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Chicago Wishes a Happy 153rd Birthday to Ida B. Wells Barnett
Ida B. Wells was born July 16, 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi to enslaved parents James Wells and Elizabeth Warrenton shortly before the Emancipation Proclamation. She went on to become a...
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A photo of the S.S. Eastland from Happier Times on the 100th Anniversary of...
I grew up in Cicero, Illinois and spent many days at the open houses at the Hawthorne Works location of the Western Electric Company. I remember how huge the place was but didn't realize how big it...
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North Riverside ‘Ghost Ball’ fundraiser to save relic of Melody Mill Ballroom
This Saturday, August 8, 2015, will be the fifth in a series of fundraisers by the North Riverside Historical Society to raise money to restore the neon sign from the Melody Mill Ballroom which was one...
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Three Reasons Why Donald Trump is Probably Working for Hillary Clinton
You might be wondering why a history blogger is venturing into the crazy world of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the reality show of the 2016 presidential race. Well to be more specific, I am...
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Champaign Dark History Con could fare well in Chicago
Dark History Con is a convention showcasing the darker side of history and Brian Ward, its creator, makes no apologies. “For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with ‘Dark History’;...
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Was the Back to the Future II Date of October 21, 2015 a Shout Out to...
This year has pop culture and trivia geeks chomping at the bit. October 21, 2015 is the date that Doc sends Marty McFly forward in time 30 years. Marty goes forward in time to stop his son, Marty Jr....
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Assassination Theater – A Theatrical Investigation of the Murder of JFK
At first I thought that it wouldn’t be fair that I should be writing a review of Assassination Theater. After all I love history and I am a former criminal investigator so it was right up my alley. I...
View ArticleMy First Celebrity Crush – Yvonne Craig (TV’s Batgirl) Passes at 78
I was actually born in 1966 the same year as the Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward started. I used to look forward to the series after it came into syndication and while I did think...
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Relic of 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition found by Chicago Park District
A number of colored painted panels from the Hooden Palace of the Japanese Exhibit at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition were recently discovered by the Chicago Park District in a storage area....
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The Chicago legend of Peabody ’s Tomb and the Masochistic Monks turns 93 Today
On August 27, 1922 the legend of Peabody’s Tomb began. Many people may not know the legend by name but if you grew up on the west side of Chicago or in the near west suburbs you might have heard about...
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Charles Heath - The Forgotten Victim of Child Killers Leopold and Loeb
Charles Ford Heath is a name that few remember when discussing the “Crime of the Century” On May 21, 1924, 14 year old Bobby Franks did not come home from the Harvard School for Boys in Chicago’s elite...
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The Murder of the White City Mayor Carter Harrison by Patrick Eugene Prendergast
The city of Chicago was preparing to close out the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition on October 30, 1893 with pomp and pageantry but it would ultimately end more akin to a funeral. Patrick Eugene...
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Transport Back in Time to Chicago’s Crime of the Century with Never The Sinner
There aren’t many alive today who can say that they remember the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago in 1924 or the heinous crime that brought Hyde Park, The University of Chicago and the city’s wealthy...
View ArticleA Prayer for Our Police Officers over the Christmas Holiday
I really want this to be an open letter to a little girl who brightened our day and didn’t even know it. My wife and I found ourselves in the lobby of the Brookfield Police Department this past Monday...
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Unsolved Chicago Grimes Sisters’ Murder is 59 Years Old
Fifty-nine years ago on the 28th of December sisters Barbara (15) and Patricia “Petey” (13) left their home at 3634 S. Damen Avenue to see the Elvis Presley movie “Love Me Tender” at the Brighton...
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I Could Have Been Tamir Rice or Officer Timothy Loehmann
It bothers me, especially in the age of social media, when people rush to judgement one way or the other on issues that they may have very little knowledge about. One of the issues that really gets on...
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Happy 112th Birthday to Chicago's Blackstone Library
The Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 truly was a spectacle! Roughly 600 acres and over 200 buildings occupied Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance from May 1st through October 30th. One...
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Why I would support a Barbara Bush Presidential Run in 2016
Barbara Bush for President? At first I thought I was just being funny but then I thought about it. I probably wouldn't be the only one that thought about it. In fact I kinda wonder if the Bush...
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Is Witchcraft Illegal in the State of Illinois?
Many people find fascination with the topic of the Salem Witch trials of 1692. I have read a number of fascinating books on the subject and most recently a team of researchers from Salem State...
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Cook County Medical Examiner's Office is a Joke especially on Valentines Day!
O.K. I have prided myself on writing a blog that centers on history and historical research and doesn’t just rant and complain about things but I can no longer do that. A member of my facebook group,...
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