The Story of the Iconic Chicago Home
Daniel HautzingerJanuary 3, 2019
Chicago is renowned for its architecture, but a small-scale, domestic building unique to this city often goes unrecognized: the Chicago bungalow. The history of this style of house encompasses the story of Chicago's immigrants and infamous discrimination.
The Businessman Philanthropist You Haven't Heard of Who Shaped Chicago
Daniel HautzingerDecember 11, 2018
Julius Rosenwald used the fortune he amassed leading Sears to found the Museum of Science and Industry, establish schools for rural African Americans and YMCAs across the country, support newly arrived Jewish immigrants, and more.
Chicago's Deadliest Disaster
Daniel HautzingerJuly 24, 2018
One hundred and three years ago, on July 24, 1915, more than 800 people lost their lives in Chicago's deadliest tragedy, when a top-heavy boat rolled onto its side in the Chicago River only twenty feet from the shore. Watch an archival Chicago Stories episode about the Eastland Disaster.
When Chicago Was 'Hog Butcher to the World'
Daniel HautzingerJune 21, 2018
A square mile of the city just upstream from downtown devoted to turning livestock into products that saw 18 million animals in a year at its peak: the Union Stock Yards are almost unimaginable now, but they once epitomized Chicago, and gave us the assembly line and refrigerated rail cars.
"Respect Yourself": The Power of The Staple Singers
Daniel HautzingerJune 8, 2018
The Staple Singers combined the Delta blues of Pops Staples' birthplace with the gospel of his adopted home in Chicago to become international stars and civil rights activists. Hear Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte reminisce on the Staples and learn their history before Mavis headlines the Chicago Blues Fest.
The Harlem (Actually Chicago) Globetrotters
Daniel HautzingerJune 6, 2018
The name is deceiving: they're not from Harlem, and they definitely didn't travel the globe at first. The Harlem Globetrotters were founded in Chicago by five high school stars and a short Jewish man, and originally played in small town gyms outside the city.
The First Female African American Pilot
Daniel HautzingerMarch 20, 2018
Only eighteen years after the Wright brothers' first flight, Bessie Coleman overcame both racism and sexism to become the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license, with the help of the Chicago Defender. But her high-flying career was cut tragically short.
From the Archive: Marshall Field's Christmas Windows
Daniel HautzingerDecember 1, 2017
They have been a tradition in Chicago for over one hundred years, and seemingly everyone has fond memories of going to see them. See some of your favorite Christmas windows and learn how they're put together in this episode of Chicago Stories from 2000.
The (Im)Perfect Crime
Daniel HautzingerOctober 31, 2017
Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were brilliant students from affluent, respected families who had everything going for them – so much so that they felt they had to prove their superiority by murdering a fourteen-year-old boy in the "crime of the century."
Chicago's First Mexican Church
Daniel HautzingerSeptember 20, 2017
A century ago, Mexicans first began settling in Chicago as laborers in the steel mills, packinghouses, and on the railroads. One South Chicago community eventually opened the first Mexican church in the city, first in an old army barracks right before the Depression.
A "Colossal Booboo": The Incredible Story of the Chicago Picasso
Daniel HautzingerAugust 7, 2017
One of Chicago's most iconic emblems came out of an unlikely alliance between a gruff, conservative mayor and a sensuous, progressive artist. Through the mediation of a charming bon vivant architect, they changed the face of public art in America.
From the Archive: The Race to Mackinac
Daniel HautzingerJuly 28, 2017
Watch Geoffrey Baer take part in the oldest and longest freshwater sailboat race, as he joins the crew of the Radiance in a journey from Chicago to Mackinac Island. Along the way, discover iconic sights, hear Lake Michigan lore, and learn about the history of the race and region.
From the Archive: Riverview Park
Daniel HautzingerJuly 6, 2017
Riverview Park delighted Chicagoans for 64 summers, from 1904-1967. A massive parachute tower, beloved roller coasters, spooky fun houses, the world's largest carousel: relive them all in this Chicago Story about the beloved amusement park that used to stand at Belmont and Western.
Magic by the Lake: The Edgewater Beach Hotel
Daniel HautzingerJune 5, 2017
The Edgewater Beach Hotel played host to weddings, big bands, scandals, and celebrities like Nat King Cole and Bette Davis during its heyday. Experience some of the "Magic by the Lake" in this episode of Chicago Stories.
A Break in the Clouds: Chicago's 1933 World's Fair
Daniel HautzingerMay 27, 2017
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.
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