Sixty years ago, a young photography student aimed his camera at Chicago teens. His name was Joseph Sterling, and we visited an old classmate of his for a closer look at the process of capturing youth culture and Chicago in the mid-20th century.
chicago history
Jan 21, 2020 |
A new rock musical from the House Theatre of Chicago tells the incredible story of a teenage punk band from Evanston. We meet the cast of “Verboten” and an original member of the band.
Jan 20, 2020 |
Martin Luther King Jr. was known for speaking out against racial segregation, voter disenfranchisement and economic inequality. We discuss his life and legacy with a man who marched with him: Paul Adams III.
Jan 17, 2020 |
A new report issued by Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development says the Obama Presidential Center will have an “adverse” impact on Jackson Park’s Historic Landscape District and the city’s historic Park Boulevard System.
Jan 16, 2020 |
Dozens of old glass negatives found in the attic of a North Side home lead to a surprising discovery, just days before the house was scheduled to be torn down.
Jan 16, 2020 |
How did a Lincoln Park statue wind up standing in cities all over the world? Geoffrey Baer goes south of the border for the answer.
Jan 9, 2020 |
What do a train ride and an army parade have in common? Geoffrey Baer investigates two Chicago publicity stunts in this installment of Ask Geoffrey.
Jan 7, 2020 |
When he died in 2011, Chicago photographer Dorrell Creightney left behind half a million photos. His work is not well known, but his daughters are on a mission to change that.
Jan 6, 2020 |
The River North neighborhood offers a mix of restaurants, bars and galleries, but it wasn’t always so trendy. Chicago photographer and filmmaker Tom Palazzolo captured the area in the 1960s and now many of those photos are part of a new book.
Dec 30, 2019 |
Chicago has a thriving live music scene today, but many of the city’s legendary venues are long gone. A new book from Neal Samors and Bob Dauber remembers many of those 20th century nightspots.
Dec 26, 2019 |
At a time of great division in the U.S., a little bit of Mr. Rogers can go a long way to remind us of simpler times. We revisit a 1985 interview between Fred Rogers and original “Chicago Tonight” host John Callaway.
Dec 26, 2019 |
Before search engines and Wikipedia, where could Chicagoans go when they needed to know something fast? Geoffrey Baer serves up the story of a popular information service.
Dec 19, 2019 |
When a woman snatched a newborn from its mother’s arms in 1946, the case made headlines nationwide. And though the mystery seemed solved two years later, recent media reports say a man living in rural Michigan may be that very child.
Dec 11, 2019 |
Over its long history, Chicago has seen plenty of firsts, but those stories aren’t always well-known today. Entrepreneur Jesse Binga is at the center of one of those stories. Longtime journalist Don Hayner tells us more.
Dec 4, 2019 |
A nephew of 1930s gangster John Dillinger needs a cemetery’s permission to exhume the notorious criminal’s Indianapolis gravesite to prove whether he’s actually buried there, a judge ruled Wednesday in dismissing the nephew’s lawsuit against the cemetery.
Dec 3, 2019 |
The state says the building is too expensive to maintain and repair, but architectural activists are determined to highlight its unique features and its role in the city’s past, present and future.
