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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/

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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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Reverend Addie Wyatt: Faith and Fight for Labor, Gender, and Racial Equality by Marcia Walker-McWilliams

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Chicago Architecture: Histories, Revisions, Alternatives by Charles Waldheim (editor) and Katerina Ruedi Ray (editor)

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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’Neill – Chicago’s Savior of Irish Music.

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Chief O'Neill's Sketchy Recollections of An Eventful Life in Chicago by Francis O'Neill, edited by Ellen Skerrett and Mary Lesch
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Beat Cop, The : Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music by Michael O'Malley
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Harvest Saved, A: Francis O'Neill and Irish Music in Chicago by Nicholas Carolan
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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.

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The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Underworld by Herbert Asbury
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Second City Sinners: True Crime From Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets by Jon Seidel
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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/

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Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois by Larry McClellan

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Underground Railroad: A Captivating Guide to the Routes, Places, and People that Helped Free African Americans During the Nineteenth Century and the Life of Harriet Tubman by Various

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Fleeing for Freedom: Stories of the Underground Railroad as Told by Levi Coffin and William Still by Willene Hendrick

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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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Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story by J. Randy Taraborrelli

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Gary, the Most American of All American Cities by S. Paul O'Hara

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M-D-L-T on Soul Train:

https://youtu.be/tDCjHOoL1Sg?si=cCzPKcwoKkCF4YsD

Renaldo Domino:
https://chicagoreader.com/music/chicago-soul-dynamo-renaldo-domino-breaks-out-his-sugary-sweet-pipes-on-never-thought/

https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2020/You-Should-Know-Renaldo-Domino/

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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.chicagomag.com/city-life/August-2019/Searching-for-Eugene-Williams/

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City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth To Modern Chicago by Gary Krist
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Big Bill of Chicago by Lloyd Wendt and Herman Kogan
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Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and The Politics of Image by Douglas Bukowski
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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?

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