Windy City Historians
Available almost anywhere you get these things & our website.
Special Episode – Champlain’s Dream
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“I find it to be [an] incredibly compelling, and entertaining and enlightening podcast.” — Rick Kogan, newspaper man, radio personality, & noted author
“I just finished listening to the first three episodes of Windy City Historians. Great stuff. Congrats!” — Ethan Michaeli, author of The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America
“I don’t think I thanked you guys for your wonderful podcast on the canoe adventure. It was a fun listen. Honored to be part of the Windy City Historians podcast.” — Paul Meincke, Veteran Reporter, ABC 7 Eyewitness News
Latest Episodes
Special Episode – Champlain’s Dream
In this special episode of the Windy City Historians we revisit our discussion of Jean Nicolet in late historian John Swenson's last interview.
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Special Episode – Buzzing Through Time
In this Special Episode we take a view of Chicago History — Cicada style. For in the world of entomology, 2024 was a big year. As two cicada broods...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:22 — 46.2MB)
Episode 30 – The Front Page
Chicago's newspaper heyday boosted stories about murderers, high-society scandals, gangsters and more. Join us for this extended episode.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28:23 — 81.0MB)
Episode 29 – The 1919 Race Riots
All too often history repeats itself — with tragic results. During the last 100-years, the killing of one person becomes symbolic and spawns a larger tragedy. Irregularly bubbling to...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:07 — 55.1MB)
Episode 28 – WWI & Chicago Transformed
Hear from author Joe Gustaitis as we discuss how World War I transformed Chicago from a strongly German city into a modern metropolis.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:24:45 — 77.7MB)
Episode 27 – The Great Migration
In American history, we were taught that pioneers and homesteaders moved from east to west settling the continent in the greater pursuit of “Manifest Destiny” — killing and obfuscating...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:10 — 53.3MB)
Episode 26 – 1909
In 1909 Chicago changed dramatically both physically and intellectually. Having grown through fits and starts via annexation and experiencing the most rapid population growth of any city in history,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:29:00 — 81.5MB)
Episode 25 – A Book and A Beer: George Ade and the Old-Time Saloon
The path to riches is not often associated with journalism, but in the case of George Ade, writing for Chicago newspapers was his road to wealth and fame. Ade,...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:07 — 51.4MB)
Episode 24 – Bonus: Working on the Railroad
October is Railroad history month in Chicago. Although we already released Episode 24 - The Railroads in honor of railroads history month there was too much good stuff...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:27 — 39.8MB)
Episode 24 – The Railroads
For 150 years, Chicago has remained the country’s busiest rail hub at the center of the nation’s rail network. In all, 40 railroads provide services from Illinois to every...
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Episode 23 – Reversing the Chicago River
Native Americans held great respect for natural systems while also managing the landscape to support their people and way of life. As “civilization” came to this area Chicago became...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:41 — 56.5MB)
Episode 22 – Eyewitness to History: From the Pullman Strike to H.H. Holmes
Looking back on historical events, whether it is the Civil War or the Chicago Fire, they are usually presented in isolation, a individual events separated by subject, pinned to...
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:54 — 51.2MB)