Did you know… ? June, 2021
Surprise! I’m talking about Father’s Day, and its connection to Sears Roebuck & Co (because us natives still call it the Sears Tower, doncha know!) In the not-too-distant past, Sears was the go-to retail store for many Americans, with 350,000 employees worldwide. A big thanks goes to the famous Sears Catalog, which can be construed […]
Did you know… ? May, 2021
Surprise! I’m talking about The Grove (aka Kennicott Grove)! Back in the 70s, some local folks got together to make the space special, and it absolutely is, and it keeps growing – probably always will be, too. Besides providing young and old with beautiful, natural trails to explore with lots to learn, The Grove is […]
Did you know… ? April, 2021
Surprise! I’m talking about the Chicago River itself! (You thought I was talking about the bridge, didn’t ya?) Besides the skyline, the river, and it’s moving bridges, is a big part of Chicago’s identity. It’s famously dyed green every year for St. Patrick’s Day, and the “Chicago bricks” are sourced from its clay. Even the […]
Did you know… ? March, 2021
Surprise! I’m talking about Jane Addams Hull-House! Located where indigent European immigrants resided, Hull-House served its community as Chicago’s first social settlement. Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, and Ellen Gates Starr, two Progressive Era social reformers, rented the deteriorating mansion and founded the field of social work. Hull-House is a museum these days, which […]
Did you know… ? February, 2021
Surprise! I’m talking about Pulaski Road (and I was standing right at Pulaski and Devon- right where it changes to Crawford)! Pulaski Road is named in honor of Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War hero who also has an Illinois state holiday each year on the first Monday in March. Change wasn’t an immediate thing, however, […]
Did you know… ? January, 2021
Surprise! I’m talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive! Chicago has the honor of being the first of many cities across the country to have a street named after the Black 1960s activist. After an unanimous vote by Chicago City Counsel on July 31, 1968, pictured (from the Illinois Digital Archives) shows one of […]
Did you know… ? December, 2020
Surprise! I’m talking about Rotary International, which was started in Chicago in 1905 and has over a million members worldwide! Some of you know my husband and I are members, too, so I figured why not share this little piece of trivia- especially since it’s the season of charity and good will, and we all […]
Did you know… ? November, 2020
Surprise! CBS’s Channel 2 here in Chicago hosted the first national debate in 1960 with Kennedy vs Nixon, and Presidential debates would never be the same. Since the 2020 election has been such a big deal, I thought it only fitting I host this month’s trivia on the topic! At McClurg Court Studios, it wasn’t […]
Did you know… ? October, 2020
Surprise! I’m talking about the Couch Tomb in Lincoln Park! Yes, welcome to this Spooky Edition of “Did you know…?“ So once upon a time, the area by and around the Chicago History Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo was a cemetery. Because Lake Michigan is right there, and Chicago is built up on swampy land, […]
Did you know…? September, 2020
Surprise! I’m talking about Union Stock Yards Gate In the not so distant past, Chicago was well-known for meat packing and distribution, and notoriously so. Tourists used to visit the stock yards to watch the efficiency of the animal slaughter. To accommodate both laborers and visitors, commuter train stops were added, in addition to the […]