Stories by Daniel Hautzinger

On Christmas Eve of 1968, the three astronauts of Apollo 8 read from the Bible while broadcasting images of the moon from closer than any person had ever been. Not only was it the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon, it also gave us one of the most iconic images ever. 

Try a recipe for Phil Ponce's favorite cookie, his wife's oatmeal cookie. "This has been my go-to cookie throughout my adult life. Ann knows if she makes these I will be happy for days," he says. "Definitely my death-bed cookie."

No, it's not another adaptation of the ever-popular musical but a return to the source material, Victor Hugo's classic novel. The six-part series has a stellar cast, including Olivia Colman, Dominic West, David Oyelowo, and Lily Collins. Watch a preview here.

A teaser trailer for the upcoming Downton Abbey film, due to be released in 2019, has been released. Watch it here.

December obviously brings the holidays, making it the perfect time to curl up in your warm home and watch some TV while snow falls outside. Here are holiday specials, a Christmas concert, festive baking episodes, and more to tide you through those dark, cold nights.

The Chicagoland-based Ferrara Candy Company has announced that it's moving into the Old Post Office downtown. Take a tour of their factory, where even the air tastes sweet, in a segment from a 2004 episode of Chicago Tonight.

Julius Rosenwald used the fortune he amassed leading Sears to found the Museum of Science and Industry, establish schools for rural African Americans and YMCAs across the country, support newly arrived Jewish immigrants, and more.

The critically acclaimed film about Fred Rogers, which is the top-grossing biographical documentary of all time, is coming to WTTW in February. 

Imagine Chicago transformed into a festive forest fairyland, and you have the Chicago Botanic Garden's holiday Wonderland Express. Over 80 landmarks are constructed completely out of natural materials, from bark to gourds. Take a magical video tour here.

The Art Institute of Chicago's Michigan Avenue Beaux Arts home opened 125 years ago after being used for the 1893 World's Fair. But what about the museum's iconic bronze lions? What are their origins?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, which was first published 250 years ago, became a proud emblem of the American middle class during the 20th century in large part thanks to the efforts of Chicago institutions and people. 

Now that it's cold outside, there's a good chance you're making and eating a lot of soup. If you're looking for something a bit different from your typical chicken soup, something that has a nice hit of heat, try this recipe from Christopher Kimball's Milk Street​. 

George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, died on Friday at the age of 94. Remember his legacy as a non-ideological contrast to his predecessor Ronald Reagan and as overseer of a number of significant foreign policy achievements.

60 years ago, 92 children and three nuns died in a fire at the Our Lady of the Angels school on Chicago's West Side. The tragedy could easily have been prevented, and had a wide-reaching effect on fire safety measures across the country.

More than two million lights, a crew of twenty-two people, 7,200 working hours, 600,000 visitors: it's ZooLights, one of Chicago's beloved holiday traditions. What does it take to plan, set up, and run the extravagant light shows?