Hidden Histories of Chicago

The Windy City's folklore almost sounds fictional. Learn how a cow became the culprit for its infamous fire, why its river flows the wrong way, and how a superhero scaled its tallest tower.

This city is one of five iconic stops in Hidden Histories, a collection of episodes uncovering the best-kept secrets of each destination. Find our recommended episodes on Chicago below, and explore our Chicago guide on Apple Maps by searching for "Apple Podcasts."

  1. Reversal of Fortune

    08/09/2013

    Reversal of Fortune

    In the mid-1800s, Chicago was growing like crazy, but it was also built on a swamp and struggling with a basic problem: sewage. Engineers raised the city’s streets, jacked up buildings, and dug tunnels beneath Lake Michigan, but the city kept outgrowing each solution. So Chicago took on its biggest, baddest, craziest idea yet: digging a gigantic canal that would reverse the (0:41) Chicago River entirely, one of the massive, ridiculous achievements that changed people’s ideas of how far you could go to make a city work. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. What's Below Chicago's Bean? The Lost Railyard

    Sep 11

    What's Below Chicago's Bean? The Lost Railyard

    Beneath Chicago’s Cloud Gate lies the city’s dramatic transformation. This episode traces Grant Park's evolution from marshland and post–Great Fire landfill to a bustling urban landmark, exploring Daniel Burnham’s 1909 vision and Montgomery Ward’s efforts to keep the lakefront “forever open, clear and free.” We examine the deck-over that led to Millennium Park, featuring Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain, and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate. Additionally, we uncover the hidden world beneath: Millennium Station, the Pedway, garages, and historic freight tunnels. Discover why Chicago’s front yard is both a monument to beauty and a marvel of buried infrastructure. #Chicago #GrantPark #MillenniumPark (00:45) Cloud Gate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. A stuntman dressed as Spider-Man scales all 110 stories of the Sears Tower - May 25th, 1981

    05/25/2022

    A stuntman dressed as Spider-Man scales all 110 stories of the Sears Tower - May 25th, 1981

    On this day in 1981, a 25-year-old acrobat named Dan Goodwin completed the first external climb of the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world at the time. (02:56) Willis Tower See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. SYSK Selects: Did a cow start the Great Chicago Fire?

    10/07/2017

    SYSK Selects: Did a cow start the Great Chicago Fire?

    In this week's SYSK Select episode, Josh and Chuck find who's probably to blame for the Great Chicago Fire. The newspapers of the day reported that a cow (or perhaps its owner) was responsible for a fire that burned half of Chicago in 1871. Yet in 1997 Mrs. O'Leary and her cow were exonerated. (5:18) Pillar of Fire Note: This is a sculpture that was created on the exact spot the fire started. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. The History Of The Chicago River And The Bridges Crossing It Are Right Under Your Nose

    07/19/2024

    The History Of The Chicago River And The Bridges Crossing It Are Right Under Your Nose

    On the Chicago Riverwalk, there’s a museum hidden inside a five-story limestone tower that rises from the DuSable bridge. The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum tells the story of the movable bridge and how the urban river has changed over time. Two Reset producers headed to check out the gears that move the bridge, the stunning views from inside the bridgehouse and learn the history of the river. It’s the first in a new series highlighting museums in the Chicago area that are off the beaten path. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

  6. Marina City - A Vertical Dream on the Chicago River

    10/14/2025

    Marina City - A Vertical Dream on the Chicago River

    In this episode of Architecture Topics, we travel to Chicago, the birthplace of the modern skyscraper, to explore Marina City, Bertrand Goldberg’s bold experiment in urban living. Designed in the late 1950s and completed in 1967, Marina City was a "city within a city," two cylindrical towers combining apartments, shops, parking, offices, and even a marina. At a time when Americans were fleeing downtowns for the suburbs, Goldberg set out to prove that high-density living could once again be desirable, not a compromise but an ideal. We’ll look at how this visionary project was built, how it changed Chicago’s skyline, and how it became a cultural icon featured in films, album covers, and the House of Blues. ---------- If you enjoy this show, I'm sure you will be interested in the new Certification Programs from the Global Institute for Architectural Analysis.Visit giaainstitute.org to learn more, and do it fast! The first 50 to enroll get a 50% OFF any Certification!

  7. Why The 1992 Loop Flood Is The Most Chicago Story Ever

    08/21/2016

    Why The 1992 Loop Flood Is The Most Chicago Story Ever

    How clout, corruption, and construction without permits led to half the Loop being evacuated. (1:09) Chicago Loop

  8. Pullman Is Story of Labor Strikes, Urban Planning and Plush Train Carpets

    09/07/2021

    Pullman Is Story of Labor Strikes, Urban Planning and Plush Train Carpets

    The Pullman neighborhood is named after George Pullman, a giant in the railroad industry who built a company town where his employees could live, work, and shop. But the neighborhood’s history is about more than the man. It was the site of a strike that led to the creation of Labor Day and it was home to the country’s first African American union. This history is memorialized at the Pullman National Monument, which opened to the public last weekend. Host Jacoby Cochran got a look with superintendent Teri Gage and local historian Mike Shymanski. Guests: Teri Gage, Superintendent, Pullman National Monument Mike Shymanski, President, Historic Pullman Foundation Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicago Sign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

  9. Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo?

    May 13

    Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo?

    There’s an ancient Roman column in Chicago hidden in plain sight near Soldier Field. It was a gift given by Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair, commemorating a daring transatlantic flight to the fair by Italian Air Marshal Italo Balbo. In a time when controversial monuments get removed, why does this one still stand? (0:26) Balbo Monument Written sources: “Italo Balbo: A Fascist Life” by Claudio Segré “Broken Icarus: The 1933 Chicago World's Fair, the Golden Age of Aviation, and the Rise of Fascism” by David Hanna “Genocide in Libya: Shar, a Hidden Colonial History” by Ali Abdullatif Ahmida “Italo Balbo's Flight to the 1933 Chicago World's Fair” by Don Fiore  “The meaning of monuments : Remembering Italo Balbo in Italy and the United States” by Nick Carter “Italian Colonialism” edited by Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Mia Fuller

  10. Dance Yourself Free

    03/02/2023

    Dance Yourself Free

    Ever since Beyonce's Renaissance dropped last summer, house music has found its way back to mainstream audiences, prompting some to ask "Is house back?" But the truth is, it never went away. Born out of the ashes of disco in the underground clubs of Chicago by Black queer youth in the late 1970s and 80s, house music has been the continued soundtrack of parties around the world, and laid the groundwork for one of the most popular musical genres in history – electronic dance music. And yet, the deeper you dig into the origins of house music, the more clear it becomes that the history of house, like the history of rock and roll, is a complicated tale of Black cultural resistance. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy