84 years ago today, in the midst of the Great Depression, Chicago opened an extravagant World's Fair. The exposition celebrated "A Century of Progress" in the city and highlighted technological innovations such as the twelve-sided House of Tomorrow, which featured an electric dishwasher and air conditioning, and a Sky Ride that ferried visitors over the entire fair.
Playlist From the Archive
From the Archive
From the Archive: A Review of 'Return of the Jedi'
Daniel Hautzinger40 years ago on May 25, the first Star Wars movie was released. Relive the excitement of the release of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi through a 1983 review and interviews with the director and C-3PO on WTTW's Sneak Previews.
From the Archive: Julia Child
Daniel HautzingerIn a 1978 interview with WTTW's John Callaway, Julia Child discusses food snobs, nutrition freaks, and children in the kitchen. "My point is to make cooking easy for people so that they can enjoy it and do it, rather than making it a kind of art for the 'we happy few,'" she says.
From the Archive: Pilsen
Daniel HautzingerRevisit a 1981 WTTW documentary about Pilsen in advance of a new documentary about the community called My Neighborhood. Many of the issues remain the same, but the community has also been transformed in the more than thirty years between the shows.
From the Archives: Nora Ephron
Daniel HautzingerBefore she wrote and directed such iconic films as When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle, Nora Ephron was a journalist. She appeared on WTTW in 1975 to discuss her book of published essays and share a hilarious story about reporting from the front lines.
Nobel Prize-winning Poet Derek Walcott Dies at Age 87
Daniel HautzingerIn 1981, the monumental poet of the Caribbean appeared on Studs Terkel's radio show to discuss his native West Indies, their unique people, and elemental landscape.
From the Archive: Race Car Driver Janet Guthrie
Daniel HautzingerJanet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify for and compete in the Indianapolis and Daytona 500s. In 1979, she spoke to WTTW's John Callaway about her most recent Indy race and the sexism she encountered as a racer.
From the Archive: 'New Yorker' Film Critic Pauline Kael
Daniel HautzingerHear the influential critic speak about writing a review and the animosity towards a woman writing criticism in this interview with WTTW's John Callaway in 1980.
From the Archive: 'Playboy' Executive Christie Hefner
Daniel HautzingerLast month, Playboy brought back nude pictorials after a year without them. Hear part of the debate over the magazine's portrayal of women as it stood back in 1978, in an archival interview with Christie Hefner, then the VP of the company.
