Stories by Daniel Hautzinger

The smash-hit film version of Grease premiered 40 years ago on June 16, but it was already a huge success on Broadway, and had originated as a small play in Chicago. One of its co-writers discusses its popularizing transformations into something different from the original.

Chicago native Eliyannah Amirah Yisrael is an ardent Harry Potter fan who wanted to extend her time with the characters she loved, so she made a web series about a 25-year-old Hermione, using her love of reading and power of empathy to reimagine Hermione in her image.

We have four shows with plenty of episodes to stream this month: something for dads on Father's Day, an uproarious sitcom for LGBTQ Pride Month, and extra seasons of beloved British favorites that return with new episodes at the end of the month. 

The Staple Singers combined the Delta blues of Pops Staples' birthplace with the gospel of his adopted home in Chicago to become international stars and civil rights activists. Hear Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte reminisce on the Staples and learn their history before Mavis headlines the Chicago Blues Fest.

The name is deceiving: they're not from Harlem, and they definitely didn't travel the globe at first. The Harlem Globetrotters were founded in Chicago by five high school stars and a short Jewish man, and originally played in small town gyms outside the city.

50 years ago today, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the midst of the 1968 presidential campaign. Explore his unrealized potential in a 1969 Studs Terkel interview. "There was this great strength to him, a decency and simplicity and a willingness to listen and a willingness to learn."

The author of the world's best-selling science fiction novel discusses the broad base of knowledge he draws on in imagining other worlds, as well as his environmentalism. "I refuse to be put in the position of having to tell my grandchildren, 'I'm sorry, there's no more world for you, we used it all up.' " 

Gospel music's "Father," and "Mother," "Queen" and "King," all made their career or were born in Chicago, where the soul-stirring music was first developed and popularized. Discover the development of gospel and its main players in Chicago.

May 31 is Macaroon Day, the perfect time to try baking this simple but delectable treat that requires only five ingredients. Try Martha Stewart's recipe for a basic coconut kind, or sweeten it up with a chocolate-chunk or chocolate variation.

With the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned all Chinese immigration and naturalization, many Chinese immigrants began moving eastward to towns like Chicago, where they slowly cemented a presence despite the demographic restrictions of the Act. 

Every year American troops are honored with a National Memorial Day Concert on the lawn of the Capitol, broadcast live by PBS the day before Memorial Day. Meet the performers, including some famous Chicago natives, in this patriotic special here.

Spring may be here, but there's still a chill in the air. Take advantage of the fresh green produce of early spring – asparagus, spring onions, spinach – and warm yourself against the cool damp with this bright and warming spring risotto

We're always being told not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case you should: can you identify 20 books from The Great American Read's list of America's 100 favorite novels by just their covers? Test your knowledge here, and get reading!

Who are some of the more prominent parks in the "City in a Garden" named after, and why? From Humboldt Park to Horner Park to Sherman Park, learn about the history of Chicago's 8,800 acres of parkland and the origins of some of the parks' names.

From who curtsys to whom to the various forms of deference shown to the queen to restrictions regarding travel and dress, the royal family has some unusual strictures that they follow. Brush up on them before the royal wedding this Saturday.