For years, petroleum coke – the black, powdery byproduct of tar sands oil refineries – plagued the Southeast Chicago area along the Calumet River. Community and environmental activists protested and eventually influenced legislation regulating how the dusty byproduct is stored locally.

It’s never been easy or popular in America to be an egghead. Just ask Adlai Stevenson, who once remarked, “the way of the egghead is hard.” For a drink befitting Stevenson’s balance and brainpower, we create the Old Shoe from equal parts Old Tom gin, vermouth and applejack.

We honor Anton Cermak’s immigrant story with a Chicago-brewed Czech pilsner, Revolution Brewing’s Rev Pils, and spike it with the spirit of a more recent group of Chicago immigrants: tequila.

The largest passenger ship to operate in the Great Lakes stopped at Navy Pier in the 1950s. Geoffrey Baer dives into the history of the S.S. Aquarama and more.

Picasso, Miro, and now the latest acquisition of the Arts Club of Chicago as it marks its centennial year.

A social media campaign calls on developers to halt second-story additions to Chicago’s bungalows.

The new book "Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died" explores the notorious history of the "Anti-Disco Army" – a rebellion that led to chaos at Comiskey Park and a forfeited game for the Chicago White Sox.

Get ready for a trip back in time: The CTA is rolling out some of its vintage trains and buses and you can soon get a sense of what Chicago transit passengers experienced nearly 100 years ago.

We toast Chicago’s first mayor with a drink that gives a nod to William B. Ogden’s influence on city bridges and railroads: the Boilermaker.

Did a used-car salesman design and build his sleek and sporty luxury car right here in Chicago? Geoffrey Baer has that story and more.

The brutal murder of eight young Chicago nurses in the summer of 1966 horrified the nation. Fifty years later, the lead prosecutor on the case that was instantly dubbed "The Crime of the Century" is here to tell us about it.

This week, we raise a glass to five-time U.S. Congressman and two-time U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, the O.G. hipster of the Senate, with a new twist on an old-school cocktail.

Longtime U.S. Congressman Dan Rostenkowski famously called Chicago politics “blood sport.” We raise a glass to one of Chicago's own (who also happened to have one of the all-time great heads of political hair) with a Polish twist on a classic cocktail.

Whether it was dancing with a polka queen or meeting with protesters, Mayor Harold Washington was always smiling. We celebrate Chicago’s first and so far only African-American mayor with the signature drink, How’s Harold?

Chicago’s early history has a surprising amount of Kentucky in it, including five-time Chicago Mayor Carter Henry Harrison. We honor Harrison’s old Kentucky home by putting a Chicago spin on the classic mint julep.

Did a used-car salesman design and build his sleek and sporty luxury car right here in Chicago? Geoffrey Baer has that story and more.