Chicago History Podcast

Friend of the podcast Geoffrey Baer is BACK with a new special on WTTW called "Chicago Mysteries." Listen as Geoffrey and I discuss a few of the stories from the program.

https://www.wttw.com/mysteries

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Not long after The Beatles invaded America and kids everywhere picked up guitars and drumsticks and formed their own bands, enterprising individuals all over Chicago and the suburbs saw… opportunity. This is the story of Chicago's Teen Rock Clubs of the 1960’s.

Additional Reading (anything purchased through these links - not just the items listed - may generate a small commission and help support the podcast at no add...

Connie Fairbanks, author of "Chicago's West Loop: Then and Now," joins me on this episode as co-writer and co-host as we discuss five Chicago parks named for women.

Purchase Connie Fairbanks' book "Chicago's West Loop: Then and Now" from the author:
https://www.conniefairbanks.com/
Amazon link:
https://amzn.to/3BzEPxt

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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.

Want to help support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory

Art for this episode courtesy of Rebecca Demos - https://www.instagram.com/bhillgie/

Virtual Tours of Hull House:

Local author Cynthia Pelayo's new book masterfully blends dark Chicago history and fairy-tale horrors. Listen as the author and I discuss her life growing up in Chicago and her exciting new book about two sisters and a killer dumping men into the Chicago River.

cinapelayo.com

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/r32m2jwrxHc

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Her last name is well known around the city, but do you know the story behind Chicago's Saint, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini? Listen and learn, Chicago history fans!

Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory

Up your cocktail or Sodastream game with Portland craft syrups!
https://portlandsyrups.com/collection...

Three! Three! Three episodes in one! Enjoy.

Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory

Leave me a voice message - just click on the microphone in the lower right corner here: https://www.chicagohistorypod.com

Up your cocktail or Sodastream game with Portland craft syrups!
https://portlandsyrups.com/collections/all?sca_ref=1270971.MO4APpJH1k<...

Jack Johnson not only became the first Black American heavyweight championship boxer but who also lived (and loved) in Chicago and opened the wildly popular Café de Champion before tragedy and the government forced its closure.

Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs:
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Up your cocktail or Sodastream game with Por...

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 accomplishments occurred here.

Want to read more about "Major" Taylor? (purchasing through the links below may help support the podcast at no additional cost to you)

The World'...

Bartender, poet, musician, artist, and more. Sergio Mayora and the art of Weeds Tavern.

In the Weeds: How Bartender, Poet, Musician and Artist Sergio Mayora Cultivated One of the Most Important Taverns in Chicago History by Dave Hoekstra (New City, November 2022)
https://www.newcity.com/2022/11/01/in-the-weeds-how-bartender-poet-musician-and-artist-sergio-mayora-cultivated-one-of-the-most-important-taverns-in-chicago-h...

Enjoy this episode originally posted in January 2021.

In 1937, 87 years before the current pandemic forced kids to find ways to learn outside of the traditional classroom, Chicago school children took classes by radio while trying to stay safe from the threat of polio.

Support the show for the cost of a cup of coffee.
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Enjoy this story from July 2020.

Six years after the closing of the World's Fair of 1893, on 10 acres near the University of Chicago, a new outdoor entertainment venue opened called Sans Souci. Sans Souci and Midway Gardens, although all but forgotten, paved the way for outdoor entertainment for generations to come.

Support the show for the cost of a cup of coffee.
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A series of tragedies prompted one Chicago suburb to change the way trains travel through their city. This is the story of Connecting Winnetka to Chicago.

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Just days before Christmas in 1910, a fire broke out at the stockyards in Chicago that resulted in the highest loss of life of firefighters due to a building collapse, a grim claim held for nearly 91 years before being surpassed on 9/11.

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In October 1960, Prince Akihito of Japan visited Chicago for 21 hours. Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley presented the prince with a diplomatic gift: 18 bluegill. What happened next would change the underwater world of Japan forever.

Today's episode is from Points North, part of Northern Michigan's Interlochen Public Radio.

https://www.interlochenpublicradio.org/podcast/points-north

Need a healthfu...

A holiday-themed episode from 2020.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a familiar sight near the river at Clark Street was the Rouse Simmons, also known as The Christmas Tree Ship, and its captain Herman Schuenemann, who became known to families in Chicago as Captain Santa.

During a trip from upper Michigan to Chicago in November of 1912, all of that changed.

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Geoffrey Baer is back on the podcast to discuss his latest program for WTTW - The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago 2.

https://interactive.wttw.com/most-beautiful-places-in-chicago

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/9q4JKk0t3bA?si=VZJNeWARwdqSaXri

Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory

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With the recent crash of a Yellow Line L train into a snow removal machine (?), it seems like a good time to repost this episode.

In the 1970s, one of the most horrifying transportation accidents in Chicago happened downtown at the height of rush hour. This is the story of the CTA Derailment of 1977.

Show some love for the podcast for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs:
https://www.bu...

In May of 1970, those driving past Wrigley Field were greeted with an unusual sight – a Native American teepee, surrounded by smaller tents and groups of people. This was just the beginning of the Native American protests in Chicago in the 1970s .

Want to help support the show? Buy me a coffee!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory

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