Chicago History Podcast
@chicagohistorypod.bsky.social
Stories about the Greatest City in the World. Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
"Rob Miller paints a glorious, detailed landscape of how it feels to be transformed and elevated by music." - Neko Case
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@illinoispress.bsky.social
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@illinoispress.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 10:15 PM
"Rob Miller paints a glorious, detailed landscape of how it feels to be transformed and elevated by music." - Neko Case
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@illinoispress.bsky.social
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@illinoispress.bsky.social
I'm pretty sure for the rest of my days when I hear the Stevie Nicks song "Edge of Seventeen" I'll think of Joan Cusack in "School of Rock."
November 26, 2025 at 12:36 AM
I'm pretty sure for the rest of my days when I hear the Stevie Nicks song "Edge of Seventeen" I'll think of Joan Cusack in "School of Rock."
In 1995, The Old 97's signed with Bloodshot Records, which released their album Wreck Your Life. This partnership helped launch the band into the burgeoning alt-country scene.
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
@millerscave.bsky.social
@officialold97s.bsky.social
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
@millerscave.bsky.social
@officialold97s.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 8:52 PM
In 1995, The Old 97's signed with Bloodshot Records, which released their album Wreck Your Life. This partnership helped launch the band into the burgeoning alt-country scene.
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
@millerscave.bsky.social
@officialold97s.bsky.social
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
@millerscave.bsky.social
@officialold97s.bsky.social
"That Robbie Fulks is not in the top tier of the pantheon of great American songwriters is a crime." - Rob Miller, co-founder of Bloodshot Records.
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Clipping - Chicago Tribune July 17, 1998
@millerscave.bsky.social
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Clipping - Chicago Tribune July 17, 1998
@millerscave.bsky.social
November 23, 2025 at 2:49 PM
"That Robbie Fulks is not in the top tier of the pantheon of great American songwriters is a crime." - Rob Miller, co-founder of Bloodshot Records.
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Clipping - Chicago Tribune July 17, 1998
@millerscave.bsky.social
Ep. 817 - Chicago's Bloodshot Records with author Rob Miller
Clipping - Chicago Tribune July 17, 1998
@millerscave.bsky.social
Author Rob Miller and I discuss his new book "The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music" on the latest episode.
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@millerscave.bsky.social
@illinoispress.bsky.social
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@millerscave.bsky.social
@illinoispress.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Author Rob Miller and I discuss his new book "The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music" on the latest episode.
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@millerscave.bsky.social
@illinoispress.bsky.social
Listen here - bit.ly/4ruVuL0 or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
@millerscave.bsky.social
@illinoispress.bsky.social
Who is this friendly looking chap and what does he have to do with tomorrow's new Chicago History Podcast episode?
November 21, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Who is this friendly looking chap and what does he have to do with tomorrow's new Chicago History Podcast episode?
Some pix from today's Brick of Chicago tour of Old Town. Brick Guy Will (unsurprisingly) shared a ton of area history about which I knew little.
November 15, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Some pix from today's Brick of Chicago tour of Old Town. Brick Guy Will (unsurprisingly) shared a ton of area history about which I knew little.
Then-Deputy Chief of Patrol Thomas J. Lyons pondered how to discourage muggers.
"We finally got a simple idea. Make the criminal fear that the lamb he's tackling can turn out to be a tiger.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
"We finally got a simple idea. Make the criminal fear that the lamb he's tackling can turn out to be a tiger.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
November 13, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Then-Deputy Chief of Patrol Thomas J. Lyons pondered how to discourage muggers.
"We finally got a simple idea. Make the criminal fear that the lamb he's tackling can turn out to be a tiger.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
"We finally got a simple idea. Make the criminal fear that the lamb he's tackling can turn out to be a tiger.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
With Ron Grossman retiring from the @chicagotribune.com, it seems fitting that I came across this book he published in 1981. His work has been instrumental in my research.
November 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
With Ron Grossman retiring from the @chicagotribune.com, it seems fitting that I came across this book he published in 1981. His work has been instrumental in my research.
The Mass Transit Decoy Squad, circa 1973.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
November 12, 2025 at 5:09 PM
The Mass Transit Decoy Squad, circa 1973.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
While officer Arthur Novit often disguised himself as a country bumpkin or a vagrant to attract robbers, it was when he donned a Superman costume that Novit earned the nickname "Superman of the Subway."
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
November 11, 2025 at 7:39 PM
While officer Arthur Novit often disguised himself as a country bumpkin or a vagrant to attract robbers, it was when he donned a Superman costume that Novit earned the nickname "Superman of the Subway."
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
Local reporters, including WLS-TV's John Drury, covered the efforts of the Decoy Squad.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
November 10, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Local reporters, including WLS-TV's John Drury, covered the efforts of the Decoy Squad.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s plus EXTRAS
bit.ly/4nMysft
One man was robbed more than 190 times, knocked unconscious at least four times, and had an eardrum burst aboard the CTA, each time with Chicago cops nearby watching, all in the name of public transportation safety.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s
bit.ly/4nMysft
November 8, 2025 at 7:54 PM
One man was robbed more than 190 times, knocked unconscious at least four times, and had an eardrum burst aboard the CTA, each time with Chicago cops nearby watching, all in the name of public transportation safety.
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s
bit.ly/4nMysft
FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970s
bit.ly/4nMysft
Another picture from this weekend's Graceland Cemetery walk and a nice piece about the Wolff family.
Wolff Family – Posts in the Graveyard share.google/GcYo8izjkw2Q...
Wolff Family – Posts in the Graveyard share.google/GcYo8izjkw2Q...
November 3, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Another picture from this weekend's Graceland Cemetery walk and a nice piece about the Wolff family.
Wolff Family – Posts in the Graveyard share.google/GcYo8izjkw2Q...
Wolff Family – Posts in the Graveyard share.google/GcYo8izjkw2Q...
I had a delightful walk around Graceland Cemetery yesterday and got to fully enjoy nature's fireworks (the changing of the leaves) while the sun was out. Highly recommended if you're in Chicago.
November 2, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I had a delightful walk around Graceland Cemetery yesterday and got to fully enjoy nature's fireworks (the changing of the leaves) while the sun was out. Highly recommended if you're in Chicago.
Tammy Jo Zywicki's car broke down on I-80 on Sunday, August 23, 1992. Nine days later and 500 miles away, a truck driver noticed a large red blanket among the roadside brush; inside were Tammy's remains.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
October 31, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Tammy Jo Zywicki's car broke down on I-80 on Sunday, August 23, 1992. Nine days later and 500 miles away, a truck driver noticed a large red blanket among the roadside brush; inside were Tammy's remains.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Two days after Alderman Ben Lewis won reelection in Chicago’s 24th Ward in Feb. 1963, his body was found handcuffed to a chair in his office. He had been shot three times in the back of the head.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
October 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Two days after Alderman Ben Lewis won reelection in Chicago’s 24th Ward in Feb. 1963, his body was found handcuffed to a chair in his office. He had been shot three times in the back of the head.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Judith Mae Andersen was 15 when she went missing while walking home from a friend's house on August 16, 1957. Six days later, fishermen spotted an oil drum bobbing in the water near Montrose Harbor.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
October 28, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Judith Mae Andersen was 15 when she went missing while walking home from a friend's house on August 16, 1957. Six days later, fishermen spotted an oil drum bobbing in the water near Montrose Harbor.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
On October 28, 1893, Patrick Eugene Prendergast knocked on the door of Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison's house at Ashland and Jackson. Harrison was felled by three shots minutes later.
Episode 305 - The Assassination of Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison
bit.ly/4nv26px
Episode 305 - The Assassination of Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison
bit.ly/4nv26px
October 28, 2025 at 1:25 PM
On October 28, 1893, Patrick Eugene Prendergast knocked on the door of Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison's house at Ashland and Jackson. Harrison was felled by three shots minutes later.
Episode 305 - The Assassination of Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison
bit.ly/4nv26px
Episode 305 - The Assassination of Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison
bit.ly/4nv26px
July, 1956. Beauty salon owner Margaret Gallagher is killed while enjoying the afternoon Chicago sun near Foster and the lake in a case that would be called "The Spyglass Murder."
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
October 27, 2025 at 6:56 PM
July, 1956. Beauty salon owner Margaret Gallagher is killed while enjoying the afternoon Chicago sun near Foster and the lake in a case that would be called "The Spyglass Murder."
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Ep. 816 - Ghosts in the City: Chicago's Unsolved Murders
Listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
A gray Chicago day made brighter with a kind review.
October 22, 2025 at 11:23 PM
A gray Chicago day made brighter with a kind review.
Dear @ew.com - you can slow down with the Kelly Ripa / Mark Consuelos and Whoopi Goldberg posts. There must be something more meaningful on which to report.
October 22, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Dear @ew.com - you can slow down with the Kelly Ripa / Mark Consuelos and Whoopi Goldberg posts. There must be something more meaningful on which to report.
After film producer (and husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor) Michael Todd died in a plane crash in 1958, his remains were buried in a grave in Forest Park, IL’s Beth Aaron Cemetery. 19 years later, his grave was found disturbed, likely by those convinced his $100k wedding ring was buried with him.
October 17, 2025 at 3:08 PM
After film producer (and husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor) Michael Todd died in a plane crash in 1958, his remains were buried in a grave in Forest Park, IL’s Beth Aaron Cemetery. 19 years later, his grave was found disturbed, likely by those convinced his $100k wedding ring was buried with him.