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All donations from these online lectures directly benefit our speakers and general operations.
All donations from these online lectures directly benefit our speakers and general operations.
2026: MISCONCEPTIONS
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CRIMINALLY OVERRATED
Ask any news reporter (or tourist), and they'll tell you Chicago is a crime-ridden hellhole not fit for human habitation. But is it really worse than anywhere else? Learn about the myths and truths of our criminal record — from the lawless frontier, to 1920s gangsters, midcentury mobsters, and how we stack up in current statistics. Lecture by Chicago for Chicagoans’ founder Patti Swanson. → WATCH THE RECORDING |
MISCONCEPTIONS OF PUBLIC HOUSING
Who is public housing for? Why do we pass so much judgement on its residents? Who's at fault for our failings? We'll explore how Chicago has played a pivotal role in the history of public and affordable housing, and examine how our approach has continuously evolved in response to social, economic, and policy changes. Lecture by tour guide, housing activist, & historian Henry Nieberg → WATCH THE RECORDING |
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CHICAGO BLUES ISN'T JUST SOUTHERN MUSIC
Chicago Blues isn't just Southern music brought north — our city's native, electrified version was a high-tech reinvention made possible by amplification, recording studios, and postwar urban energy from the Great Migration. Discover how marketing, myth-making, & white audiences lost the plot on what made our sound special. Lecture by tour guide, musician, & historian Walter Kiefer → WATCH THE RECORDING SNAKE OIL, COCAINE, & MEDICAL MYTHS
Will cocaine cure the ghosts in your blood? Let's unpack history's questionable medical practices, examine the misconception that yesteryear's physicians and surgeons were clueless old white guys, and discover how Chicago became a respected center for health research, patient care, and integrated medical practice. Lecture by Rush Medical Center archivist Nathalie Wheaton → WATCH THE RECORDING CHINESE IN CHICAGO
Chinatowns aren't shrinking everywhere — Chicago's Chinese population has actually been growing! This lecture will dig into the history and misconceptions of our city's Chinese migrants, and explore how gentrification and urban change is not a new challenge for the Greater Chinatown community. Lecture by tour guide and urban planner Debbie Liu → WATCH THE RECORDING DEBUNKING GRANDMA'S AL CAPONE STORIES
Every small town, grandparent, realtor and restauranteur likes to brag about their connection to the likes of Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, and Johnny Weissmuller. In reality, these Chicago "celebrities" were ducking in the side door of obscure hotels, barely passing through town, or eating lunch somewhere nicer than your local bar. Lecture by tour guide, author, and historian Adam Selzer → WATCH THE RECORDING AIMING FOR THE HEART, HITTING THE STOMACH
Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was meant to be a shocking exposé of labor abuses in the Chicago Stockyards... but most readers only noticed the food safety issues. How'd we miss the point so badly, what good came of this critical mistake, and when did we finally get around to addressing the issue of worker's rights? Lecture by tour guide and historian Charles Ocasek → WATCH THE RECORDING |
THE DARK SIDE OF ENTERTAINMENT
Riverview Amusement Park, movie palaces, and other venues historically hosting Chicago's entertainment scene were all glitz and glamour on the surface... but in reality, many were dangerous, unsafe, and downright hostile to minority patrons. Learn about the darkness behind the curtain and how some things haven't aged well. Lecture by tour guide and theatre historian Leyla Royale → WATCH THE RECORDING "WE JUST DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE WE USED TO"
Are older buildings really built better? Are new buildings really safer? Dive into the history of building trades in Chicago to learn how construction quality has always been highly variable, and the appreciation of architecture is ultimately subjective. Spoiler alert: crappy older buildings do exist, & wonderful newly-built ones do too! Lecture by tour guide, brick historian & photographer Will Quam → WATCH THE RECORDING THIRD COAST: THE GREAT INLAND PORT
Landlocked city? Not so fast! As the junction between the Mississippi River & the Great Lakes, Chicago's been one of the nation's largest ports for over 175 years. Discover our city's maritime history, from early shipyards, to lighthouses, naval battles, freshwater pirates, & all the goods shipped by water. Lecture by tour guide and maritime historian Sam Presti → WATCH THE RECORDING URBAN RENEWAL: GOOD OR BAD?
There have, and always will be, hotshot investment companies looking to venture into economically depressed neighborhoods and "turn things around." But are they really helping anyone but themselves? Together, we'll talk about the history of urban renewal in Chicago and explore what benefits — if any — it brought us. Lecture by tour guide and historian Mandy Crypt → WATCH THE RECORDING UNPACKING ANTI-LGBTQ STEREOTYPES
Chicago's queer community has been confronted with unfair stereotypes throughout our city's existence. From the earliest days in Tower Town, to the tumultuous midcentury, to the AIDS epidemic and beyond, we'll unpack where the rumours started, how they hurt, if they were overcome, and what unkind beliefs persist today. Lecture by tour guide, historian, and preservationist Anthony Alfaro → WATCH THE RECORDING |
2025: SCANDAL!
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Unforgivable Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright certainly made an impact on American architecture, but he burnt a lot of bridges along the way. Dive into the many messy scandals that defined his career (that we guarantee you won't learn about on any of his house tours). Lecture by author, historian, and tour guide Adam Selzer. → WATCH RECORDING Dangerous & Disgusting Tourism
At the turn of the 20th century, Chicago embraced its reputation for danger, disgust, and controversy to incentivize tourism. Learn about the dubious marketing choices of yesteryear… slaughterhouse tour, anyone? Lecture by historian and brickophile Will Quam. → WATCH THE RECORDING Highly Offensive Chicago Art
Shit Fountain, a portrait of Mayor Washington in lingerie, controversial statues everyone wants melted down, once-hated works by the likes of Picasso, and our city’s uncertain relationship with its own artists. Lecture by perturbed art history degree-holder and Chicago for Chicagoans’ founder Patti Swanson. → WATCH THE RECORDING The First Ward Ball
There’s nothing more scandalous than a party where all of Chicago’s madames, sex workers, gamblers, saloon owners, and politicians were required to attend. Discover how the First Ward Ball came to be, what led to its downfall, and exactly what debauchery one would have seen. Lecture by historian, performer, & tour guide Leyla I. Royale. → WATCH THE RECORDING “The World Is Watching!”
A deep dive into the war protests, police brutality, corrupt politicians, assassinations, Daley shenanigans, and civil disobedience surrounding the infamous Chicago Democratic National Convention of 1968. Lecture by historian and tour guide Mandy Crypt. → WATCH THE RECORDING Parking, Tolls & Airports, Oh My!
When will we ever learn? Discover Chicago’s history of poorly-thought-out privatization schemes for its public assets, from the Skyway, to Midway Airport, to the infamous decision to lease our parking meters to the highest bidder. Lecture by lawyer and history enthusiast Glenn Weinstein. → WATCH THE RECORDING |
Chicago's First Murder
The 1812 slaying of Jean Lalime at the hands of city founder John Kinzie is a classic Chicago corruption tale with crony hires, no-bid contracts, misinformation, ineffectual reformers and, ultimately, a silenced snitch. Lecture by journalist and political historian Paul Dailing. → WATCH THE RECORDING Digging Into Tunnel Corruption
High society dinners, secret tunnel widening efforts, settling foundations, lawsuits, and the infamous 1992 flood of Chicago’s not-so-secret abandoned underground tunnel system in the Loop. Lecture by historian and tour guide Charles T. Ocasek → WATCH THE RECORDING Operation Greylord
Learn how a major 1980s undercover FBI operation in the Chicago court system, involving agents in disguise as corrupt professionals, led to the indictment of 93 crooked city judges, court officials, and policemen. Lecture by historian, artist, native Chicagoan, and tour guide Sam Prestigiacomo. → WATCH THE RECORDING Chicago’s Midcentury Mobsters
After Prohibition, the Chicago Outfit — led by mobsters like Sam Giancana and Tony Accardo — turned its attention to corrupting politicians, rigging elections, labor racketeering, and other pernicious affairs. Lecture by Meetup super-organizer Giovina Romandine. → WATCH THE RECORDING The Women That Dried the Swamp
Learn about the rise of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the scandalous activities of its influential Chicago chapter, and the ways these pioneering social reform activists did a lot of good — and a lot of questionable things, too. Lecture by historian & marketing whiz Olivia Sobieraj. → WATCH THE RECORDING Scandals of State Street
Suspicious deaths and marital affairs, unconventional love, race scandals, and seedy reputations hidden under glossy veneers… the drama never ended with State Street retailers and their notorious proprietors. Lecture by historian and tour guide Anthony Alfaro. → WATCH THE RECORDING |
2024: Chicago -- City OF INFLUENCE
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MUSICAL ROOTS
Learn about Chicago's legendary jazz, blues, and folk musicians that formed the basis of modern music genres we enjoy today. Lecture by Adam Selzer → WATCH RECORDING POISON CONTROL
Explore hazardous products of the 20th century and the birth of the country’s first poison control center. Lecture by Emily O'Keefe Davenport → WATCH RECORDING BICYCLES
Take a ride through the history of bicycle manufacturing, notable biking achievements, and the explosion of two-wheeled transportation. Lecture by Walter Kiefer → WATCH RECORDING STINKY SEWAGE & SHIT
Cholera, river reversals, the Deep Tunnel – oh my! Chicagoans have led the world in the art of managing poop. Lecture by Patti Swanson → WATCH RECORDING MARATHON ACHIEVEMENTS
Chicagoans have been running for generations. Discover the history of the Chicago Marathon and some other sporting firsts. Lecture by Courtney Ruhland → WATCH RECORDING LGBTQ ACTIVISM
Legendary activists like Pearl Hart helped Chicagoans lead the country (and the world) in LGBTQ rights & acceptance. Lecture by Mandy Crypt → WATCH RECORDING FILMMAKING
Before there was Hollywood, there was Chicago! Learn about our legendary silent films, soap operas, children’s content, & more. Lecture by Giovina Romandine → WATCH RECORDING |
WOMEN'S LIBERATION
Give the lady what she wants: freedom! How Chicagoans invented ways to simplify life (and liberate women). Lecture by Olivia Soberiaj → WATCH RECORDING AMUSEMENT PARKS
The 1893 World’s Fair was the birthplace of many inventions – and the inspiration for many entertainment entrepreneurs. Lecture by Sam Prestigiacomo → WATCH RECORDING CANDY CAPITAL
Explore the history of sweet-toothed Chicagoans and their extensive experience mass producing popular confections. Lecture by Erica Ruggiero → WATCH RECORDING FORENSICS
Chicago’s notoriously slippery crooks required our criminal investigators to innovate crafty new ways to catch them. Lecture by Leyla Royale → WATCH RECORDING SAVVY SOCIALITES
How Chicago’s trendsetting turn-of-the-century socialites married princes, made headlines, and left a fashionable impact worldwide. Lecture by Stephanie Sims → WATCH RECORDING RETAIL FIRSTS
Discover the way Chicago retailers changed how Americans shop – from mail order catalogs to money-back guarantees. Lecture by Anthony Alfaro → WATCH RECORDING |
2023: GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
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CITY STREETS RENAMED
Contentious stories of street name changes over the years, and how the grid is affected by the politics of whiteness. Lecture by Bill Savage → WATCH THE RECORDING THE STEAMSHIPS OF LAKE MICHIGAN
Learn about the floating palaces that once roamed the Great Lakes, from iron ore freighters to pleasure craft. Lecture by Walter Kiefer → WATCH THE RECORDING THE CINEMA OF YESTERYEAR
A few lost Chicago movie palaces, and what it was like to go to the cinema some 100 years ago. Lecture by Leyla Royale → WATCH THE RECORDING AGRICULTURAL ATROPHY
Livestock, celery, cabbage, pickles, asparagus, and more: the agricultural uses that once dominated our landscape. Lecture by Patti Swanson → WATCH THE RECORDING CHICAGO'S BROTHELS
Explore how brothels shaped the Chicago crime world while we unearth lost stories of "the world's oldest profession." Lecture by Mandy Crypt → WATCH THE RECORDING FORGOTTEN VICE DISTRICTS
We all know the Levee, but what about The Black Hole, Rotten Row, and the city's other, lesser-known dive districts? Lecture by Adam Selzer → WATCH THE RECORDING INFIRMARY, ASYLUM, SANITARIUM
Contagious, sick, poor: where did you go? A history of Dunning's hospitals and the city's tuberculosis sanitarium. Lecture by Giovina Romandine → WATCH THE RECORDING |
DISAPPEARING DEPARTMENT STORES
How the Loop's long-gone department stores changed downtown and the experience of shopping. Lecture by Emily O'Keefe Davenport → WATCH THE RECORDING PLAYBOY'S CHICAGO ROOTS
Looking at the heydey of Playboy Magazine and the pop culture impact it made from the shores of Lake Michigan. Lecture by Olivia Sobieraj → WATCH THE RECORDING STREETS OF AGO
Historical uses of street space, and how the advent of the automobile changed things forever. Lecture by Emma Nippe → WATCH THE RECORDING ABANDONED TRANSIT
Train stations and transportation routes that no longer exist, and the discriminatory policies behind their closures. Lecture by Erica Ruggiero → WATCH THE RECORDING LOST BUILDINGS OF NORTH PULLMAN
Discover the lost history and structures once defining the streets of North Pullman. Lecture by Armel Sagbohan → WATCH THE RECORDING LOST CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOODS
A look at Chicago's lost Dutch neighborhood, a Logan Square ghost town, and a leveled chunk of Englewood, & more. Lecture by Anthony Alfaro → WATCH THE RECORDING |
2022: CHICAGO OBSCURA
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AVIATION IN CHICAGO
Octave Chanute, the Wright Brothers, and other pioneering Midwesterners who sent people into the skies. By Walter Kiefer → WATCH THE RECORDING |
DEEP DARK LAKE MICHIGAN
Ghost ships, pirates, tunnels & more: strange and sordid stories pulled from the depths of Chicago's inland sea. By Sam Prestigiacomo → WATCH THE RECORDING |
TALES OF THE CHICAGO STAGE
Exploring stories of actors acting, early film, and infamously zany Chicago performers. By Lance Baker → WATCH THE RECORDING |
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PARIS ON THE PRAIRIE: PARLEZ-VOUS CHICAGOAN?
Joliet! Marquette! DuSable! Illinois! Des Plaines! Discovering the history of French colonialism & culture in Chicago. By Olivia Sobieraj → WATCH THE RECORDING |
WHERE DID ALL THE PUBLIC HOUSING GO?
A history of public housing in Chicago, from the policies that shaped them, to segregation, demolition, & privatization. By Elsa Haarstad → WATCH THE RECORDING |
1920s BOHEMIA & THE WIND
BLEW INN Recently unearthed tales of fearless flappers, "petting parties," secret booze, and the Inn's proprietor Lillian Collier. By Adam Selzer → WATCH THE RECORDING |
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A HORRIBLE HISTORY OF CHICAGO BRIDGE SAFETY
The evolution of Chicago's bridge safety (0 to 100!) as told by the deadly accidents they caused. By Leyla I. Royale → WATCH THE RECORDING |
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DEMOLITION IN CHICAGO
We built & we built... and then we tore it all down. How urban renewal and other factors created vacant lots citywide. By Patti Swanson → WATCH THE RECORDING |
WAYWARD WARDS: REDISTRICTING CHICAGO
Looking at how Chicago's wards have evolved, how they've been drawn, and how they're set to change this year. By Debbie Liu → WATCH THE RECORDING |
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FIGHTING CENSORSHIP: MARGARET ANDERSON
Chicago's scandalous literary history of the 1910s-20s, centered around Margaret Anderson's The Little Review. By Emily O'Keefe Davenport → WATCH THE RECORDING |
THE WOMEN WHO DEVELOPED CHICAGO
A long-overdue dive into the history of Chicago's women architects, engineers, and real estate developers. By Erica Ruggiero → WATCH THE RECORDING |
(ARGUABLY) THE BEST
MCCORMICK Chicago's infamous McCormick family featured many bizarre historic figures... and the exceptional Katherine Dexter. By Mandy Crypt → WATCH THE RECORDING |
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HOW BRONZEVILLE INVENTED THE LOTTERY
Long before it was sanctioned by any state, black Chicagoans played Policy... and Bronzeville was its epicenter. By Ms. Bea → WATCH THE RECORDING |
CHICAGO'S LOST DIME
MUSEUMS A dive into the vast & weird array of low-cost oddity museums that once proliferated throughout the city. By Anthony Alfaro → WATCH THE RECORDING |
OTHER VIRTUAL LECTURES
Recordings of our older lectures are available in our internal archive and uploaded on demand.
Email us for a link to watch, or to book one of our speakers to present these programs to your audience!
Email us for a link to watch, or to book one of our speakers to present these programs to your audience!
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A SHITTY WAY TO GO: CHOLERA, DIPTHERIA, & DYSENTERY
Lecture by Adam Selzer ANTIQUE SERIAL KILLERS
Lecture by Adam Selzer DOWNTOWN DEVASTATED: CHICAGO'S LOOP AFTER 1950
Lecture by Anthony Alfaro EXPLORING OLD RAVENSWOOD
Lecture by Anthony Alfaro SCANDALS AND LEGACIES OF PRAIRIE AVENUE
Lecture by Amy Simoneau PIRATES IN OUR BACK YARD: HIGH CRIMES ON THE HIGH LAKES
Lecture by Amber Kelly ADVERTISE JUDICIOUSLY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ADVERTISING IN CHICAGO
Lecture by Ava Francesca Battocchio TROLLIES & TROUBLE: CHICAGO'S TRACTION WARS
Lecture by Ava Francesca Battocchio CHICAGO HOUSING STYLES
Lecture by Ben Archer THE PARTICULARS OF THE PINEAPPLE PRIMARY
Lecture by Ben Archer ARTIFACTS FROM THE "BILLSEUM"
Lecture by Bill Savage OUR BUILDINGS BUILD US
Lecture by Blake Williams BRIBERY, CORRUPTION, & OPERATION SILVER SHOVEL
Lecture by Heather Cherone EIGHT ANARCHISTS WALK INTO A CROWD: THE HAYMARKET AFFAIR
Lecture by Lance Baker SOLDIER FIELD FOR SPORTS LOVERS (AND HATERS)
Lecture by Lance Baker |
A NEVER-ENDING QUARANTINE: TUBERCULOSIS IN CHICAGO
Lecture by Leyla Royale APRIL FOOL'S: FABULOUSLY FAKE CHICAGO HISTORY
Lecture by Leyla Royale WOMEN & CRIME IN THE 1920s
Lecture by Mandy Crypt CULTURAL EPIDEMIC: THE HIV/AIDS CRISIS
Lecture by Mandy Crypt INTEGRATED MEDICAL CARE
Lecture by Ms. Bea CHICAGO IN 1968: RIOTS, REVOLUTION, & RADICAL CHANGE
Lecture by Ms. Bea FREEDOM THIRTEEN: THE PANDEMIC
Lecture by Ms. Bea SECOND CITY IN NAME ONLY
Lecture by Patti Swanson STRIKE, STRIFE, & WORKER'S RIGHTS
Lecture by Patti Swanson CHICAGO'S BUNGALOW BUILDERS & THE AMERICAN DREAM
Lecture by Patti Swanson RED LIGHTS, BLUE BAGS, AND DOWNTOWN PARKING
Lecture by Paul Dailing ROWDY RAILROADS & PULLMAN PROTESTS
Lecture by Walter Kiefer GREAT AMERICAN CITY
Lecture by Walter Kiefer A BRIEF AND EXCITING HISTORY OF CHICAGO BRICK
Lecture by Will Quam THE (NOT SO GREAT) DEPRESSION IN CHICAGO
Lecture by Wendy Bright DISCOVERING THE FIFTH CITY MOVEMENT
Lecture by Vitaly Vladimirov |
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