Subscribe on iTunes This month, January of 1916, marks the 100th anniversary of the day they found bones in the wreck of the Fool Killer, the mysterious submarine found in the Chicago River in November, 1915. It’s one of my favorite Chicago mysteries, and the first one that really sent me down a rabbit hole….
Tag: foolkiller submarine
The Foolkiller Submarine: New Data!
We love to talk about the Foolkiller, the submarine wreck that was found buried under three feet of muck in the Chicago River in 1916. It’s one of those great mystery stories where you think you’ve exhausted the last bit of data on it, then, next thing you know, another clue pops up. A bit…
The Fool Killer Submarine: All We Know!
I tell the story of the Fool Killer, mysterious submarine wreck found in the river in 1915, on almost every one of my tours. “It might have been the first large submarine ever built, if it had worked,” I say. “But apparently it didn’t, because when they raised it up the next month, they found…
Straight Dope Chicago says I’m not an idiot :)
Update on the Fool Killer
Finding the Fool Killer Submarine – New Info!
An article detailing the finding of The Foolkiller Submarine, the mysterious sub found in the Chicago River in 1915, has been dug up in the archives of the Chicago Examiner. Offhand, I think this is the first mention of it I’ve seen in a Chicago paper outside of the Trib. The article states that Deneau…
Peter Nissen: Chicago Hero on Film
We’ve covered Peter Nissen, the Chicago Daredevil before. This is the guy who twice shot the Niagara Falls rapids in ships of his own devising, and then perished while trying to cross Lake Michigan in a giant canvas balloon called (a tad clairevoyantly) The Fool Killer III. Here we have a film of his second…
Foolkiller Debate!
Can’t believe I missed this for so long – Straight Dope Chicago has posted an article about the Foolkiller that disagrees with my conclusion that it may have been a vessel built by Londer Phillips. Straight Dope is more of the opinion that William Deneau, the discoverer, simply faked the whole thing. Actually, I’ve always…
The Foolkiller Submarine on WTTW
Chicago Tonight did a story on The Foolkiller Submarine, one of our favorite topics, last night, featuring our chief historian, Adam Selzer!