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Longform stories and essays exploring Chicago's history and culture

The Swamp That Worked

Reversed rivers, inverted skyscrapers, and the stubborn insistence that this swamp is exactly where a great city belongs

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The Iroquois Theater Fire: Chicago's Forgotten Inferno

On December 30, 1903, 602 people died in a Chicago theater — more than perished in the Great Chicago Fire. The exits were locked. The fire curtain was fake. Almost nobody remembers.

Read

The Max Headroom Incident: TV's Only Unsolved Hijacking

On November 22, 1987, someone in a rubber mask hijacked two Chicago TV stations, ranted about Clutch Cargo, got spanked with a flyswatter, and was never caught. The FBI gave up.

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The Eastland Disaster: Chicago's Forgotten Titanic

In 1915, a ship rolled over while still tied to the dock. 844 people died twenty feet from shore. Almost nobody remembers.

Read

The Swamp That Worked

Reversed rivers, inverted skyscrapers, and the stubborn insistence that this swamp is exactly where a great city belongs

Read

The Iroquois Theater Fire: Chicago's Forgotten Inferno

On December 30, 1903, 602 people died in a Chicago theater — more than perished in the Great Chicago Fire. The exits were locked. The fire curtain was fake. Almost nobody remembers.

Read

The Max Headroom Incident: TV's Only Unsolved Hijacking

On November 22, 1987, someone in a rubber mask hijacked two Chicago TV stations, ranted about Clutch Cargo, got spanked with a flyswatter, and was never caught. The FBI gave up.

Read

The Eastland Disaster: Chicago's Forgotten Titanic

In 1915, a ship rolled over while still tied to the dock. 844 people died twenty feet from shore. Almost nobody remembers.

Read

The Swamp That Worked

Reversed rivers, inverted skyscrapers, and the stubborn insistence that this swamp is exactly where a great city belongs

Read

The Iroquois Theater Fire: Chicago's Forgotten Inferno

On December 30, 1903, 602 people died in a Chicago theater — more than perished in the Great Chicago Fire. The exits were locked. The fire curtain was fake. Almost nobody remembers.

Read

The Max Headroom Incident: TV's Only Unsolved Hijacking

On November 22, 1987, someone in a rubber mask hijacked two Chicago TV stations, ranted about Clutch Cargo, got spanked with a flyswatter, and was never caught. The FBI gave up.

Read

The Eastland Disaster: Chicago's Forgotten Titanic

In 1915, a ship rolled over while still tied to the dock. 844 people died twenty feet from shore. Almost nobody remembers.

Read

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Chicago's Dark History

Mob hits, poisoned medicine, and the fire that never stopped burning

Curious Chicago

Articles

The Swamp That Worked

The Iroquois Theater Fire: Chicago's Forgotten Inferno

The Max Headroom Incident: TV's Only Unsolved Hijacking

The Eastland Disaster: Chicago's Forgotten Titanic

The Swamp That Worked

The Iroquois Theater Fire: Chicago's Forgotten Inferno

The Max Headroom Incident: TV's Only Unsolved Hijacking

The Eastland Disaster: Chicago's Forgotten Titanic

The Swamp That Worked

The Iroquois Theater Fire: Chicago's Forgotten Inferno

The Max Headroom Incident: TV's Only Unsolved Hijacking

The Eastland Disaster: Chicago's Forgotten Titanic

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Chicago's Dark History

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Chicago's Dark History

Curiosities

Hidden Gems

Lost Chicago

Chicago's Dark History

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Hidden Gems

Lost Chicago

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The Swamp That Worked