Chicago History Podcast
A solo-hosted narrative podcast detailing forgotten or misunderstood stories from Chicago's history, from architecture and sports to true crime.
This is a deep-dive, single-topic narrative podcast. Host Tommy Henry meticulously researches and scripts stories about Chicago's buildings, people, crimes, and cultural moments, often focusing on lesser-known details. While primarily a solo show with a consistent, journalistic narration style, it occasionally breaks format to feature interviews with authors, genealogists, and other historians who have specific expertise on an episode's topic.
“The show's strength is its granular focus on single subjects, weaving together architectural, social, and political history into a cohesive narrative. Unlike panel shows, it offers a single, consistent voice, whether in its solo-narrated episodes or its occasional expert interviews.”
Who hosts this show
Chicago History Podcast is a narrative show hosted by Tommy Henry, who researches and tells stories about the city's places, events, and people. Launched in 2020, the podcast covers a wide range of topics including the history of Chicago hot dogs, iconic sports moments, and architectural marvels. Henry, who started the podcast during the COVID-19 quarantine out of a personal passion for history, has been praised for his storytelling and deep dives into the city's past.
Other ventures
- Public speaking on Chicago history
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Old Main Post OfficeMay 31, 2026 · 22 min
- 02
- 03FROM THE ARCHIVES - Bizarre Story of the Missing Wheaton Bible College Couple, TheApr 26, 2026 · 20 min
- 04Episode 822 - B'Ginnings: Where Schaumburg Rocked The SuburbsApr 5, 2026 · 50 min
- 05SPECIAL EPISODE - The Women Who Built Chicago with genealogist Nicka Sewell-SmithMar 19, 2026 · 28 min
- 06
- 07Episode 820 - People Wasn't Made To Burn: The James Hickman StoryFeb 22, 2026 · 52 min
- 08FROM THE ARCHIVES - Sundown Towns of Chicago with Ernest Crim IIIFeb 15, 2026 · 32 min
Notable episodes
- 01Episode 822 - B'Ginnings: Where Schaumburg Rocked The Suburbs
Chronicles the legendary suburban rock club founded by Chicago's drummer, Danny Seraphine, which hosted future superstars like The Police and AC/DC in a tiny venue.
- 02FROM THE ARCHIVES - Bizarre Story of the Missing Wheaton Bible College Couple, The
A compelling true-crime narrative from 1988 about two students who faked their disappearance, sparking a nationwide search before the strange truth was revealed.
- 03Episode 823 - Ground Beneath the Diamonds: A History of Chicago's White Sox Ballparks, The
A deep dive into the three homes of the White Sox, connecting the stadiums to the social and racial history of the South Side, including Disco Demolition Night.
- 04FROM THE ARCHIVES - Chicago's Old Main Post Office
Tells the century-long story of a massive, iconic building that sat vacant for decades before a recent, dramatic redevelopment, including its ties to political corruption.
What you'll be asked on this show
The podcast is primarily a solo narrative format where host Tommy Henry presents a well-researched, scripted story. The show sometimes re-releases older popular episodes under the "FROM THE ARCHIVES" banner. While most episodes are solo, the host occasionally conducts one-on-one interviews with subject matter experts for special episodes.
Signature segments
- · "FROM THE ARCHIVES" re-release episodes
- · "Buy Me a Coffee" listener thank you segment
- · Intro: "I'm Tommy Henry and this is the Chicago History Podcast."
- · Closing call-to-action for listener emails and ideas
- · Pun followed by "I'll see myself out."
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
When guests are featured, they are typically authors, historians, or genealogists with a direct, professional connection to the episode's topic, often to discuss a new book or research project related to Chicago history.
- Nicka Sewell-Smithon SPECIAL EPISODE - The Women Who Built Chicago with genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith
- Graham Harrison Leeon Episode 821 - Behind the Camera: Jun Fujita's Chicago with author Graham Harrison Lee
- Ernest Crim IIIon FROM THE ARCHIVES - Sundown Towns of Chicago with Ernest Crim III
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is primarily supported by direct listener donations via the "Buy Me a Coffee" platform, which the host promotes with personal thank-you segments. It also uses affiliate links for podcasting services like Buzzsprout and the music library Audiio.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of the Chicago History Podcast?
- The podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Tommy Henry.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast has been releasing episodes since 2020 and continues to publish new content.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is primarily a solo narrative podcast where the host tells a single, deeply researched story per episode. It occasionally features guest interviews with authors or experts.
- Does the show have interviews?
- The main format is solo narration, but special episodes with one-on-one guest interviews are released from time to time.
- How can I support the podcast?
- Listeners can support the show directly through donations on the "Buy Me a Coffee" platform, which is linked in the episode descriptions.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Chicago History Podcast - Official Site (via Buzzsprout)buzzsprout.com
- [02]Lecture: Exploring Chicago History with Tommy Henrywilmettehistory.org
- [03]Chicago History Podcast on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [04]Tommy Henry guest appearance on 77 Flavors of Chicago podcastyoutube.com
- [05]Chicago History Podcast on Facebookfacebook.com
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