Curious City
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Curious City
Ask questions, vote and discover answers about Chicago, the region and its people. From WBEZ.
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How a group of volunteers saved a rare Illinois wildflower
The Kankakee mallow is one of the rarest plants on the continent, according to the Smithsonian Garden in Washington D.C. It’s a pink flower that grows...
What’s that dead zone in the 19th Ward?
There’s a hole in the map of Chicago. It turns out, it’s a cemetery. But there are many other cemeteries in Chicago that don’t show up as holes on the...
The tale of the two-flat
You know the building: Two stories, an apartment unit on each floor, usually with bay windows and a facade of brick or greystone.
But...
‘Women adrift’: How single women lived independently in early Chicago
At the turn of the century in Chicago, single women without a husband or family were considered to be "adrift," but they weren’t drifting at all. They...
‘Friendship set to music’: Curious City goes square dancing on the South Side
It’s a Thursday night and a group of folks in Washington Heights do-si-do to the bassline from “Shake Your Groove Thing” by Peaches & Herb. Square dan...
Square dance clubs used to be bumping on the weekends
Square dancing was once so popular that a center opened in the suburbs dedicated to the hobby. Today, veteran dancers are trying to recruit new fans.
Is your local mall dying, thriving or evolving?
Malls hold a special spot in the hearts of many Americans of a certain age. One may have been the setting for your first date, the place you caught a...
What was Ford City Mall like in its heyday?
Vacant shops and faded signs, Ford City Mall is in the process of being sold. But this shell of a shopping center was once a bustling hub, especially...
What happened after a dangerous year inside Cook County Jail
The year 2023 was a deadly one at the Cook County Jail. Eighteen people died in custody, “for many reasons,” said reporter Carlos Ballesteros, who rep...
What is that supply tent outside of Cook County Jail?
Almost every night, a group of volunteers sets up a table of supplies. Their goal is to assist everyone who is being released; from bottled water to a...
Apple slices are a nearly forgotten piece of Chicago pastry history
Apple slices were a favorite Chicago pastry decades ago. Not many bakeries sell them today, but the dessert still has avid fans who hold on to its nos...
Do pigs need rescuing?
The story of Pigasus, who unknowingly accepted the Youth International Party (Yippie) nomination for president in Daley Plaza in 1968, shows that some...
What happened to Chicago’s presidential pig?
During the demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, activists trotted out a pig named Pigasus for president. Her campaign was cut...
What’s the oldest book in circulation at the Chicago Public Library?
Curious City went out to find the oldest book in circulation at the Chicago Public Library. Turns out, the title is over 200 years old, and you can st...
School is in session, and we put the CPS butter cookie to the test
Summer is coming to an end, and it’s time to go back to school.
Today, the number of Chicago Public School students complaining about s...
School lunch used to pass the test
Some Chicago Public School alumni say school lunch used to be delicious, which might shock current students. How did school lunch go from delicious to...
What’s the history of Chinese gangs in Chicago?
Chicago is known for crime bosses like Al Capone, but the city is also home to two Chinese gangs that were once fierce rivals. This story first aired...
What a failed robbery from 1951 tells us about Chicago crime
A courageous Chicagoan once helped foil a robbery by men in butcher smocks — a little-known gang from a bygone era of crime in the city.
The other organizations empowering Chicago’s Chinatown
Community organizations are helping Chinatown residents preserve what long-standing family associations helped build.
What happened to Chinatown’s family associations?
Family associations were once the backbone of social and economic organization for Chicago’s Chinatown. Their evolution over the decades tells the his...
Is women’s pro softball here to stay?
What is it about softball?
“What is it not about softball?” replies Megan Faramio, a star pitcher for the Talons in the all-new Athlete...
A league of Chicago’s Own: The other women’s pro league of the 1940s
There was the Rockford Peaches, women’s pro baseball team of the 1940s that was celebrated in the movie "A League of Their Own." But there was also a...
Car, bike, public transit: What’s the best way to get around town?
What would win in a race between a car, bike and the Chicago Transit Authority?
Over the past few years, Chicago has been abuzz with ro...
Who thought traffic circles were a good idea? Do we need them?
Mini traffic circles at the intersections of residential streets might annoy drivers because they force cars to slow down. But their safety features o...
The curious case of the Swami Vivekananda Way street sign
Swami Vivekananda is credited with introducing Hinduism to the West. His work earned him an honorary street sign on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, but it...
Chicago’s LGBTQ+ library is a space for people to ‘find themselves in the shelves’
Early LGBTQ+ history can be hard to find. Photos, letters, literature and other artifacts have been destroyed or hidden away, in acts of homophobia, o...
Where are the girls? A look at early lesbian nightlife in Chicago
It’s not hard to find the LGBTQ+ hangouts in Chicago these days, but at one point it was. There’s a history of lesbian nightlife that goes back more t...
Yes, people really do win pledge drive giveaways at WBEZ
One Curious City listener was skeptical about whether real people actually win WBEZ’s pledge drive giveaways. They do. But there’s a little more to th...
Do people actually donate cars to public radio?
An on-air spot soliciting car donations is a fixture of public radio, but do people actually donate? Yes, about 50 cars are donated a month.
There’s nature in Chicago. Go bathe in it.
“Forest bathing” is the exceptionally simple Japanese practice of taking a walk — or a seat — in the woods.
Why? For your health, of c...
Are healthy Chicago trees getting the ax?
Some Chicagoans have noticed city workers cutting down seemingly healthy trees. Who is responsible, and why are they cutting down these trees?
‘Have you checked on your ancestors?’ This woman brings dignity to deceased Black Chicagoans
Tammy Gibson wants you to visit the gravesites of your deceased relatives.
“Have you checked on your ancestors?” said Gibson, the found...
Exploring the segregated past of Chicago cemeteries
Mayor Harold Washington is buried in a cemetery that was once for “whites only.” Protests and legislative fights desegregated area cemeteries.
What happened to Chicago's Japanese community?
Lakeview once had a thriving Japanese community, but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: “You had to basicall...
Car towed? Listen to this on your way down to Chicago’s Central Auto Pound
If you’ve had your car towed in Chicago, there’s a decent chance you had to journey down to Lower Lower Wacker Drive — likely not in the best of moods...
Lower Wacker Drive: A uniquely Chicago street
Curious City has gotten several questions about Wacker Drive over the years. We head down to the lower levels in search of some answers.
Schools, Water Plants and City Hall: We search for Chicago’s nuclear fallout shelters
Nuclear fallout shelters are still among us, though they are not exactly ready for the apocalypse. These remnants of Cold War-era infrastructure do ex...
Why does Chicago have a law prohibiting nuclear weapons?
Tucked in the city’s municipal code is a law that prohibits the production, storage and launching of nuclear weapons in Chicago. We find out why the c...
Even when nothing goes wrong, moving is trash
It’s typical to see moving trucks winding through streets and alleys of Chicago on the first day of any month. The act of moving hardly sounds like a...
‘Pure chaos’: Why did Chicagoans once move on the same day?
You think moving is hard work? For about 100 years, Chicagoans used to move at the same time. Moving Day: May 1.