Peter Alter, Chief Historian at the Chicago History Museum, joins host Adam Camac to discuss key figures, issues, and events from the history of Chicago. The show notes page for this episode can be found at placesandprofiles.com/20.
1:15 - The origins of the city of Chicago, where the name Chicago comes from, the founding of the city of Chicago
5:03 - The initial growth of Chicago, what Chicago looked like as of 1871 when the Great Chicago Fire occurred
9:12 - Truths and myths about the Great Chicago Fire
15:32 - Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 (World's Columbian Exposition)
18:57 - 1886 Haymarket Affair, 1894 Pullman Strike, Union Stockyards and the Chicago meatpacking industry, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, labor history of Chicago and working class struggles
25:01 - European immigrant groups to Chicago, including Poles, Serbs, Greeks, etc., the Great Migration within the US beginning in the 1910s
30:34 - Jane Addams and the establishment of Hull House in 1889, Chicago’s initial development as a transportation and railroad hub in the 1800s
37:42 - How the Great Migration affected Chicago, race riots, the development of the South Side of Chicago, the Chicago Black Renaissance
43:20 - Chicago during Prohibition and the 1920s, Chicago as a center for illegal activities and gangster violence during the Prohibition era, Al Capone and Bugs Moran and their association with Chicago, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929
49:04 - Chicago’s connection to the Manhattan Project and role during World War II
52:13 - The Daley family and the Democratic Party machine in Chicago, the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1:00:34 - The role of professional sports in Chicago and how professional sports have affected the way Chicago has been viewed (including the Cubs breaking their World Series curse in 2016, the 1985 Bears, the Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen championship teams of the 1990s, and more)
1:04:25 - Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Lake Michigan, iconic downtown Marshall Fields location, State Street, Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, The Bean (Cloud Gate), Lake Shore Drive, Wrigley Field, and other Chicago landmarks
1:08:36 - Windy City, Second City, and other nicknames for Chicago
1:12:40 - Related and recommended resources
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!