Curious City

Without Native Americans, Would We Have Chicago As We Know It? 12.11.2017 12:45 ↓

Names like Marquette and Joliet are cited in history books. But it was Native Americans who first set Chicago on a path to develop into a major metropolis.

Don't Believe The Height! Why Chicago Suburb Names Flat Out Lie About Their Elevation 05.11.2017 11:43 ↓

From Chicago Heights to Mount Prospect, here's why Chicago suburb names flat out lie about their elevation.

Why Chicago's Chinatown Is Practically Invisible On Apartment Rental Sites 29.10.2017 7:58 ↓

The listings are there — just in Chinese. Is this a form of discrimination, or a way to preserve a neighborhood's character?

Cycling In Cemeteries? Why Some Chicago Graveyards Are Changing Their Rules About Bicycles 22.10.2017 9:13 ↓

The answer has to do with shifting ideas about bikes and the proper way to mourn the dead.

Which Natural Disasters Are Most Likely To Hit Chicago? 15.10.2017 12:40 ↓

The good news is Chicago probably won’t be hit by hurricanes and earthquakes. But the area is becoming more vulnerable to other disasters.

Do Chicago’s Arab And African-American Muslims Share Mosques? If Not, Why Not? 08.10.2017 17:55 ↓

Chicago area Muslim leaders weigh in, and they open up about what divides and unites the community.

Forest Foresight: Who Created The Cook County Forest Preserves? 01.10.2017 8:25 ↓

Architect Dwight Perkins' ambitious plan to save Chicago's natural landscapes raised a question: Which kinds of nature deserve to be preserved?

Who Came Up With The Iconic Chicago White Sox Look? 24.09.2017 8:50 ↓

The brainchild of a 22-year-old executive, the White Sox look hit a home run with fans and, half a century later, rappers.

The Cha-Cha Slide And More: Which Dances Were Invented In Chicago? 17.09.2017 12:19 ↓

Don your dancing shoes as we track down the Chicago band members, musicians, and dancers who helped create five iconic moves.

Baring It All: Why Boys Swam Naked In Chicago High Schools 10.09.2017 12:29 ↓

John Connors says swimming naked in high school gym class was “torture.” Curious City looks at why schools enforced the policy for decades.

Chicago's Forgotten Civil War Prison Camp 03.09.2017 13:25 ↓

Camp Douglas’ deadly reputation was kept in shadows but now there’s a surprising movement to bring it to light.

Push Carts, Popsicles, And Patience: How To Be A Paletero In Chicago 27.08.2017 8:33 ↓

Being a paleta vendor may seem like a sweet life, but we learned that selling Mexican popsicles is anything but a walk on the beach.

City Of Big Agriculture: Here Are The Crops Chicago Was Once Famous For 20.08.2017 8:41 ↓

The city deserves cred as an industrial giant, but it was also the first city of flowers, a pickle powerhouse and the heart of American celery.

What Happened To Chicago’s Japanese Neighborhood? 13.08.2017 12:46 ↓

Lake View once had a thriving Japanese community, but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: “You had to basically be unseen.”

Chicago Bathhouses: A Century Of Sanitation, Sex And Sweat 06.08.2017 12:36 ↓

A quick tour of places where residents would chill, get clean and — sometimes — get down.

Is Notoriously Segregated Chicago Becoming More Integrated? 30.07.2017 12:45 ↓

On paper, Chicago is more integrated than it was a few decades ago. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Carl Sandburg's Chicago: The Places, People, And Events That Shaped His Writing 23.07.2017 13:39 ↓

From 1912 to 1930, the famous poet and writer lived and worked in the Chicago area. Step back in time to experience Sandburg's Chicago.

Why Chicago Lightning Bugs Light Up One Neighborhood But Not the Next 16.07.2017 4:35 ↓

A listener’s nostalgia for catching lightning bugs as a kid lead her to wonder: Are there any left these days? Our experts say they’re around, just really, really fickle.

How Chicago Beaches Get and Keep That Nice Fine Sand 09.07.2017 8:30 ↓

Here’s why you shouldn’t take that "sand between your toes" experience for granted!

Chicago's Best Stargazing Spots 02.07.2017 9:05 ↓

Chicago's notorious light pollution hides the stars, but here's where you have a fighting chance to peek at the heavens.

Welcome Back, Otters: Could The River Otter Call Chicago's Loop Home? 25.06.2017 8:17 ↓

Forty years ago, it would have been nearly impossible to find an otter in Illinois, never mind Chicago. Today, could they be here to stay?

The Meaning Of Boystown: A Conversation About Chicago's LGBTQ Neighborhood 18.06.2017 18:54 ↓

A multi-generational panel talks about what the neighborhood means to them and where they see its future.

Chicago's Architectural Clues Reveal How We Live 11.06.2017 13:07 ↓

We look at eight building features and what each reveals about how society and urban life has changed over the years.

Building Skyscrapers on Chicago's Swampy Soil 28.05.2017 8:42 ↓

Engineers once compared Chicago’s soggy soil to jelly cake. How did they build a forest of skyscrapers on it?

Rubber Stamp Aldermen: Why Does Chicago City Council Always Vote For What The Mayor Wants? 21.05.2017 9:03 ↓

Most aldermen almost always vote with the mayor, but that's starting to change.