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Clip of the Week: August 23, 2023
On August 23, 2023 by ElyseTalk about a claim to flame. Folks, we have another world record: The other day, for the tenth time in his life, Joseph Maski, 103 years old, believed to be the oldest person in Chicago, was rescued from a fire which threatened to destroy the building in which he lived, at No. 8961, Superior Avenue,
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Clip of the Week: September 7, 2022
On September 7, 2022 by ElyseLadies, pull out your wallets: Why should any woman be without a husband when by the expenditure of a small amount of money she can be put in the way of having one or many? At least the experience of a Chicago woman goes to show that potential husbands are waiting on every other corner
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Clip of the Week: June 15, 2022
On June 15, 2022 by ElyseToday’s lesson: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, even if those flies are stealing the honeypot. Leopold Karlsberg was held up in the hallway of his home at 5030 Woodlawn avenue late Saturday and was robbed of $150, his keyring and some documents. Last night he received a telephone call from one of
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The Perfect Foot
On March 30, 2022 by ElyseFolks, put on your comically oversized nightcap—or pour yourself one—because this week, I have another Cinderella-esque fairy tale to read you. Since this blog is not yet available in podcast form, you’ll have to imagine my dulcet tones and/or high-pitched squeaks as you go along. Once upon a time, in the not-so-faraway land of Chicago,
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Clip of the Week: January 26, 2022
On January 26, 2022 by ElyseAs a Chicagoan, I’m equal parts flattered and offended: The elegance of the Chicago criminal is attested by the fact that policemen in that city mistook [Illinois senator] Mr. J. Hamilton Lewis for a bank robber. – The Evening Star, October 30, 1913 In their defense, here in Chicago, our politicians and our criminals are
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No Fairy Godmother, No Glass Slipper, No Problem
On December 8, 2021 by ElyseOnce upon a time in a not-so-faraway land, there lived a young lady. . . “Pretty Anna” is the name by which everyone knew the beautiful Bohemian Anna Witkower, who for many months was a chambermaid at the Palmer House Hotel, Chicago. . . It’s not the most creative moniker, but it’s better than “Cinderella,”
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Heiress on the Loose
On January 6, 2021 by ElyseFolks, we have another mystery on our hands: Helen Owen, child of romance and adventure, mysteriously missing. . . – The New York Tribune, May 30, 1921 Is there any other way to go missing? But I digress. Poor Gladys Mason remains at large, but maybe Second Glance History will have better luck finding 17-year-old
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Alternative Fourth of July Activities
On July 1, 2020 by ElyseIn many parts of the United States, Fourth of July celebrations will be (or at least, should be) a little different this year: no large crowds gathered together to ooh and ahh over fireworks, no hamburgers and hotdogs grilled at neighborhood barbecues and definitely no regiments marching around in powdered wigs. Fortunately, history is full
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Battle for the Ages
On May 6, 2020 by ElyseIn the early years of the 20th century, an epic conflict was fought on battlefields across the globe. It would ultimately impact millions of lives. I refer, of course, to the clash of morality vs. the tango. Put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to rumble! In this corner, we have the upstanding, waltz-dancing