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In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, Chicago was plagued by fires that had one key thing in common – they took place at often unsafe, threadbare hotels, injuring and even killing those who were already down on their luck. This is the story of Chicago’s Skid Row Flophouse Fires.

Originally released in January 2022.

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Chicago Fires:

Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped A City by David Cowen
https://amzn.to/3Ga2rJ9
It's Not The Trauma, It's The Drama: More Stories by a Chicago Fire Department Paramedic by Marjorie Leigh Bomben
https://amzn.to/3q6DRn9
History of Chicago: A Captivating Guide To The People and Events that Shaped the Windy City's History
https://amzn.to/3HJdERo (or FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

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CHICAGO MOVIES discussed on the podcast!

Backdraft
https://amzn.to/3y33plM
About Last Night (1986)
https://amzn.to/2W8v4EU
Call Northside 777
https://amzn.to/3ggBPeS

So many Chicago-related movies and documentaries can been found here:
https://amzn.to/38F6heh

Want to Enjoy Outdoor Movies? Here's the gear I use:
Epson Home Cinema Projector:
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120" Projector Screen/Stand:
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Chicago Movie Tours
chicagomovietours.com

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On a cold and snowy day in December 1972, United Airlines flight 553 crashed into a neighborhood near Midway Airport, resulting in 45 deaths. The tragedy was soon followed by conspiracies. Was the plane brought down to silence those who might jeopardize powerful people in the government?

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Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs.

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO!

Chicago's Midway Airport: The First 75 Years by Christopher Lynch

https://amzn.to/44fos7D

Midway Airport: Images of Aviation by David E. Kent

https://amzn.to/48WiVW7

When Hollywood Landed at Chicago's Midway Airport: The Photos and Stories of Mike Rotunno by Christopher Lynch

https://amzn.to/4iH4bxD

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Author Rob Miller (one of the founders of Chicago's Bloodshot Records) joins me to discuss his new book, “The Hours Are Long But The Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music.”

www.robmillerwriting.com

Get Rob's book here:

https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p088964

Save 30% with the following code: F25UIP

Get your Brick of Chicago 2026 Calendar!

Purchasing items through the links below helps support our efforts at no additional cost to you:

The Hours Are Long But The Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music by Rob Miller

https://amzn.to/4oYw1Ia (Paperback)

https://amzn.to/4idb89D (Kindle)

Bloodied But Unbowed: Bloodshot Records Life in the Trenches (DVD)

https://amzn.to/3XGc2Sq

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https://moonbrew.co/TOMMYHENRY

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Please enjoy this FROM THE ARCHIVES + EXTRAS episode from the summer of 2022.

One man was robbed more than 190 times, knocked unconscious at least four times, and had an eardrum burst aboard Chicago’s L, each time with Chicago cops nearby watching, all in the name of public transportation safety.

This is the story of Chicago’s Mass Transit Decoy Squad of the 1970’s.

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Books:
Chicago Street Cop: Amazing True Stories from the Mean Streets of Chicago and Beyond by Pat McCarthy
https://amzn.to/3BcwRen
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street by Andre Van Vegten
https://amzn.to/3vcsYlH (Paperback)
https://amzn.to/3PA1YVp (Kindle Unlimited)
Second City Sinners: True Crime from Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets by John Seidel
https://amzn.to/3OIG3u9
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street by Andre Van Vegten
https://amzn.to/3vcsYlH (Paperback)
https://amzn.to/3PA1YVp (Kindle Unlimited)

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CONTENT CREATION:
DJI Mini 2 - Ultralight and Foldable Drone Quadcopter
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AFHT 5'x7' Portable Green Screen Backdrop with Stand
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The Spyglass Murder of Margaret Gallagher, the killing and dismemberment of Judith Mae Andersen, the execution-style murder of Chicago Alderman Ben Lewis, and the roadside disappearance of Tammy Jo Zywicki are all part of this episode on Chicago's unsolved murders.

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Up your cocktail or Sodastream game with Portland craft syrups!
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Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs.

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO!

TRUE CRIME:

Sinister Chicago by Kali Joy Cramer
https://amzn.to/2WV7F9V
Murder & Mayhem in Chicago's Vice Districts by Troy Taylor
https://amzn.to/3zgTBGl
Second City Sinners: True Crime From Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets  by Jon Seidel
https://amzn.to/3g5n1js
Unknown Chicago Tales by John R. Schmidt
https://amzn.to/3x6GgPh
The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Underworld by Herbert Asbury
https://amzn.to/3zlYL3D
Murder and Mayhem on Chicago's South Side by Troy Taylor
https://amzn.to/3BeIjmg (paperback)
https://amzn.to/3kkBVmK (FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

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Halloween is coming! Enjoy this episode about Chicago's ghoulish past, including tales of forgotten cemeteries, grave robbers, mob graveyards, and more. Expanded and re-recorded from the original, released Oct. 2020..

Pamela Bannos / Hidden Truths:
https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/

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Anything purchased through the links below may generate a small commission for this podcast at no cost to you and help offset production costs.

BOOKS ABOUT CHICAGO!

Chicago Haunted Handbook: 99 Ghostly Places You Can Visit In and Around the Windy City by Jeff Morris and Vince Sheilds 
https://amzn.to/46OGcZ6
The Ghosts of Chicago: Expanded Edition: Revised and Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition by Adam Selzer
https://amzn.to/3J7uuQa
Chicago Haunts: Ghostlore of the Windy City by Ursula Bielski
https://amzn.to/3KLi15c
Murder and Mayhem on Chicago's South Side by Troy Taylor
https://amzn.to/3BeIjmg (paperback)
https://amzn.to/3kkBVmK (FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

Join Kindle Unlimited here: https://amzn.to/2WsP1GH

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Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com):
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Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com)

Gear used in the recording of this podcast (purchases made through these links may help support the podcast):
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Chicago has had its share of bizarre incidents resulting in death, including the Pain Fireworks Company Explosion of 1914.

Show your support of the show for the cost of a coffee:
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Affiliate Links (anything you buy through these links - not just this stuff - helps benefit the show at no additional cost to you):

Chicago Calamities: Disaster in the Windy City by Gail Soucek
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https://amzn.to/4nRr3Mj (Kindle version)

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Here's one originally released in August 2021 that you may not have heard. Enjoy.

He was the son of one of the wealthiest men in Chicago, and on one fateful night he was shot under mysterious circumstances. Was Marshall Field Jr.'s death an accident or something much darker that was covered up by powerful forces?

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Sin In The Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott
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Sinister Chicago by Kali Joy Cramer
https://amzn.to/2WV7F9V
Fortune Builders: Chicago's Famous Families by Edwin Darby
https://amzn.to/3y1bmaY
Second City Sinners: True Crime From Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets  by Jon Seidel
https://amzn.to/3g5n1js
Unknown Chicago Tales by John R. Schmidt
https://amzn.to/3x6GgPh

Looking to get out and explore Chicago? Here are a few ideas:
16" Softball Hall of Fame
https://16inchsoftballhof.com/visit-us/
Chicago Movie Tours
chicagomovietours.com

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If you're planning on walking through Lincoln Park anytime soon, you may be curious about all the statues you'll find. With the help of contributor Connie Fairbanks, we discuss the story behind many of the creations you'll see, and tell you about the ones that were once there but are no longer.

You can purchase Chicago's West Loop: Then and Now by Connie Fairbanks from the author at:
https://www.conniefairbanks.com/

or through this Amazon link:
https://amzn.to/3BzEPxt

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In August of 1925, an opulent cinema opened on Broadway just north of Lawrence Avenue. Joining me today to discuss the history of that theater is Robert Loerzel, one of the authors of the recently released book The Uptown: Chicago's Endangered Movie Palace.

https://www.robertloerzel.com/blog/

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Uptown, The: Chicago's Endangered Movie Palace by Robert Loerzel & James Pierce

https://amzn.to/4ltNxBu

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Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod AT gmail.com):

Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks AT gmail.com) 

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