Oh, Malort!

In honor of of May Day being the 3rd Aniversary of Oh Malort I am rereleasing this episode about the Haymarket Affair where  Molly McAleer  and I talk about the origin of the 8-hour work day.  Socials:Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram Show Notes:Illinois Labor History Society: The Haymarket AffairEncyclopedia of Chicago History: Haymarket and May DayWTTW: HAYMARKET AFFAIR HANGINGSBritannica: Haymarket A...

Alyssa and David muster all their theatre kid energy to talk about The Merle Reskin Theatre which was a hot topic in the news a few weeks ago and inspired silly outrage.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: WBEZ: Cash-strapped DePaul closes the curtain on Downtown’s historic Reskin Theatre...

In this episode Alyssa and  VanderRob finish their conversation about the absolutely fascinating life of heiress, suffragette, and politician. Ruth Hanna McCormick.  Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: Time: WOMEN: Widow Time: THE CONGRESS: Bucking Female Ruth Hanna McCormick: A Life in Pol...

In this episode Alyssa tells VanderRob about the absolutely fascinating life of heiress, suffragette, and politician. Ruth Hanna McCormick.  Please note this is a two parter.  Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: Time: WOMEN: Widow Time: THE CONGRESS: Bucking Female Ruth Hanna McCormick: A L...

In this episode Alyssa tells Risen about Italo Balbo and the time Chicago had a fascist fever dream.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes:  Chicago Reader: Street honoring fascist Balbo to remain after aldermen cave Chicago Tribune: Chicago cheered as Italo Balbo led a squadron of 24 Italia...

Alyssa tells Vanessa from Reel Relationships about "den mother of the arts" Lois Weisberg.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes:  TimeOut: Life after Lois | Lois Weisberg New York Times: Lois Weisberg, Chicago’s Cultural Connector, Dies at 90 Chicago Magazine: Remembering Lois Weisberg, the...

Alyssa continues telling Morgan about the complicated history of disgraced former Illinois Governor George Ryan. This story is messy but also involves a lot of cameos by unexpected people.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: CNN: George Ryan Fast Facts New York Times: George H. Ryan WTTW:...

Alyssa tells Morgan about the complicated history of disgraced former Illinois Governor George Ryan.  This story is messy but also involves a lot of cameos by unexpected people.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: CNN: George Ryan Fast Facts New York Times: George H. Ryan WTTW: Former Ill...

As we get ready to paint Chicago Green, Alyssa is joined by Risen to tell her the history of St. Patrick' Day celebrations in Chicago.  Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and tell all your friends.  Socials:Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram Show Notes:  WTTW: Labor of Love: A St. Patrick’s Day Special Chicago Tribune: Vintage Chicago Tribune: The city’s St. Patrick’s Day traditions Smithsonian: The Or...

Did Daley steal the 1960 election for JFK?  Or was it the Mob?  Did dead people vote? Alyssa and John sort through fact and fiction regarding allegations of voter fraud.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.   Show Notes: Chicago Magazine: Two Charts Show Chicago Getting More Democratic New York Times:...

Alyssa tells Matt Drufke from Still Not Friday Comedy about the band Chicago. We both learned a lot.  Come for the subject and stay for the digressions.  Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.   Show Notes: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Chicago The Band DNA Info: Daughter's Film Tells Story of the 'Chicago' Gui...

In this episode, Alyssa tells Risen about a Chicago Tradition known as Dibs.  Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: Chicago Tribune: Let’s make a federal case out of dibs Block Club Chicago: How Did Dibs Become A Thing? Thank Chicago’s Worst Blizzard WTTW:  How Did Dibs Become a Chicago Winte...

In this episode Alyssa tells Vanessa from Reel Relationships about an Indiana Blogger named John Kass. Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: Chicago Reader: Be Like Mike Neil Steinberg's Blog: In defense of John Kass Chicago Reader: Mission accomplished: John Kass has been deplatformed Chicag...

Alyssa tells Hugh about the Weather Underground.   Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠BlueSky⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠.  Show Notes: ⁠Time: Protest: The Disruptive Dozen⁠ ⁠Chicago Tribune: DAYS OF RAGE NOW MORE LIKE A CONVULSION THAT BECAME BLIP IN HISTORY⁠ ⁠WTTW: Days of Rage⁠ ⁠New York Times: Bernardine Dohrn Gives Up To Author...

Some people know exactly what the “parking meter deal” refers to but for others this might be a new idea.  Alyssa breaks down the timeline of events which has been dubbed “a lesson in worse practices.”  That is an understatement. Come for the mismanagment stay for the irony. Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Ins...

In this episode, Alyssa is joined by John Zinn to discuss what some call the biggest scandal in Chicago Police Department history.  We end fanaticizing about the story getting the Ryan Murphy treatment.  Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes:  Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago To Serve and Col...

In 1999, under pressure from an activist priest, the City of Chicago Police and Fire Committee invited talk show host Jerry Springer to a hearing regarding violence on his show.  Spoiler, it didn’t go well for Burke and the gang.  Come for the government inefficiency stay for the schadenfreude.  Alyssa is joined by her college roomate Pam to mock this circus.  Support the show by subscribing, leav...

Morgan joins Alyssa to talk about Van der Rohe V Fansworth which is case of contract law.  Show Notes: Chicago Magazine: Remembering the Farnsworth House Feud WTTW: Mies van der Rohe Architectural Record: A Second Look at Edith Farnsworth and Her Mies van der Rohe–Designed Retreat Architect Magazine: The Farnsworth House on Trial New York Times: When Mies van der Rohe Went on Trial WBEZ: Who was t...

To celebrate NYE, Alyssa and John combined their knowledge of performing arts venue management and recorded an impromptu episode to discuss the dumpster fire that is the Kennedy Center.  These people are incompetent and seemingly hate the arts. Grenell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Alyssa tells Risen about Y2K Chicago Style.  This episode takes some surprising twists and turns and 2025 makes more sense. Support the show by subscribing, leaving a five-star review, telling all your friends and following on Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram.  Show Notes: Chicago Tribune: PRACTICAL ADVICE ON Y2K PREPAREDNESS CNN: Chicago, retailers pushing for Y2K readiness NPR: Y2K se...

Alyssa and  Molly McAleer from Mother May I Sleep with Podcast  travel back to the late 1890's/ early 1900's to discuss Chicago's Bluebeard Johann Hoch, a bigamist and murder whose crimes would be too much for a Lifetime Movie plot.    Show Notes: Second City Sinners New York Times: JOHANN HOCH HANGED, PROTESTING INNOCENCE; Wife Murderer's Lawyers to Test Denial of Stay in Last Hour. PRISONER FORC...

Alyssa and Matt Drufke  from the comedy show Still Not Friday talk about 16 inch softball.   Show Notes: ABC-7: 'Chicago's game': 16-inch softball, created on Near South Side, celebrates 135th anniversary Encyclopedia of Chicago:Softball, 16-Inch Loop North News: The Home Front Chicago History Museum: Indoor Baseball in Chicago: Block Club Chicago: The Mangled History Of 16-Inch Softball Hands: Ma...

I am joined by Vanessa from Reel Relationships to talk about the first Motocycle (automobile) race in America which took place in Chicago. Show Notes: Smithsonian: Six Cars Raced to the Finish Line of the U.S.’s First Automobile Race—at Speeds of Seven Miles Per Hour SI: Days of Blunder: The First U.S. Car Race Was Won 125 Years Ago ... at 7 mph WGN: Second City Firsts NBC Chicago: From the first...

Alyssa and Captain Scoot from the maritime podcast ⁠ShipWrekt⁠ go back to the early 1900’s when schooners lined the main branch of the Chicago River selling Christmas trees and boating fatalities were the norm. Show Notes: ⁠National Archives: The Christmas Tree Ship⁠ ⁠ABC 7: US Coast Guard 'Christmas Ship' makes annual tree delivery at Chicago's Navy Pier⁠ ⁠Block Club Chicago: Chicago’s Christmas...

I am joined by Steven Ray Morris to talk about the Brown's Chicken Massacre.  Show Notes: Seattle Times: Browns Chicken Murders Changed Business Forever Chicago Tribune: Judge tosses bid for new hearing in Brown’s Chicken massacre Chicago Sun-Times: ‘Divine intervention’ helped solve Brown’s Chicken Massacre, investigator says NBC Chicago: Former Girlfriend of Murder Suspect Testifies New York Tim...