Chicago History Podcast
Stories from history of the Greatest City in the World - Chicago. The places, events, and the people behind it all.
Episodes
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 Barrington.
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Amazon A...
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 for the cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs:
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Looking for gift ideas for the history nerd in your life A...
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 Fine Arts Building: Music, Magic, and Murder by Keir Graff
Order a SIGNED COPY from Exile in Bookville (based in the Fine Arts Building).
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 Brick of Chicago tour!
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Items related to this episode (purchasing anyth...
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 section about Queen Elizabeth II's historic 1959 visit to the city.
Edward H. Bennett Digital Collection:
http://edwardbennett.lakeforest.edu/exhibits/show/edward--h--be...
Discussing their book "Don't Go: Stories of Segregation and How To Disrupt It" are authors Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan.
Folded Map Project:
https://www.foldedmapproject.com/
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Further reading (purchasing these items through these links helps support our efforts at no additional cost to ...
ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN OCTOBER 2020.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Lincoln Park had a “High Bridge” which rose 75 feet over the south lagoon's water. As welcoming to sightseers as the big beautiful bridge was, it also had a dark appeal, quickly earning it the dubious name “Suicide Bridge.”
Viking Ship at Good Templar Park in Geneva, IL:
https://vikingship.us/
Amazon Affiliate Links (anything you b...
It is Women's History Month! Here's a look at five pioneering women in Chicago's history: Chicago founder Kitihawa du Sable, women's suffrage activist Grace Wilbur Trout, Vivian Gordon Harsh, Chicago's first Black librarian, Union activist Rev. Addie L. Wyatt, and Elisabeth A. Martini, Chicago's first woman architect.
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Just in time for St. Patrick's Day 2025, here's a little history about Chicago's connection to preserving Irish music, originally posted in March of 2022.
He served as a Chicago policeman for more than 32 years and was Chicago’s chief of police for four, but Francis O’Neill is probably better known for his efforts in preserving the music of his homeland. Today we’re talking about Police Chief Francis O’N...
Originally released in September of 2021, this episode has been enhanced with additional music and sound effects.
Sixteen years before Al Capone came to Chicago and long before anyone could blame violence on video games, three boys just out of their teens became robbers and worse in Chicago with brazen acts of thievery and wanton killings. Today we’re discussing the Automatic Trio and the Car Barn Murders.
Wan...
For Black Americans seeking to escape enslavement in the first half of the 1800s, Chicago was often an important stop on their path to freedom. Today we’re discussing the Underground Railroad in Illinois.
Network to Freedom Listings:
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/ntf-listings.htm
Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Underground Railroad Activists
https://www.gracelandcemetery.org/underground-railroad-activists/
While not from here, their connection to this city is undeniable and Chicago’s influence most certainly contributed to their rise as one of the most successful musical acts of all time. Today we’re talking about the Jackson Five.
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Further reading (purchasing these items through these links helps support our ...
This is a revised, expanded, and re-recorded version of an episode that was originally released in 2020.
William "Big Bill" Thompson was a larger-than-life character who served as Chicago mayor for three terms and is viewed as one of the most corrupt politicians this great city has ever seen.
Robert Loerzel's piece on Eugene Williams in the August 2019 Chicago Magazine:
https://www.chicagoma...
An area once called Dunkley’s Grove was considered for a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox, not in old-timey days – in 1986! Was Edison Park named for Thomas Edison? Dunton, Sagone, Hartford… and where was Cleaverville?
Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee:
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Send me an email with whatever is on your mind: chicagohistorypod AT gmail...
Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory
Send me an email with whatever is on your mind: chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com
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.co...
Their killings stand out as one of Chicago's most infamous unsolved crimes. Today we’re discussing the Grimes Sisters Murders.
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Send me an email with whatever is on your mind: chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com
Leave me a voice message - just click on the microphone in the lower right corner h...
Have you ever been to Grossdale? Praha? Maybe Swedetown? How about Gregg's Milk Station? I’m sure you’ve been to Hardscrabble, right? Today we’re discussing Chicago’s Forgotten Towns, Neighborhoods, and Names.
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...
On this Great Chicago Fire-themed episode we discuss one home not destroyed by the fire – the Ogden mansion – and learn little more about the person who once owned it, what happened to that area immediately after the fire, and what is on that site now.
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Up yo...
WTTW's Eddie Griffin is back to discuss one of Chicago's darkest sports stories - the Black Sox Scandal of 1919.
The new season of Chicago Stories begins September 20th.
https://interactive.wttw.com/chicago-stories
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Anthony Bourdain tasted the wormwood-infused liquor Malört for his TV show “The Layover” and said, “its brash nature" created “a possibility that I could get all stabby and belligerent.” Today we're talking about Malört, the truly Chicago booze.
Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee:
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Leave me a voice message - just click on t...
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