5,000 children wrongfully removed from their homes, sent to live with total strangers. And the worst part? It was all completely legal. In this Backstory piece, Larry Potash looks at the life and terrible legacy of one Georgia Tann, and some of the descendants that she left in her wake.

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

Before Bond. Before Bourne. There was a real-life man named Thomas Miller Beach, AKA Major Henri Le Caron. His claim to fame? Arguably, he was the world’s first super spy, caught in a four-nation conflict in the 19th century. Larry Potash has the fascinating Backstory on the man who led a ragtag band of ex-soldiers to invade no less than the dominion of Canada.

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

The Michael Jordan Statue. Some argue this sculpture of the G.O.A.T., unveiled in 1994, ushered in a golden era of monuments to our heroes on the field. Larry Potash has the backstory on it, as well as other Chicago sports legends immortalized in bronze, and asks the question, what if statues aren’t history, but archaeology?

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

A stroll through a neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago leads a local woman to come across a stone that’s a part of history. Behind the stone? A story of one man caught in two worlds, pursuing peace and history. The man? Billy Caldwell. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash looks at his legacy through a modern-day lens.

 Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

The guitar has always seemed like the “lead instrument” on stage. Its power chords pushed it to the front and center of radio airwaves. And yet, it seems to come and go from popular music. The one constant has been when it comes to making a guitar, nobody does it better than America. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash goes deep on six stringed instruments, those who make them and those who play them.

 Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

Sherlock Holmes started out as a character in a British magazine in the late 19th century. Thus began over a century of pop culture fame, but, more importantly, it began a new way of looking at crime…and justice, as Larry Potash reports in this piece for Backstory.

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

About one in three Americans now has a tattoo somewhere on their body. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash looks at the psychology at play inside of those who get tattooed. And asks, why are Americans in particular so eager to ink?

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

Malls started out as a sort of town center 2.0, eventually becoming staples of suburban life. But with the rise of online shopping, what does the future hold for these icons of American consumerism. In this Backstory piece, Larry potash looks at the rise, fall, and reinvention of the American mall.

 Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

Nostalgia is a powerful force that permeates every class and demographic. What exactly is its allure? And what is its danger? In this Backstory piece, Larry Potash delves into how nostalgia has infused our present-day lives, and what it means for the larger cultural picture.

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media.

America's founding fathers go beyond the English. About half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence have Scottish roots. And they remained an influence on America from that moment forward.