The man who led the prosecution of Richard Speck for the brutal murder of eight Chicago nurses died Friday. We revisit last year’s interview with William Martin.

We toast the analytical chemist and former South Side resident by switching up the elements of a classic Manhattan.

When a developer painted over a beloved and iconic mural on a shuttered Pilsen community center last month, the response was swift and strong.

In the late 1950s, the Chicago Defender and Pabst Brewing Company sponsored the Miss Wonderful 1958, an all African-American beauty contest. Meet Ernestine Terry, who was one of the contestants.

Chicago might be called the Second City, but we can lay claim to a few big historical firsts. Geoffrey Baer shares his favorite firsts in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.

Try our smoky twist on the classic bloody mary in honor of a crime scene pioneer who trained police detectives with her gruesome dioramas.

After finding the first known moving images of the 1915 Eastland disaster, a UIC graduate student uncovers a treasure trove of vintage films about a neighborhood church and its congregants.

We salute the sparkling stage presence of a turn-of-the-century star with a cocktail made with Prosecco, limoncello and summer fruit.

Before Sabella Nitti was sentenced to hang in 1923 for the murder of her husband, no other woman in Chicago had received such a fate. But Nitti’s case was different in more ways than one.

What happened to the Alexander Hamilton statue in Lincoln Park? Geoffrey Baer tells his story.

Unless you run in nerdy history circles, chances are you’ve never heard of Cora Strayer, private detective. Belly up to the bar for a history lesson—with a spirited twist.

Was the design of White Castle restaurants based on a Chicago landmark? Geoffrey Baer has the answers you crave.

The museum is turning to the public for help in telling the story of African-Americans who served as combat soldiers during World War 1.

Geoffrey Baer drops the curtain on an opera house mystery in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.

A farmhouse built in 1856 may have ties to the Underground Railroad. This summer, the homeowners and a Lake Forest archaeologist will begin work to uncover the mystery.

In the early days of their existence, Chicago’s street gangs developed some unique conventions that, ironically, helped law enforcement track them down. We took a look at the history of Chicago’s gang sweaters.