Curious City
Society & Culture
About
Ask questions, vote and discover answers about Chicago, the region and its people. From WBEZ.
Episodes
- Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo?
Chicago hosts an ancient Roman column, a gift from Benito Mussolini that honored Italian Air Marshal Italo Balbo's 1933 World's Fair flight. The episode discusses the monument's controversial origins and its continued presence.
- Standing on history: Who built Chicago’s WPA sidewalks?
Curious City investigates the origins of branded stamps found in Chicago sidewalks, which date back to the Works Progress Administration during the Depression era. The episode explores the labor history associated with these WPA-built side…
- ‘This is how I speak’: The influence of the Black Chicago accent
Contributor Arionne Nettles examines the Black Chicago accent, its Southern roots tied to the Great Migration, and its persistence due to community ties, family relationships, and aesthetic preference. Nettles, who has the accent, reflects…
- How has the Black Chicago accent retained its Southern roots?
The Black Chicago accent retains many Southern dialect features. This connection can be understood by examining the historical context of the Great Migration.
- The story of the Lady Elgin, the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history
The Lady Elgin disaster in 1860, the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history, resulted in around 300 deaths. This event prompted the development of new ship lighting requirements and the establishment of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, hi…
- What are Chicago area lighthouses used for?
The episode discusses the historical role of keepers in Chicago area lighthouses and the transition to automation. It also highlights the current work by preservationists to restore the region's most notable lighthouse.
- How early Black Chicagoans used photography to redefine their image
At the turn of the 20th century, Black photographers in Chicago, including William E. Woodard and James Van Der Zee, established studios and intentionally focused on documenting their community. Their work circulated in publications, contr…
- What was Chicago's first art gallery?
Curious City explores the history of Chicago's first art gallery and discusses who had access to exhibit their work in early Chicago.
- Chicago came under martial law after the Great Fire. Did it help?
Curious City explores Chicago's declaration of martial law following the 1871 Great Fire, noting its short duration and subsequent civilian death. The episode also questions whether the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz constit…
- The ‘windmill capital of the world’ used to be down the road from Chicago
Curious City explores Batavia, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago that was once the "windmill capital of the world." The episode discusses the historical rise and fall of the local wind industry due to technological advancements and current con…
- Why aren’t there wind turbines in Lake Michigan?
Curious City examines the absence of wind turbines in Lake Michigan, a location with strong and consistent winds ideal for significant electricity generation. This episode is a collaboration with the environmental media organization Grist.
- No cars, no road salt: How one Midwestern community avoids salt all winter
Mackinac Island, Michigan, has found a way to manage winter snow and ice without using road salt. Dominick Miller of Mackinac State Historic Parks discusses how the island
- How does a mild winter affect Chicago’s economy?
The economic impact of Chicago's winter weather severity was investigated after a listener asked how mild winters affect the local economy. Winter conditions have implications for both residents' well-being and financial aspects.
- What was it like for women working in Hoover’s FBI?
Jane McCarty shares her experiences working at the FBI for over four decades, starting as a stenographer in the late 1960s. She discusses the challenges women faced in the male-dominated bureau, leadership opportunities, and the eventual i…
- Why did the FBI recruit girls from Catholic high schools?
Starting in the 1940s, the FBI recruited high school girls for clerical positions over several decades. A Catholic school in Chicago was frequently used by the FBI to find and hire these young women.
- How Ella Jenkins’ Chicago childhood shaped her iconic children’s music
Professor Gayle Wald discusses Ella Jenkins' Chicago childhood as the foundation for her pioneering work in children's music and her perseverance through the civil rights era. Jenkins created unique music focused on children during a time…
- What's the first Chicago public school named in honor of a Black person?
Curious City explores the history of Chicago's public schools, noting that while many older institutions honor white men, the first school named after a Black person dates back to the 1930s and was established amidst controversy.
- Why did Chicago widen Ashland Avenue?
Curious City examines the history of Chicago's Ashland Avenue, including why it was widened significantly about a century ago to handle increased car traffic. The episode also touches upon peculiarities in Chicago's street naming conventio…
- Why is Ashland Avenue sometimes Ashland Boulevard?
The Curious City episode "Why is Ashland Avenue sometimes Ashland Boulevard?" investigates the dual nature of Ashland Avenue in Chicago. It examines if the street's occasional designation as a boulevard is a historical artifact or a planne…
- We can’t name ‘em all, but here are some of Chicago’s greatest films
Curious City explores notable films shot in Chicago with critics Marya E. Gates and Robert Daniels. They discuss how the city
- From ‘The Fugitive’ to ‘The Dark Knight,’ what’s the best movie filmed in Chicago?
This episode of Curious City discusses notable films shot in Chicago, presented during awards season.
- ‘Weather is cool’: Weird Chicago weather, from northern lights to water spouts
This Curious City episode discusses strange weather in Chicago, including water spouts, thundersnow, and space weather, with insights from meteorologist Jeff Frame.
- When is it no longer ‘cooler by the lake’?
Curious City investigates the phenomenon of 'cooler by the lake' in Chicago, explaining the proximity needed to feel the temperature drop and contrasting Chicago's weather patterns with those of Northwest Indiana regarding lake effect snow.
- ‘It felt like a secret’: Remembering Chicago’s Berlin nightclub
Curious City revisits the Berlin nightclub, which closed after 40 years, exploring its significance through the memories of those who worked, danced, and frequented the Chicago establishment.
- What’s the story behind Berlin nightclub’s huge mural?
The Berlin nightclub featured a large Art Deco mural depicting masculine and feminine figures. This artwork overlooked nightly events until the club closed in 2023.
- Krampus is coming: The Christmas demon’s Chicago connection
On the morning of St. Nicholas Day, good kids rush downstairs to see what kind of gifts might be in their shoes. The bad kids? Unfortunately they might get a visit from Krampus, an ancient monster that has naughty children praying for a lu…
- “A Christmas Carol”: An amateur actor’s journey into a Chicago holiday tradition
The Christkindlmarket, the CTA holiday train and “A Christmas Carol” at the Goodman Theatre. Chicago is full of holiday traditions. In this episode, we get an intimate look at the annual theater production through the eyes of our Chicago S…
- The first Black-owned airport in the U.S. was in Robbins, Illinois
The Robbins Airport, just southwest of Chicago, was the first Black-owned and -operated airport in the country. Its founders were pivotal to Black aviation.
- A museum, a mayor and a road: How Lake Shore Drive became a runway ... intentionally
Lake Shore Drive has served as a makeshift runway for emergency landings. But it’s also been an intentional runway for planned arrivals. We go back to 1983 to get the story of how a Chicago institution helped turn our lakeside expressway i…
- How one organization is transforming Englewood’s vacant lots
The city of Chicago owns thousands of vacant lots, and more than 80 percent of those parcels are in communities where the population is at least 80 percent Black. That’s according to a report from the Institute for Housing Studies at DePau…
- Want to buy the vacant lot next door? It might take awhile
Buying a city-owned lot seems like a simple process, but buying one might take longer than expected. The city puts a limited number of parcels up for sale each year.
- Does your iguana need x-rays? A local exotic animal hospital can help
Stop us if you’ve heard this one: A hedgehog, a river otter and an iguana walk into a local exotic animal hospital …Whether intentional or otherwise, exotic pets like sharks, macaws and pythons have made Illinois their home. But finding me…
- A monkey on the loose: Odd animal sightings in Chicago
Animal control is used to dealing with stray cats and dogs. But what happens when there’s a peacock strutting down the alley? Curious City explores strange animal sightings in Chicago.
- Beyond the settlement: Helping Chicago’s many survivors of police torture
Chicago passed a reparations ordinance 10 years ago for the survivors of police torture committed under the direction of disgraced Chicago police commander Jon Burge.As we learned in our last episode, monetary reparations alone cannot heal…
- What impact do big payouts have on survivors of police torture and misconduct?
This year marks a new record, as Chicago city leaders have so far agreed to pay more than $266 million to resolve a wide range of police misconduct lawsuits. After the city washes its hands and the TV news cameras move on, what happens nex…
- Two-and-a-half minutes: Pilot John Ginley’s dance with disaster
While flying over downtown Chicago on July 18, 2018, a World-War-II era single-engine Ercoupe airplane suffered “complete mechanical failure.”“The throttle cable completely broke off of the carburetor,” said pilot John Ginley. “There was n…
- ‘Mayday, mayday, mayday’: How many planes have landed on Lake Shore Drive?
A couple of pilots have made forced landings on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. What makes a road or any other non-airport spot the best option in an emergency?
- A Curious City Halloween: Scary stories from spooked Chicagoans
Three stories from Chicagoans who endured a terrifying experience that they couldn’t explain, couldn’t get over, or couldn’t escape. Karen Holt tells the story of her haunted childhood home on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Was her house simply…
- Gone and nearly forgotten: Lincoln Park’s High Bridge
A bridge constructed for sightseeing during the turn of the century soon became known as a place for death. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
- The unsung legacy of Margaret Burroughs: ‘We called her mama’
Margaret Burroughs was a force to be reckoned with. An artist and a poet in Chicago from the 1920s until her death in 2010, she was also a teacher, an organizer, and the founder of the DuSable Black History Museum. Her birthday is November…
- Chicago is a jazz city, but where are the jazz radio stations?
The city is home to a vibrant jazz scene and the Chicago Jazz Festival. But WDCB is the only all-jazz radio station in the region. Why isn't there more jazz programming on the local radio dial?
- How a group of volunteers saved a rare Illinois wildflower
The Kankakee mallow is one of the rarest plants on the continent, according to the Smithsonian Garden in Washington D.C. It’s a pink flower that grows on tall stalks and is native to just one small island in the middle of the Kankakee Rive…
- What’s that dead zone in the 19th Ward?
There’s a hole in the map of Chicago. It turns out, it’s a cemetery. But there are many other cemeteries in Chicago that don’t show up as holes on the map, so what’s up with this one? We take you to the 19th Ward and explore the history of…
- The tale of the two-flat
You know the building: Two stories, an apartment unit on each floor, usually with bay windows and a facade of brick or greystone. But how did the two-flat become so popular, and who was it originally built to serve? In our last episode, we…
- ‘Women adrift’: How single women lived independently in early Chicago
At the turn of the century in Chicago, single women without a husband or family were considered to be "adrift," but they weren’t drifting at all. They were making choices that took them to different addresses.
- ‘Friendship set to music’: Curious City goes square dancing on the South Side
It’s a Thursday night and a group of folks in Washington Heights do-si-do to the bassline from “Shake Your Groove Thing” by Peaches & Herb. Square dancing has a reputation as more of a hobby for white people set to country music. But socia…
- Square dance clubs used to be bumping on the weekends
Square dancing was once so popular that a center opened in the suburbs dedicated to the hobby. Today, veteran dancers are trying to recruit new fans.
- Is your local mall dying, thriving or evolving?
Malls hold a special spot in the hearts of many Americans of a certain age. One may have been the setting for your first date, the place you caught a now-classic summer blockbuster, or even a daycare of sorts after mom dropped you off with…
- What was Ford City Mall like in its heyday?
Vacant shops and faded signs, Ford City Mall is in the process of being sold. But this shell of a shopping center was once a bustling hub, especially for young people.
- What happened after a dangerous year inside Cook County Jail
The year 2023 was a deadly one at the Cook County Jail. Eighteen people died in custody, “for many reasons,” said reporter Carlos Ballesteros, who reported on the record year for Injustice Watch. His reporting cited drug overdoses, lapses…