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Episodes

May 18, 2021

Episode 301-B - Chicago's Original Chinatown 1870-1912 EXTRAS

An extended EXTRAS episode with a few more stories I was not able to include in the Chicago's Original Chinatown 1870-1912 episode. Please listen to the main episode first. WARNING: This episode contains stories of violence, ...
May 15, 2021

Episode 301 - Chicago's Original Chinatown 1870-1912

Chicago's Chinatown at Cermak and Wentworth is a vibrant community and a big part of Chicago's history. But what about the original Chinatown based in the south loop? And how did the earliest Chinese immigrants make their way...
May 8, 2021

Episode 205-B - Our Lady of the Angels Fire / Tragedy EXTRAS

Here are some extras from episode 205 of the podcast. As always, be sure to listen to the full-length episode before enjoying this. PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTED. This episode deals with fire and the death of children and te...
May 1, 2021

Episode 109-B - Blues Brothers, The - 40th Anniversary EXTRAS

More from the vault - here are some extras that didn't make the cut of episode 109 about The Blues Brothers for the 40th anniversary of the film last year. If you haven't listened to episode 109, check that one out first and...
April 24, 2021

Episode 212-B - School By Radio: The 1937 Polio Outbreak in Chicago EXTRAS

BONUS MATERIAL! Here are a few more things from Episode 212 - School By Radio: The 1937 Polio Outbreak in Chicago that were not included in the original episode. Enjoy!
April 22, 2021

Episode 108-B - Wanda Stopa, The Brainiest Murderess EXTRAS

BONUS EPISODE! Here are some extras for episode 108, including a connection to Ernest Hemingway. As always with bonus material, have a listen to the original episode first otherwise these extras may not make much sense. Was s...
April 17, 2021

Episode 225-B - 1980 - Chicago's Summer of Entertainment EXTRAS

BONUS EPISODE - Here are some stories from episode 225 that didn't make the final cut. Please listen to episode 225 first if you haven't already then circle back to this one. Enjoy! #NorgeSkiClub #CountrysideOpry #RosemontHor...
April 17, 2021

Episode 225 - 1980 - Chicago's Summer of Entertainment

In the summer of 1980, two new entertainment venues opened in the Chicago area at which those seeking amusement could see live music and more. Both of those and many others made for a busy summer of entertainment. #ChicagoHis...
April 11, 2021

Episode 224-B - Cicero Race Riots of 1951, The EXTRAS

BONUS EPISODE! The response to episode 224 about the Cicero Race Riots of 1951 has been so strong I decided to record a few extra stories that didn’t make the final script. If you haven’t listened to the full episode yet, ple...
April 10, 2021

Episode 224 - Cicero Race Riots of 1951, The (with special guest Dilla, the Urban Historian)

It is a suburb on the outskirts of Chicago with ties to Al Capone, manufacturing, and in the 1950’s was the site of three days of chaos, sparked by an African American family trying to legally move into an apartment building ...
April 3, 2021

Episode 223 - Killing of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, The

He came from humble beginnings and worked his way up to become mayor of the greatest city in the world before the bullet from a madman changed history. This is the story of Mayor Anton Cermak. #ChicagoHistory #ChicagoPolitics...
March 27, 2021

Episode 222 - Jane Addams and Hull House

She grew up in a small town in Illinois in the late 1800s and became known worldwide as an activist, reformer, and winner of a Nobel Peace Prize. This is the story of Jane Addams and Hull House. #Chicago #ChicagoHistory #Chic...
March 20, 2021

Episode 221 - Libby Prison War Museum, The

It was a Civil War prison in Richmond, VA, housing thousands of Union soldiers captured during that war. After the war, someone thought the building would make a good tourist attraction in… Chicago. This is the story of the L...
March 13, 2021

Episode 220 - St. Patrick's Day in Chicago

A preacher who drove snakes out of Ireland, dyeing the river green, and a hefty amount of backroom politics – episode 220 of the Chicago History Podcast looks at St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago. #ChicagoHistory #ChicagoIrish #St...
March 6, 2021

Episode 219 - Mysterious Death of Montgomery Ward Thorne, The

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but when this Chicago-born department store heir died mysteriously at the age of 20, things really got weird. Montgomery Ward Thorne in this episode. #ChicagoHistory #MontgomeryWa...
Feb. 27, 2021

Episode 218 - Physicist Leona Woods Libby / Women's History Month with Chicago Detours' Amanda Scotese

She graduated high school in La Grange, IL at 14 and received her BS from the University of Chicago at 18. She then became a key figure in the development of atomic energy before the age of 23. In this episode we look at phys...
Feb. 20, 2021

Episode 217 - The Beatles in Chicago with author John F. Lyons

The Beatles were one of the biggest bands of the 1960s and a HUUUUGE presence here in Chicago. Author John F, Lyons joins me to talk about his new book Joy and Fear: The Beatles, Chicago, and the 1960s , coming March 2. #Chic...
Feb. 13, 2021

Episode 216 - Antarctic Snow Cruiser, The

In 1939, Chicago was the site of the production of the Antarctic Snow Cruiser, a 37-ton rolling laboratory with ten-foot-tall tires designed for research at the South Pole. From concept to launch, there were... a few problems...
Feb. 6, 2021

Episode 215 - Marshall "Major" Taylor: The Black Cyclone

He has been called the first international African American sports superstar and in his time was the biggest star of any sport. Although he wasn’t born in Chicago, some of Marshall "Major" Taylor's most lasting accomplishment...
Jan. 30, 2021

Episode 214 - Roller Skating in Chicago

Fun and physical exercise with wheels on your feet! Chicago's connection to roller skating runs deeps, from the late 1800's and the first roller rinks in the city to one of the most prominent skate manufacturers in the countr...
Jan. 23, 2021

Episode 213: U-505 German Submarine in Chicago, The

It was one of the defining moments for the United States during World War II - the capture of a German U-boat on the Atlantic Ocean. Hear the story and the event's many Chicago connections. #ChicagoHistory #USNavy #MuseumOfSc...
Jan. 16, 2021

Episode 212 - School By Radio: The 1937 Polio Outbreak in Chicago

In 1937, 83 years before the current pandemic forced kids to find ways to learn outside of the traditional classroom, Chicago school child learned by radio. This is that story and the story of polio in Chicago. #ChicagoHistor...
Jan. 9, 2021

Episode 211 - Earle T. Cook and The Airplane Bombing

He was a manager at a Coca-Cola bottling plant, married, with two teenage sons living the good life in suburban Naperville, IL in 1967. When a bomb exploded aboard a plane on which his wife Jeanne was flying, Earle T. Cook qu...
Jan. 1, 2021

Episode 210 - Dr. Bernard Fantus and The Blood Bank

There was a time when in order to receive blood at a hospital, it needed to be donated directly from a donor to the recipient. One man changed that with the invention of a way to store blood in a "blood bank." Along the way, ...