Click to view in iTunesAll episodes are free! We had a buttload of problems with the podcast – the feed seems to have gotten broken in a server migration, and no one’s subscription was working. So, we’ve gotten to work and started from scratch with Chicago Unbelievable: The Podcast 2.0 . It’s back on…
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THE GHOSTS OF CHICAGO: Now Available!
My new book, Ghosts of Chicago, was published by Llewellyn Worldwide in September, 2013. It’s a down-to-earth critical examination of what we really know, and how we know it, about some of Chicago’s most famous ghost stories from a historian’s perspective, including TONS of never before published information. SHIPPING NOW!! Barnes and Noble.comIndiebound Amazon.com Llewellyn.com…
Tumbling along
Hi, folks! Tours are picking back up again for the Spring Break season, so I’m doing more per week lately. We’ve had some good times! The big news over on my regular page is that my new novel, WHEN IOWA FREEZES OVER, sold to Simon and Schuster a few weeks ago. That announcement led me…
New Book: Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Chicago History
Twenty-five profiles of notable jerks from Chicago history who are too dead to complain that I’m making fun of them – available now from Globe Pequot Press. Includes profiles of: John Kinzie, our first killer Bathhouse John, our worst poet Kitty Adams: The Terror of State Street HH Holmes, our first serial killer Al Capone,…
Early Street Names in Chicago
Lonely Ol’ Charles Carroll. Early Chicagoansdidn’t forget you, Chuck! John Adams, one of our founding fathers, died on July 4, 1826. His last words were something like “Thomas Jefferson survives” (though the last word was indistinct; it might been “smells” for all we know). However, Jefferson had died himself only a few hours before. Perhaps…
Suburban Library Talks!
I’ll be giving “Ghosts of Chicago” talks at two suburban libraries this year – I’d do more, but my tour schedule is keeping me awfully busy! I’ll be at the Glenside Library tonight (10/17) at 7pm, and at the Forest Park library on Tuesday, Oct 23. These are free and open to the public. If…
The Medusa Challenger
In the 1970s, the largest ship on the great lakes was the Medusa Challenger, a vessel more than five hundred feet long that was used to transport cement. Pre-dating the Titanic by about three years, the ancient ship was known as a “jinx” ship – during the 1960s and 70s, the Tribune reported at least…
Slender Man
All autumn, I’ve had kids asking me about “Slender Man,” a supernatural creature in which they seem to half-believe. It’s the new generation’s Bloody Mary (though they certainly still seem to know about her). From what I can see, Slender Man, descirbed as a tall guy in a black outfit with no facial features, started…