A lot can happen on one day, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. October 9 is a one such day in Chicago history. Most infamously, in 1871 the Great Chicago Fire burned, ravaging the city and reducing it to rubble. Twenty-two years later, having rebuilt from the ashes left by the fire, Chicago was front and…
Happy Halloween from Chicago’s Past!
The leaves are turning colors and falling, and the air is getting chilly. With autumn comes a favorite holiday for many kids: Halloween. Maybe your little one hasn't quite landed on the perfect costume to elicit the most candy yet. We're here to help. If your household's daily life is anything like mine, and grotesque heads sound…
Celebrate American Archives Month
October is American Archives Month! Have you ever visited one of Chicago Public Library's archives? Visited the Harsh Research Collection to research black history? Gotten chills from discovering a historic document in Special Collections? Or made a trip to the Northside Neighborhood History Collection at Sulzer Regional Library? Now's the perfect time to do so…
A Woman of the 20th Century: Martha Gellhorn and The Beautiful Exiles
Martha Gellhorn? Who's that? Oh, you mean the third Mrs. Hemingway? Martha Gellhorn was one of the first, most read, and prolific female war correspondents. She stowed away on a hospital ship on D-Day to get around the "No Women Journalists Allowed" rule and covered the United States' invasion of Panama. Unfortunately, all anyone seemed…
5 Children’s Books Honoring Puerto Ricans
As reports of Hurricane Florence pour in, we remember another major hurricane, Hurricane Maria, which ripped through the island of Puerto Rico last year, forever changing the lives of the millions of Puerto Ricans on the island and in the United States. For National Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the courage, determination and creativity of…
Always Family! Books for Kids About Memory Loss
Making sense of the world can be difficult for kids, but making sense of the world when an adult in your life is struggling with memory loss is even harder. It's hard to talk about, hard to understand and hard to deal with your feelings and questions. It can be sad and confusing for everybody, including the person with…
Frankenstein’s Legacy: 5 Books and Movies
The name "Frankenstein" conjures up images of a green, grunting monster stomping about with bolts in its neck. The monster was most notably portrayed by Boris Karloff in the Universal Classic Monster films of the 1930s. Frankenstein is, of course, Victor Frankenstein, created by 18-year-old Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel, Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus…
Stories of Impostors
Individuals who adopt a new identity or create a fictitious past make for intriguing narratives, especially in the true crime genre. Con artists, tricksters and impostors have claimed royal lineage, impersonated doctors and pilots, and have fraudulently sold historical buildings. The reason for their shams vary from greed to narcissism. Check out these absorbing stories of…
Unresolved Incidents of Untimely Yet Intentional Demise (Murder at the Office)
Tedium is part of even the best job and I should know: I have it. Everyone's fantasized about doing something more exciting or important, like solving a murder mystery. Here are some of those fantasies brought to the page, between conference calls of course, often with hilarious results. Chuck Restic is an HR exec in…
About Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: One Book, One Chicago 2018-2019
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a masterpiece ahead of its time, a prescient rendering of a dark future and the inspiration for the blockbuster film Blade Runner. The book celebrates the 50th anniversary of its publication in 2018. By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind…
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