Backstory with Larry Potash

The first-ever successful lawsuit brought by a slave was filed by Henrietta Wood. Her ordeal would take her from Kentucky to Mississippi to Cincinnati where she would finally win her freedom and a $2,500 settlement. This is the backstory...

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In 1629, the Salem witch trials led to the execution of 20 people as witch hunt frenzy reached the U.S. That might sounds like ancient history, but only a few decades ago a case documented by the Catholic church inspired "The Exorcist." But what really happened? Get the Backstory on these iconic tales of witches and demons.

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How two sisters' stories of speaking to ghosts in the 19th century sparked a move towards mysticism in the U.S. — and profiting from it. Larry Potash returns to his hometown to explore its tales of spiritualism and abolitionism. And how a group of experts is offering real money for proof of the supernatural.

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NASA's revolutionary sales pitch worked to enlist the American public in the space race in the '60s, but that race also stoked Cold War fears, whose remnants are still hidden across Chicagoland.

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In 1978, Bill German turned 16 years old, and like many kids his age was a major Rolling Stones fan.

He didn’t want to be a rock star, or simply go to their concerts. German wanted to chronicle their careers, and make a living doing so.

How does an innocent, straight-A student from an orthodox Jewish school in Brooklyn, New York, end up chasing the world’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band around the world? It turns out his adventure had as many ups and downs as the Stones themselves.

In this piece from Backstory, Larry Potash tells us how Bill German’s excellent adventure played out.

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During Northern Ireland's "Troubles," a gang of masked people dragged Gene McConville away from her 10 kids.

"Watch the children until I come back," she yelled to her oldest son.

But they never saw her again, and were abandoned after her assumed death. Years later, McConville's body was found with a single gunshot wound to the head.

While the murder remains unsolved, an author says he used a secret archive to finally identify her killer.

Read or watch the full story online

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When pinball was illegal, he was called upon to prove it's more than a game of chance. That's when one shot changed it all. Watch this full story online.

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Jack Hersch said it was a tradition every Passover for his father, David, to tell his sons about how he escaped the Nazis.

"He would talk about the death march - put on a 34-mile march, he made it sound like he was going to get a cup of coffee around the corner," Jack Hersch said.

Then a mysterious photo led Jack to wonder if there was more the story — and go in search of answers. 

Watch the full story online

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While many remember the DeLorean thanks to its appearance in “Back to the Future,” but the story of its iconic creator John DeLorean is just as interesting.

You can also watch Backstory online.

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How does a black detective go undercover to investigate the Ku Klux Klan? Ron Stallworth shares the amazing true story of how he accidentally used his own name, and talked his way into becoming a card-carrying Klan member.

Want to see the video? Watch this on "Backstory" online.

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