Chicago History Podcast
Stories from history of the Greatest City in the World - Chicago. The places, events, and the people behind it all.
Episodes
253 episodes
Episode 823 - Ground Beneath the Diamonds: A History of Chicago's White Sox Ballparks, The
The Chicago White Sox have called three primary sites home since the team’s founding in 1900, and each plot of earth carries layers of history older than the game of baseball. Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a ...
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Bizarre Story of the Missing Wheaton Bible College Couple, The
Originally released January 15, 2022. 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 ...
Episode 822 - B'Ginnings: Where Schaumburg Rocked The Suburbs
Some of histories biggest rock acts first performed in the Chicago area at music venue in a suburban strip mall in Schaumburg. This is the story of B'Ginnings.Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee:
SPECIAL EPISODE - The Women Who Built Chicago with genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith
Genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith joins me to discuss her connections to Chicago and "The Women Who Built Chicago" bus tour, launched for Women's History Month in partnership with Ancestry, which highlights overlooked women's contributions....
Episode 821 - Behind the Camera: Jun Fujita's Chicago with author Graham Harrison Lee
Jun Fujita was a pioneering Japanese-born photographer who made his way to Chicago to become widely regarded as the first Japanese American photojournalist. Hear more about Fujita's life in Chicago from Graham Harrison Lee, Fujita's great-nephe...
Episode 820 - People Wasn't Made To Burn: The James Hickman Story
An unbearable loss pushes one man past the breaking point, ending in murder. Listener discretion is advised.Want to help support the show? Buy me a coffee! Buy more than one and get a personalized video thank you.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Sundown Towns of Chicago with Ernest Crim III
Here's a FROM THE ARCHIVES episode originally released on Feb 18, 2023.Many towns in the Chicago area were established to be all-white, keeping out Blacks, Asians, Jews, Native Americans, and others, allowing minorities to work in those ...
Episode 819 - Frozen in Time: Chicago's Ten Coldest Days
Chicago’s cold weather can be brutal, and it has been for more than 150 years since it started being tracked. Here are ten of Chicago's coldest days.Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee:
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Skid Row Flophouse Fires
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 stor...
Episode 818 - Chicago's Deadly December: The Crash and Conspiracies of United Flight 553
On a cold and snowy day in December 1972, United Airlines flight 553 crashed into a neighborhood near Midway Airport, resulting in 45 deaths. The tragedy was soon followed by conspiracies. Was the plane brought down to silence those who might j...
Episode 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Author Rob Miller (one of the founders of Chicago's Bloodshot Records) joins me to discuss his new book, “The Hours Are Long But The Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music.”www.robmille...
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
Please enjoy this FROM THE ARCHIVES + EXTRAS episode from the summer of 2022.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...
Episode 816 - Ghosts of the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
The Spyglass Murder of Margaret Gallagher, the killing and dismemberment of Judith Mae Andersen, the execution-style murder of Chicago Alderman Ben Lewis, and the roadside disappearance of Tammy Jo Zywicki are all part of this episode on Chicag...
Episode 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past - Expanded and Re-Recorded
Halloween is coming! Enjoy this episode about Chicago's ghoulish past, including tales of forgotten cemeteries, grave robbers, mob graveyards, and more. Expanded and re-recorded from the original, released Oct. 2020.. Pamela Bannos /...
Episode 814 - Pain Fireworks Company Explosion of 1914, The
Chicago has had its share of bizarre incidents resulting in death, including the Pain Fireworks Company Explosion of 1914.Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee:
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Mysterious Death of Marshall Field Jr., The
Here's one originally released in August 2021 that you may not have heard. Enjoy.He was the son of one of the wealthiest men in Chicago, and on one fateful night he was shot under mysterious circumstances. Was Marshall Field Jr.'s death ...
Episode 813 - Lincoln Park's Statues, Sculptures, and Oddities
If you're planning on walking through Lincoln Park anytime soon, you may be curious about all the statues you'll find. With the help of contributor Connie Fairbanks, we discuss the story behind many of the creations you'll see, and tell you abo...
Episode 812 - Chicago's Uptown Theater with author Robert Loerzel
In August of 1925, an opulent cinema opened on Broadway just north of Lawrence Avenue. Joining me today to discuss the history of that theater is Robert Loerzel, one of the authors of the recently released book The Uptown: Chicago's Endanger...
Episode 811 - One on Every Corner: Four Moon Tavern, Roscoe Village, and the Pencil Factory Strike with writer Leigh Giangreco
The return of One on Every Corner, where we discuss a neighborhood drinking establishment, the neighborhood around it, and more. Joining me for this episode is writer Leigh Giangreco and Four Moon Tavern owners Matt Kozlowski and Robbie Lane.
Episode 810 - Chicago: The Loop & Beyond with photographer Nenad Spasojevic
There is more to Chicago than the Bean, The Loop, and Navy Pier. Joining me in this episode to discuss his photography, what he loves most about Chicago, and the recently-released book "Chicago: The Loop & Beyond" is Nenad Spasojevic.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Baby Face Nelson and The Battle of Barrington
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 Barrin...
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Herrin Coal Massacre, The
The 103th anniversary of one of the most violent labor battles in the U.S. is June 21-22, 2025. This is the story of the Herrin Coal Massacre of 1922.*Originally released as episode 508 in June 2022.Show some love for the podcast...
Episode 809 - Chicago's Fine Arts Building with author Keir Graff
It is a Chicago Landmark called an “exemplification of the cultural, economic, social, and historical heritage of the City of Chicago.” With the help of author Keir Graff, today we’re discussing Chicago’s Fine Arts Building.Chicago's ...
Episode 808 - The Rise and Fall of Chicago’s Brickyards
Chicago is known for industry – stockyards, steel mills, and more, but this city had another that thrived for nearly 150 years. Today we’re discussing the Rise and Fall of Chicago’s Brickyards.Get out and see the city with Will Quam on a...
Episode 807 - Chicago's Buckingham Fountain and Queen Elizabeth II's 1959 Visit
Chicago's Buckingham Fountain is being turned on for the season on Saturday, May 10, 2025, so this seems like the perfect time to discuss the history of how the fountain came to be in this enhanced and re-recorded version, with an all-new secti...