Chicago History Podcast

Chicago History Podcast
  • 4.8 (194)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Stories from history of the Greatest City in the World - Chicago. The places, events, and the people behind it all.

  1. FROM THE ARCHIVES - Sundown Towns of Chicago with Ernest Crim III

    5D AGO

    FROM THE ARCHIVES - Sundown Towns of Chicago with Ernest Crim III

    Send a text Here's a FROM THE ARCHIVES episode originally released on Feb 18, 2023. Many towns in the Chicago area were established to be all-white, keeping out Blacks, Asians, Jews, Native Americans, and others, allowing minorities to work in those towns but not live there. Those individuals also needed to be gone by sundown. Find all things Ernest Crim III at ernestcrim.com. Signed copies of Mr. Crim's book “The ABC’s of Affirming Black Children" can be found at https://www.ernestcrim.com/shop. 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 Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs. BOOKS: Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James W. Loewen https://amzn.to/3xBW8va (Hardcover) https://amzn.to/3KihHZj (Kindle) Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your History Textbook Got Wrong  by James W. Loewen https://amzn.to/3xAsXJb Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong by James W. Loewen https://amzn.to/3I4SLBY Black History Saved My Life: How My Viral Hate Crime Led to an Awakening by Ernest Crim III https://amzn.to/3S8xtrG ABCs of Affirming Black Children, The by Ernest Crim III https://amzn.to/3KjN3im Try Amazon Kindle Unlimited for FREE here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase helps support the podcast): https://www.teepublic.com/user/chicago-history-podcast https://chicago-history-podcast.creator-spring.com/ Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com): https://www.chicagohistorypod.com Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com) Support the show

    32 min
  2. Episode 819 - Frozen in Time: Chicago's Ten Coldest Days

    JAN 25

    Episode 819 - Frozen in Time: Chicago's Ten Coldest Days

    Send a text Chicago’s cold weather can be brutal, and it has been for more than 150 years since it started being tracked. Here are ten of Chicago's coldest days. Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 Items related to this episode (purchasing anything through these links helps support our efforts at no additional cost to you): Chicago's Erratic 5-Day Weather Forecast T-Shirt https://amzn.to/4jYrDXH Chicago Flashback: The People and Events That Shaped a City by Chicago Tribune  https://amzn.to/4qF93Xa (Hardcover) https://amzn.to/4pYcuXY (Kindle - FREE with Kindle Unlimited) Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH Want better sleep? Try the most delicious alternative to melatonin and sleeping pills that helps you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed. MoonBrew. Use the code below for 15% off. https://moonbrew.co/TOMMYHENRY Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com): Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com)  Support the show

    44 min

  3. 12/20/2025

    FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Skid Row Flophouse Fires

    Send a text In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, Chicago was plagued by fires that had one key thing in common – they took place at often unsafe, threadbare hotels, injuring and even killing those who were already down on their luck. This is the story of Chicago’s Skid Row Flophouse Fires. Originally released in January 2022. 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 game with Portland craft syrups! https://portlandsyrups.com/collections/all?sca_ref=1270971.MO4APpJH1k Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 Amazon Affiliate Links (anything you buy - not just this stuff - through these links helps benefit the show): Chicago Fires: Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped A City by David Cowen https://amzn.to/3Ga2rJ9 It's Not The Trauma, It's The Drama: More Stories by a Chicago Fire Department Paramedic by Marjorie Leigh Bomben https://amzn.to/3q6DRn9 History of Chicago: A Captivating Guide To The People and Events that Shaped the Windy City's History https://amzn.to/3HJdERo (or FREE with Kindle Unlimited) Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH CHICAGO MOVIES discussed on the podcast! Backdraft https://amzn.to/3y33plM About Last Night (1986) https://amzn.to/2W8v4EU Call Northside 777 https://amzn.to/3ggBPeS So many Chicago-related movies and documentaries can been found here: https://amzn.to/38F6heh Want to Enjoy Outdoor Movies? Here's the gear I use: Epson Home Cinema Projector: https://amzn.to/3RtIr9V 120" Projector Screen/Stand: https://amzn.to/3KtYm5B Looking to get out and explore Chicago? Here are a few ideas: Chicago Movie Tours chicagomovietours.com Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase helps support the podcast): https://www.teepublic.com/user/chicago-history-podcast https://teespring.com/stores/chicago-history-pod Support the show

    24 min
  4. Episode 818 - Chicago's Deadly December: The Crash and Conspiracies of United Flight 553

    12/07/2025

    Episode 818 - Chicago's Deadly December: The Crash and Conspiracies of United Flight 553

    Send a text On a cold and snowy day in December 1972, United Airlines flight 553 crashed into a neighborhood near Midway Airport, resulting in 45 deaths. The tragedy was soon followed by conspiracies. Was the plane brought down to silence those who might jeopardize powerful people in the government? Want to help support the show? Buy me a coffee! Buy more than one and get a personalized video thank you. 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 Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs. BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO! Chicago's Midway Airport: The First 75 Years by Christopher Lynch https://amzn.to/44fos7D Midway Airport: Images of Aviation by David E. Kent https://amzn.to/48WiVW7 When Hollywood Landed at Chicago's Midway Airport: The Photos and Stories of Mike Rotunno by Christopher Lynch https://amzn.to/4iH4bxD Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH Want better sleep? Try the most delicious alternative to melatonin and sleeping pills that helps you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed. MoonBrew. Use the code below for 15% off. https://moonbrew.co/TOMMYHENRY Send me an email - Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com) Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com) Support the show

    48 min
  5. Episode 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller

    11/22/2025

    Episode 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller

    Send a text Author Rob Miller (one of the founders of Chicago's Bloodshot Records) joins me to discuss his new book, “The Hours Are Long But The Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music.” www.robmillerwriting.com Get Rob's book here: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p088964 Save 30% with the following code: F25UIP Get your Brick of Chicago 2026 Calendar! Purchasing items through the links below helps support our efforts at no additional cost to you: The Hours Are Long But The Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music by Rob Miller https://amzn.to/4oYw1Ia (Paperback) https://amzn.to/4idb89D (Kindle) Bloodied But Unbowed: Bloodshot Records Life in the Trenches (DVD) https://amzn.to/3XGc2Sq Show your love of this podcast for the cost of a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Want better sleep? Try the most delicious alternative to melatonin and sleeping pills that helps you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed. MoonBrew. Use the code below for 15% off. https://moonbrew.co/TOMMYHENRY Send me an email - Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com): Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com) Support the show

    57 min

  6. 11/08/2025

    FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS

    Send a text Please enjoy this FROM THE ARCHIVES + EXTRAS episode from the summer of 2022. One man was robbed more than 190 times, knocked unconscious at least four times, and had an eardrum burst aboard Chicago’s L, each time with Chicago cops nearby watching, all in the name of public transportation safety. This is the story of Chicago’s Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970’s. Show some love for the podcast for a one-time cost of a cup of coffee and help offset production costs: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs. Books: Chicago Street Cop: Amazing True Stories from the Mean Streets of Chicago and Beyond by Pat McCarthy https://amzn.to/3BcwRen Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street by Andre Van Vegten https://amzn.to/3vcsYlH (Paperback) https://amzn.to/3PA1YVp (Kindle Unlimited) Second City Sinners: True Crime from Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets by John Seidel https://amzn.to/3OIG3u9 Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street by Andre Van Vegten https://amzn.to/3vcsYlH (Paperback) https://amzn.to/3PA1YVp (Kindle Unlimited) Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH Up your cocktail game with Portland craft syrups! https://portlandsyrups.com/collections/all?sca_ref=1270971.MO4APpJH1k Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 Podcast art by John K. Schneider - angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com CONTENT CREATION: DJI Mini 2 - Ultralight and Foldable Drone Quadcopter https://amzn.to/3l8SZNK AFHT 5'x7' Portable Green Screen Backdrop with Stand https://amzn.to/3cUA7gW Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase helps support the podcast): https://www.teepublic.com/user/chicago-history-podcast https://teespring.com/stores/chicago-history-pod Support the show

    40 min
  7. Episode 816 - Ghosts of the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders

    10/26/2025

    Episode 816 - Ghosts of the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders

    Send a text The Spyglass Murder of Margaret Gallagher, the killing and dismemberment of Judith Mae Andersen, the execution-style murder of Chicago Alderman Ben Lewis, and the roadside disappearance of Tammy Jo Zywicki are all part of this episode on Chicago's unsolved murders. Want to help support the show? Buy me 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 Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs. BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO! TRUE CRIME: Sinister Chicago by Kali Joy Cramer https://amzn.to/2WV7F9V Murder & Mayhem in Chicago's Vice Districts by Troy Taylor https://amzn.to/3zgTBGl Second City Sinners: True Crime From Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets  by Jon Seidel https://amzn.to/3g5n1js Unknown Chicago Tales by John R. Schmidt https://amzn.to/3x6GgPh The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Underworld by Herbert Asbury https://amzn.to/3zlYL3D Murder and Mayhem on Chicago's South Side by Troy Taylor https://amzn.to/3BeIjmg (paperback) https://amzn.to/3kkBVmK (FREE with Kindle Unlimited) Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH Support the show

    1 hr
  8. Episode 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past - Expanded and Re-Recorded

    10/11/2025

    Episode 815 - Chicago's Ghoulish Past - Expanded and Re-Recorded

    Send a text Halloween is coming! Enjoy this episode about Chicago's ghoulish past, including tales of forgotten cemeteries, grave robbers, mob graveyards, and more. Expanded and re-recorded from the original, released Oct. 2020.. Pamela Bannos / Hidden Truths: https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/ Want to help support the podcast? Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chicagohistory Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs. BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO! Chicago Haunted Handbook: 99 Ghostly Places You Can Visit In and Around the Windy City by Jeff Morris and Vince Sheilds  https://amzn.to/46OGcZ6 The Ghosts of Chicago: Expanded Edition: Revised and Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition by Adam Selzer https://amzn.to/3J7uuQa Chicago Haunts: Ghostlore of the Windy City by Ursula Bielski https://amzn.to/3KLi15c Murder and Mayhem on Chicago's South Side by Troy Taylor https://amzn.to/3BeIjmg (paperback) https://amzn.to/3kkBVmK (FREE with Kindle Unlimited) Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH Chicago History Podcast Clothing, Mugs, Totes, & More (your purchase helps support the podcast): https://www.teepublic.com/user/chicago-history-podcast https://teespring.com/stores/chicago-history-podcast Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com): https://www.chicagohistorypod.com https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883 https://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/ Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com) Gear used in the recording of this podcast (purchases made through these links may help support the podcast): Shure SM-58 Microphone: https://amzn.to/2DsouQo Zoom H6 Recorder: https://amzn.to/3gSxrjF Support the show

    29 min
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4.8
out of 5
194 Ratings

About

Stories from history of the Greatest City in the World - Chicago. The places, events, and the people behind it all.

Information

  • Creator
    Chicago History Podcast
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    247
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Chicago History Podcast
  • Show Website
    Chicago History Podcast