Curious City

Latest Episodes:

Tales from the Curious Crypt Oct 28, 2026

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Chicago has a rich and sometimes sordid past, making it ripe for creepy, perhaps paranormal activity. In that spirit, Curious City recently hosted a live event at the Empty Bottle called “Tales from the Curious Crypt,” where storyteller Jonathan Pitts told an eerie tale of working late nights at the Athenaeum, Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez talked about the ghost that haunted her family and storyteller Lily Be explained why things were vanishing during a particularly difficult time in her life.

Data centers are stressing the electric grid. What does that mean for Illinois consumers? Oct 21, 2026

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Nuclear power is Illinois’ biggest source of energy — over 50% — and nukes are once again in the spotlight as AI data centers jack up the demand for energy. What does this massive spike in demand mean for consumers in Illinois? Why are our electric bills continuing to rise? And are we at risk of major blackouts, the kind Chicago experienced in the 1990s?

What’s that dead zone in the 19th Ward? Oct 14, 2026

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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 map, so what’s up with this one? We take you to the 19th Ward and explore the history of this dead zone.

This story was first published April 11, 2024. Mt. Greenwood Cemetery is now owned by Troost Cemeteries.

‘Rivalry is our last name:’ Chicago and Detroit battle on the dancefloor Oct 07, 2026

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In Chicago, it was house. In Detroit, it was techno. The two genres ushered a new electronic sound into the dance music world. Despite their proximity and shared roots in disco, some consider them rivals. But are they? And what about their adjacent dance cultures, Detroit jit and Chicago footwork?
Curious Midwest is a collaboration between Curious City, WUWM’s Bubbler Talk and WDET’s CuriousiD. We’re answering listener questions about the connections between these cities.
WBEZ’s Erin Allen and WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley focus on Detroit and Chicago, the two cities that became ground zero for electronic dance music and footwork from the Midwest.

Industrial jobs left Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Why did it hit these cities differently? Sep 30, 2026

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For over a century, the Midwest had been defined by what we made, including cars, steel, and beer. But during 75 years of deindustrialization, Chicago lost over half a million manufacturing jobs. Milwaukee lost almost 100,000 jobs. And for some in Detroit, it feels like the whole city was lost.

Curious Midwest is a collaboration between Curious City, WUWM’s Bubbler Talk and WDET’s CuriousiD. We’re answering listener questions about the connections between these cities.

This week, WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez looks at how de-industrialization hit the Midwest and why recovery wasn’t the same for everyone.

Chicago, Milwaukee or Detroit: Which city has the best encased meats? Sep 23, 2026

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In Chicago, it’s the Chicago dog. In Milwaukee, the bratwurst. In Detroit, the Coney dog. Each is a little different, but their origin stories are connected.

In a limited series we’re calling “Curious Midwest,” Curious City teamed up with WUWM Milwaukee’s Bubbler Talk and WDET Detroit’s CuriosiD to explore our midwestern links (pun intended).

Today, why are these hyper-specific encased meats associated so strongly with these three cities? And which is the best?

How Ella Jenkins’ Chicago childhood shaped her iconic children’s music Sep 16, 2026

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From school assemblies to “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” Ella Jenkins was a rhythm specialist and children’s music pioneer. Her childhood in Chicago was her launching pad.

Jenkins forged a path in the music industry during a time when children’s musicians didn’t really exist. She persevered through the civil rights era, took ownership of her music in an industry that often took advantage of women and made the focus about children.

Today, we bring you a conversation about this music icon, who harnessed curiosity, life experience and charisma to create some of the most unique and prolific art of the 20th century.

Professor of American studies at George Washington University Gayle Wald sat down with Curious City Editor Susie An at the 2025 Evanston Folk Festival to talk about Jenkins’ life. Wald is the author of “This is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music and the Long Civil Rights Movement.”

This episode was originally published on Feb. 11, 2026.

Did Chicago invent the rage room? A look inside “the Frustration Room” Sep 09, 2026

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The Frustration Room appeared in a Chicago motel in 1962 and offered visitors the opportunity to smash objects — like a lamp base, a lightbulb or an ashtray — in a space dedicated to relieving frustration. One Curious City listener remembers visiting three times and wanted to know: who thought of this place, why, and what ever happened to it? We look into the Frustration Room’s origins and its next of kin — including a local “rage room” and a “scream club” — to ask if this kind of venting really works.

How did a native Chicago plant disappear forever? Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Thismia americana enjoys near-cult-status among Chicago botanists, ecologists and plant enthusiasts. The tiny, bell-shaped flower hasn't been seen since the early 1900s, but that hasn't stopped believers from trying to find Chicago's most elusive plant once more.

A reporter and a team of scientists went hunting for thismia americana to see if, over a hundred years later, it could be re-discovered.

Why is the island in Washington Park behind a locked gate? Aug 26, 2026

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Bynum Island was once a gem in Chicago’s Washington Park, but now it’s abandoned, overgrown and inaccessible to the public. Curious City looks into why, and whether the island will ever reopen.

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