Chicago History Podcast

Chicago History Podcast

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

  1. SPECIAL EPISODE - The Women Who Built Chicago with genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith

    5D AGO

    SPECIAL EPISODE - The Women Who Built Chicago with genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith

    Send us Fan Mail Genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith joins me to discuss her connections to Chicago and "The Women Who Built Chicago" bus tour, launched for Women's History Month in partnership with Ancestry, which highlights overlooked women's contributions. Tickets for the bus tour: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dilla-and-ancestry-present-the-women-who-built-chicago-bus-tour-tickets-1983596857598 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. Women Building Chicago 1790-1990: A Biographical Dictionary by Rima Lunin Schultz https://amzn.to/479TaAB Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington by Nadine Cohodas https://amzn.to/4bNKzGh Get access to millions of books  with Kindle Unlimited. Not an Unlimited subscriber? Get a free 30-day trial 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 Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 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

    28 min
  2. Episode 821 - Behind the Camera: Jun Fujita's Chicago with author Graham Harrison Lee

    MAR 7

    Episode 821 - Behind the Camera: Jun Fujita's Chicago with author Graham Harrison Lee

    Send us Fan Mail Jun Fujita was a pioneering Japanese-born photographer who made his way to Chicago to become widely regarded as the first Japanese American photojournalist. Hear more about Fujita's life in Chicago from Graham Harrison Lee, Fujita's great-nephew and author of the book Jun Fujita: Behind the Camera. Preorder a copy of the second printing of the book from the publisher (and save $10): https://hatandbeard.com/products/jun-fujita-behind-the-camera-by-graham-harrison-lee-002 Follow author Graham Lee on Instagram. 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. Jun Fujita: Tanka and Other Verse by Jun Fujita https://amzn.to/4ujXgA4 (Paperback) https://amzn.to/4cyqaWK (Kindle Edition) You can read this book FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Not an Unlimited subscriber? Get a free 30-day trial 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 Need music for YOUR projects? Audiio has got you covered. Try a free trial here: https://audiio.com/pricing?oid=1&affid=481 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

    51 min
  3. Episode 820 - People Wasn't Made To Burn: The James Hickman Story

    FEB 22

    Episode 820 - People Wasn't Made To Burn: The James Hickman Story

    Send us Fan Mail An unbearable loss pushes one man past the breaking point, ending in murder. Listener discretion is advised. 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. People Wasn't Made To Burn: A True Story of Housing, Race, and Murder in Chicago by Joe Allen https://amzn.to/4avJK2V (Paperback) https://amzn.to/4sbaIEz (Kindle Edition) You can read this book FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Not an Unlimited subscriber? Get a free 30-day trial 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

    52 min
  4. FROM THE ARCHIVES - Sundown Towns of Chicago with Ernest Crim III

    FEB 15

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

    Send us Fan Mail 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
  5. Episode 819 - Frozen in Time: Chicago's Ten Coldest Days

    JAN 25

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

    Send us Fan Mail 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

  6. 12/20/2025

    FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Skid Row Flophouse Fires

    Send us Fan Mail 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
  7. 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 us Fan Mail 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
  8. Episode 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller

    11/22/2025

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

    Send us Fan Mail 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
See All (250)

4.8
out of 5
196 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
    250
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Chicago History Podcast
  • Show Website
    Chicago History Podcast

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