdated laws on t...

From a statue honoring police to a tribute to Confederate prisoners, these monuments have raised debate over how history is represented.

A Curious City fan asked us about an odd detail on an old Chicago map. Was it really a Native American burial mound?

How a Chicago-area family turned cheap plastic souvenirs into a nostalgia empire.

The light near Chicago Avenue causes mile-long backups. City officials are proposing a solution, but you might be in traffic for a while.

Robert K. Elder would love to decorate the walls in his living room with original paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago. So he was floored when a friend told him that her mom rented two pieces of artwork back in the day.  This was hard for Robert to imagine. Like, what would that even look like? Someone strolling onto Michigan Avenue with a rented Monet stuck in his or her backpack? Cur...

Beach weather one day and freezing rain the next: Chicago weather can be unpredictable, but how do we compare to other cities?

You asked about square slices, where the pepperoni goes, and the origins of the pizza puff. We dish it deep on nine questions you kneaded to know.

Former patients recall the tests, treatments, and trauma nearly 250,000 Chicagoans experienced over the sanitarium's near 60-year-long existence.

More public elementary schools were built in the 1920s than in any other era. Their design reflected new ideas about child development and health.

The village insists a decades-old rule to fight blockbusting   continues to protect a precious suburban commodity: diversity.

For more than 20 years, researchers have tracked how often Americans defend themselves with a gun. So why can’t they agree on an answer?

A family, a dog owner and tenants of a men's hotel explain why the Loop offers a sense of community amid the hustle and bustle.

Eight improvisers who got their start in Chicago explain what draws so many aspiring funny people to the city’s improv scene.

Do the animals go somewhere warm, like Florida? Does the zoo give them coats? We took a behind-the-scene tour of the zoo to find out.

Statues of historic men can be found throughout Chicago’s parks and plazas. But one Curious Citizen wonders, "Where are all the women?"

Tearing down an old home can release dust containing asbestos or lead. Curious City found that Chicago rarely enforces laws meant to minimize contaminant exposure.

Answers to listeners' questions about the mysterious side of Chicago that lies beyond the soaring skyscrapers and the sheen of the Bean.

The City of Chicago employs 20 full-time blacksmiths. But what do they do? And what's with the ancient job title?

A 2015 Senate investigation found that the DOD did in fact pay college sports teams to stage patriotic tributes at games. Curious City finds out whether they still do.

Some wards vote on how to spend some taxpayer money. Does it help spread the wealth or is it just a feel-good exercise?

It took decades for Chicago's first and only female mayor to land an official honor from City Council. Is there a reason it took so long?

Curious City finds out where your poop goes by taking a journey through the Chicago-area sewer system.

The recorder often inflicts squeaky torture on parents. Music teacher Valerie DePriest explains why it became a staple in music education.