History

In a nostalgic Chicago History Museum image Santa, the undeniable star of the show, waves to onlookers in a Christmas parade along State Street.

Riverview, Kiddieland, Santa's Village – these are just a few of the cherished amusement parks covered in WTTW's new Chicago Stories documentary. We spoke to the producer and writer.

Teddy Roosevelt planned to go to law school while vice president – but became president when William McKinley was assassinated. A new American Experience explores the ambiguities of the office, and how it evolved into its modern-day importance.

A new Chicago Stories documentary covers The Black Sox Scandal, in which Chicago White Sox players intentionally lost the 1919 World Series for a payout, and changed the game of baseball forever.

An all-new season of WTTW’s Chicago Stories kicks off with a look back at one of the most sinister true crime stories of the 20th century, which took place in Chicago 100 years ago: Leopold and Loeb's murder of a 14-year-old boy.

The famed writer covered both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions of 1968 in a book called Miami and the Siege of Chicago, witnessing the protests and violence that took place in Chicago. 

As Chicago gears up to host the Democratic National Convention, take a look back at a few historical images that document three previous DNCs held in the city.

As the Democratic National Convention takes place in Chicago after the sitting president suspended his re-election bid, comparisons between today and 1968 abound. A Northwestern professor explains their limits. 

Chicago Stories: The Outrage of Danny Sotomayor tells the story of a Chicagoan who wouldn’t take no for an answer in his crusade for equal rights and fight for AIDS treatment for his community. The film’s producer-writer Dan Andries tells us more about Sotomayor’s life and work. 

Otto Kerner gave his name to a report that called for enormous changes in American society to address racial disparities, but his reputation for integrity suffered when he became the first (not the last) Illinois governor convicted of a crime.

The 1893 World's Parliament of Religions that took place during the World's Fair in what is now the Art Institute of Chicago introduced Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Baháʼí faith to mainstream America. 

Many of Chicago's cemeteries are surprisingly beautiful and pastoral, in addition to being full of intriguing stories, sculptures, and monuments along with the prominent Chicagoans buried in them.

The Incomparable Mr. Buckley examines the life of William F. Buckley, Jr. with an eye toward the rise of the conservatism he espoused and how it was eclipsed – how we got to our present moment. We spoke to the filmmaker. 

Chicago has produced some remarkable politicians over the decades, including women who broke ground at the city, state, and national levels. Amongst them are the first Black woman U.S. Senator, the third woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and the first woman mayor of a large U.S. city.

Thanks to the recent stage adaptation at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, we're revisiting Sufjan Stevens' Illinois album and its many, many references to state history.