October 8th, 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the legendary disaster that destroyed a third of Chicago and made 90,000 residents homeless. While Mrs. O'Leary and her cow are usually portrayed as the culprits behind the catastrophic blaze, my guest, Carl Smith, doesn't believe history has treated her fairly.

Professor Smith is the author of "Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City", and he shares on this episode of Most Notorious the fascinating details of the fire, including how it might have begun, how mistakes prevented the fire department from getting to it sooner, the devastation it left in its wake, and how the city ultimately overcame the fire's destruction to build anew. 

More about the author and his work:

https://groveatlantic.com/book/chicagos-great-fire-2/

https://carlsmith.northwestern.edu/






Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious
Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

215: The Great Chicago Fire  w/ Carl Smith - A True Crime History Podcast

Serial killers. Gangsters. Gunslingers. Victorian-era murderers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Each week, the Most Notorious podcast features true-life tales of crime, criminals, tragedies and disasters throughout history. Host Erik Rivenes interviews authors and historians who have studied their subjects for years. Their stories are offered with unique insight, detail, and historical accuracy.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

History

Society & Culture

True crime

This week we revisit one of my favorite Most Notorious episodes. In the small town of Isadore Michigan in 1907, a young nun named Janina disappeared. Ten years later, her body is discovered by a priest intent on building a new church on the foundation of the old one. Mardi Link, author of "Isadore's Secret", chats with me about the terrible circumstances surrounding the death of Sister Janina.

The author's website: https://www.mardilink.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MoNo Encore:  The Murder of Sister Janina w/ Mardi Link

On a warm August day in 1910, Sheriff Jake Houpt and his deputies attempted to arrest brothers George and Oscar Chitwood outside the Garland County Courthouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A gunfight soon erupted, leaving both the sheriff and George dead. And when Oscar himself was killed in December under the protection of deputies, a mob of mysterious masked men were blamed for the lynching. But evidence suggests the story of Oscar's death might have been a cover for something else.

My guest is Christopher Thrasher, who along with fellow author and historian Guy Lancaster wrote the book "The Murder of Oscar Chitwood in Hot Springs, Arkansas". He summarizes this fascinating story for us on this latest episode of Most Notorious.


Christopher Thrasher's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christopher-Thrasher/author/B0C3Z3ZGQK
The book's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467153270
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

340:  The Murder of Oscar Chitwood w/ Christopher Thrasher

Six months after losing a world title fight that remains infamous as one of the last mob fixes in boxing, Tyrone “The Butterfly” Everett—a flashy, handsome lightweight southpaw on the verge of stardom—was dead. Only twenty-four years old, he was shot in the head by his girlfriend, Carolyn McKendrick, who claimed that Everett had abused her throughout their relationship. But for years, street corner talk raised doubts about what actually took place in Philadelphia at 2710 Federal Street on May 26, 1977.

My guest is journalist Sean Nam, author of "Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing." He gives us an outline of the drama and shares theories regarding who might be responsible for the up-and-coming fighter's demise, including the possible involvement of a violent Philly organization called "The Black Mafia".

The author's website: https://www.murderonfederalstreet.com/

The author on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/seanpasbon
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

339:  The Killing of Boxer Tyrone Everett  w/ Sean Nam

Today we have special back-to-back episodes from the History Daily podcast. The first shares the story of the capture of one of the UK's most notorious serial killers, the Yorkshire Ripper, and the second is about the tumultuous life of Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Visit the History Daily website for more information about the show. https://historydaily.org/


More about the Most Notorious podcast here: https://www.mostnotorious.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MoNo Presents:  History Daily

On September 30, 1955, 24-year-old James Dean became immortal. While his young life ended in a car crash, James Dean passed into the realm of American folklore, where his memory remains today. What exactly happened on that fateful day 60 years ago? What events led to the tragic accident that cost Dean his life? What became of the people and vehicles involved in that unguarded moment at Cholame? Is there any truth to the idea of a "curse" associated with Dean and his Porsche Spyder?

My guest is James Dean historian and author Lee Raskin. He has been on a lifelong quest to not only learn everything he can about life and death of Dean, but also the journey of the car he died in. His book is called "James Dean: On the Road to Salinas".


The author's website: http://leeraskin.net/
More about him at Stance & Speed:  https://www.stanceandspeed.com/lee-raskin/


Visit us at https://www.mostnotorious.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

215: The Great Chicago Fire w/ Carl Smith - A True Crime History Podcast

Download our free app to listen on your phone