Podcasts by Backstory with Larry Potash

Mysterious Manuscript from 2021-11-29T10:00

A pile of decaying pages of colorful language make up a manuscript about mobsters from long ago. There's no author, but some clues may lead to the writer's identity.

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Glass Plate Photographer from 2021-11-22T10:00

Chicago artist Carrie McCluskey uses a long-lost photographic technique to bring home a message with a chilling warning.

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Roller Skating from 2021-11-22T10:00

Roller skating started out as a fad and eventually became a cultural movement. New skaters continue to be inspired even as more roller rinks disappear.

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Donut Day from 2021-11-15T10:00

How the donut changed Americans' perspective on the Salvation Army, while feeding soldiers on the front lines. This is the Backstory.

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The Hidden Cemetery from 2021-11-15T10:00

John Kettman made a discovery in a remote patch of farm field that ignited a mission to uncover a centuries-old mystery. This is the Backstory.

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Barbecue Stories from 2021-11-08T10:00

Everyone has their own idea of what makes great barbecue. For one Chicago family, their mastery of “the pit” is as much about the stories behind the recipes, the beginnings of which date back to...

The Evolution of Bozo from 2021-11-08T10:00

Bozo T. Clown... from its humble beginnings as a record company character, to its height as a cultural icon for generations of Chicagoans. This is the Backstory.

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Hidden History from 2021-04-26T09:00

When Confederate soldiers came to Chicago, they did so as prisoners. Camp Douglas housed thousands of Union Army prisoners of war... and the camp had its share of controversy. This is the Backst...

The Great Train Robbery from 2021-04-26T09:00

A hundred years ago, four brothers decided to rob a train car carrying millions in cash and bonds. It's considered one of the greatest train robberies of all time. This is the Backstory.

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The Myth of Race from 2021-04-19T09:00

Race continues to be something that divides and disenfranchises people all over the world. Buy why? This is the Backstory.

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Human Guinea Pigs from 2021-04-19T09:00

After World War II, hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members were unwittingly subjected to radiation tests by their own government. Today, many of them are still fighting for health care, a...

Hero Street from 2021-04-12T09:00

One street in a small western Illinois town has housed more U.S. service members than any other street in America. This is the Backstory.

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Texas Cowgirls from 2021-04-12T09:00

In the early days of basketball, women were treated much differently on the court. Doctors said ladies should only play half court, as opposed to the full court games men played. And there weren...

Silent Enemy from 2021-04-05T09:00

How a Navy veteran fought for years to honor the thousands of marginalized men and women who served in the US Armed Forces. This is the Backstory.

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Wind and Wheels from 2021-04-05T09:00

The freedom we feel on a bicycle is difficult to replicate. And the history of the bike goes deeper than you might think. This is the Backstory.

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Chicago's First Crime King from 2021-03-29T09:00

Before Capone, there was another crime king of Chicago. Michael Cassius McDonald arrived in the city as a teenager, and scammed his way to becoming one of Chicago's most influential cr...

Power of the Pen from 2021-03-29T09:00

Few mediums wield the power of the political cartoon. But as newspapers shrink, so do the number of cartoonists working today. A half century ago, Chicago Sun Times Cartoonist Bill Mauldin ...

The American Dream from 2021-03-22T09:00

In the early days of the automotive industry, few independent automakers were able to compete with the Big Three. But that didn't stop Charles Nash from trying. This is the Backstory.

Social Lubricant from 2021-03-22T09:00

For many years, American beer was boring, and rather bland. More recently, craft beer has exploded in popularity... bringing with it more flavor, rich storytelling, and more opportunity for dive...

Forces of Nature from 2021-03-15T09:00

A colorful and bustling prairie outside Chicago becomes the site of a manufacturing facility for ammunition during World War II. Then, on June 5, 1942 at 2:45 in the morning, tragedy s...

The Reverse Underground Railroad from 2021-03-08T10:00

Illinois was a free state before the Civil War. But one man found a loophole that allowed him to own slaves. Then he started to kidnap freed slaves, and sell them back to people in slave states....

Boy's Best Friend from 2021-03-08T10:00

The bond between man and dog has been written about for millenia. But one man's story is just a little bit different. When he lost his dog, he got a new one from Russia, by way of the White Hous...

Backstory Shorts: A Presidential Fitness Test from 2021-03-05T10:00

When he noticed that older Naval officers were out of shape, this U.S. President mandated new physical endurance tests. When folks in the Navy grumbled about the new directive, he decided to lea...

Backstory Shorts: The Forgotten Leader from 2021-03-03T10:00

A hero of his era, he fought enemies at home and abroad. But those weren't his only achievements. This is the Backstory.

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The Intercontinental from 2020-10-11T14:00

They only used it for five years, but the people who built the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Chicago designed it like no other building in the world. This is the Backstory.

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Lincoln's Rise to Power from 2020-10-11T14:00

Abraham Lincoln's personal history fueled his disdain for slavery. And his unlikely alliance with a group of immigrants helped propel him to the White House. This is the Backstory.

The Klan Detective from 2020-10-04T14:00

Was he a good guy? Or a bad guy? Hiram C. Whitley was a man of dubious moral character. But that's what it took to infiltrate the KKK in the 1860's. This is the Backstory.

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The Second City Sinners from 2020-10-04T14:00

A political assassination, domestic terror, and the women of murderess row. Three lost stories of Chicago history. This is the Backstory.

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The Bootlegger from 2020-09-27T14:00

He was a bootlegger. And at one point, he was bigger than Al Capone. Later, he was purportedly the inspiration for the title character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." But you probab...

The Trickster from 2020-09-27T14:00

In the era of social media, some people can't take a joke. Political correctness has made it so that many of today's comics won't perform at colleges. But are we missing the point? One of the or...

The Mystery of the Turtle Tunnels from 2020-09-21T09:00

A building in El Paso, Texas is the site of a century old mystery. On the side of the building: a mural of a turtle. Was it a symbol? In the building's basement: walled off tunnels. Who were the...

How the Negro League Legacy Lives On from 2020-09-21T09:00

The Negro Leagues turn 100 this year. While many of the players never reached Major League notoriety, several people are working to shine a light on their legacy. This is the Backstory.

Backstory Shorts: The Referee from 2020-09-14T09:00

It was a big boxing match, and it ended in controversy. The referee was accused of cheating the true winner. Who was the ref? You probably know his name. This is the Backstory.

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Backstory Shorts: The Crazy Balloonatic from 2020-09-07T09:00

A 19th century daredevil was obsessed with balloons. He wanted to travel far and away... But one stunt ended in tragedy. And the details are still shrouded in mystery. This is the Backstory.

Fading Ads of Chicago: How one man is documenting advertisements from a bygone era from 2020-03-16T15:40:39

Advertisements painted on old brick buildings still linger in Chicago, but they're slowly disappearing. That's why Joe Marlin is documenting these fading ads of Chicago... This is the Backstory....

Revolutionary Revisionism: How Revolutionary War stories have shifted over time from 2020-03-16T15:39:23

A historian gets a rare look inside the Royal Archive to read King George's writings about the Revolutionary War, and Larry takes a trip to his hometown of Boston to walk in the footsteps of his...

How Ian Fleming's time working for British intelligence informed the creation of James Bond from 2020-03-09T15:20:42

Ian Fleming worked in British intelligence before he created James Bond... so how much of the world's greatest fictional secret agent was Fleming himself? Find out, on Backstory.

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Chicago photographer painstakingly recreates photos from a century ago from 2020-03-09T14:16:55

He's found several photographs from more than a century ago, and now Mark Hersch is painstakingly recreating these images, and giving them new life — one frame at a time. This is the Backstory.<...

Fast Eddie: The man who helped convict Al Capone, and more... from 2020-03-02T19:22:46

He was the man who helped the Feds nail Al Capone on tax evasion charges. But his legacy is greater than that. Find out how, on Backstory.

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It's not awful — it's offal from 2020-03-02T19:08:18

Considered a useless byproduct by many, offal cuisine is gaining in popularity. Larry Potash gives us the past, present, and future of this culinary tradition through the eyes of some very talen...

How Lipizzans made their way from Europe to Chicago’s North Side from 2020-02-24T18:02:23

Lipizzans are some of the most beautiful horses in the world, but how did they become ensconced on Chicago’s North Shore? Find out, on Backstory...

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Chicago and the largest slavery reparations settlement in US history from 2020-02-24T17:56:03

The first-ever successful lawsuit brought by a slave was filed by Henrietta Wood. Her ordeal would take her from Kentucky to Mississippi to Cincinnati where she would finally win her freedom and...

True origins of 'The Exorcist' and Salem's witches from 2019-10-28T20:06:19

In 1629, the Salem witch trials led to the execution of 20 people as witch hunt frenzy reached the U.S. That might sounds like ancient history, but only a few decades ago a case documented by th...

Mysticism's American origins; Fact-checking the supernatural from 2019-10-21T23:25:23

How two sisters' stories of speaking to ghosts in the 19th century sparked a move towards mysticism in the U.S. — and profiting from it. Larry Potash returns to his hometown to explore its tales...

NASA sells space; missiles in your backyard from 2019-10-14T14:00

NASA's revolutionary sales pitch worked to enlist the American public in the space race in the '60s, but that race also stoked Cold War fears, whose remnants are still hidden across Chicagoland....

How a Rolling Stones fan chronicled their career from the inside from 2019-10-07T10:00

In 1978, Bill German turned 16 years old, and like many kids his age was a major Rolling Stones fan.

He didn’t want to be a rock star, or simply go to their concerts. German wanted to chro...

How one shot saved pinball's future from 2019-07-01T11:00

When pinball was illegal, he was called upon to prove it's more than a game of chance. That's when one shot changed it all. Listen

How one man escaped a Nazi death march — twice from 2019-06-24T19:00

Jack Hersch said it was a tradition every Passover for his father, David, to tell his sons about how he escaped the Nazis.

"He would talk about the death march - put on a 34-mile march, he...

How DeLorean rose to icon status, then fell from 2019-06-19T10:00

While many remember the DeLorean thanks to its appearance in “Back to the Future,” but the story of its iconic creator John DeLorean is just as interesting.

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How the real-life 'BlacKkKlansman' infiltrated the KKK from 2019-06-10T11:00

How does a black detective go undercover to investigate the Ku Klux Klan? Ron Stallworth shares the amazing true story of how he accidentally used his own name, and talked his way into becoming ...

The capture of German sub U-505 from 2019-06-03T11:00

Meet the man who accomplished the impossible: capturing a German sub at sea, helping to turn the tide of WWII.

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Thief stole millions, hid out in Chicago as toy store owner from 2019-04-03T11:00

For decades, Phil Cresta was the best thief on the East Coast. He stole millions and nobody knew who did it. After fleeing the law and the mob, he was found living under a fake name as a Chicag...

Inside an Ivy League secret society from 2019-03-21T11:00

Secret societies are a common concern of conspiracy theories and Hollywood blockbusters, and at Ivy League schools, secret societies are the elite among the elite.

While the legends surro...

How Chicago's first basketball champs lost their title from 2019-03-12T21:09:38

The Chicago American Gears were the city's first basketball champions — until their trophy was taken away, and a team with the makings of a dynasty was forced to disband.

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How Eliot Ness took on Al Capone in Chicago, and a serial killer in Cleveland from 2019-03-07T21:49:59

Legendary G-Man Eliot Ness is remembered for taking down Al Capone in Chicago, but as pop culture grew the legend around him, it begs the question: what really happened?

In a historical so...

The truth of Al Capone and Eliot Ness, the investigator who helped bring him down from 2019-03-05T07:00

You've probably heard of how legendary mobster Al Capone's criminal empire was disrupted by investigator Eliot Ness and his group of "Untouchables." But what really happened in Chicago, and what...

Growing up with the mob next door from 2019-02-28T19:17:12

Brothers Michael and Jeffrey Gentile say their childhood was a cross between The Wonder Years and The Sopranos. While he never got into a life of crime, their dad's friends included some of...

The Myth of Mickey from 2019-02-26T00:37:50

Mickey Mouse may be the biggest paradox in pop culture: people love him, but know nothing about him.

You may have heard Mickey was first drawn by Walt Disney 90 years ago as he rode a...

The “Code Smasher” Elizebeth Smith Friedman from 2019-02-18T20:30

Recruited by an eccentric millionaire to search for hidden messages in Shakespeare’s works, Elizebeth Smith Friedman became a pioneering code breaker who took on the Nazis and the mob. Her story...

Death of the "Furnace Girl" Elfrieda Knaak from 2019-02-07T23:03:14

On the morning of Oct. 30, 1928, Elfrieda Knaak was discovered in the furnace room of Lake Bluff's Village Hall, naked and with her hands and feet burned to the bone. Her death was ruled a ...

Death of the "Furnace Girl" Elfrieda Knaak from 2019-02-07T23:03:14

On the morning of Oct. 30, 1928, Elfrieda Knaak was discovered in the furnace room of Lake Bluff's Village Hall, naked and with her hands and feet burned to the bone. Her death was ruled a ...

Death of the "Furnace Girl" Elfrieda Knaak from 2019-02-07T23:03:14

On the morning of Oct. 30, 1928, Elfrieda Knaak was discovered in the furnace room of Lake Bluff's Village Hall, naked and with her hands and feet burned to the bone. Her death was ruled a ...