10 things you might not know about presidential nicknames
We’ve entered the second year of the presidency of Donald Trump, who may be the nation’s most nickname-loving leader ever. Just ask Rocket Man, Crooked Hillary and Sloppy Steve. Or...
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Weatherman John Coleman offered flurries of fun – but Tribune critic was icy
When weatherman John Coleman died Saturday, people remembered him as a co-founder of the Weather Channel and a popular Chicago TV personality at WLS and WMAQ in the 1970s and...
10 things you might not know about Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is all over the news. She's got a deal with HBO, she has revealed that her weight has ballooned to 200 pounds, and she plans to broadcast from...
10 things you might not know about fingerpointing
Should 2017’s avatar be a pointing index finger? Just this month, allegations of various types have brought down Chicago schools chief Forrest Claypool, U.S. Sen. Al Franken and U.S. Reps....
10 things you might not know about gratitude
There’s nothing wrong with being lucky, but there’s plenty wrong with not knowing how lucky you are. So as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, we’re grateful you’re reading this article....
Lucy Parsons bio reveals new facts about the birth, ethnicity of the ‘Goddess of Anarchy’
Lucy Parsons, an anarchist firebrand who was one of the most enigmatic Chicagoans ever, might fit in better today than she did during her own time a century ago. She...
175 years ago today, Chicago auctioned off a black man
The handbills posted in Chicago declared: “A Man for Sale.” And on Nov. 14, 1842 — 175 years ago today — an African-American man was auctioned off near the corner...
Rare video find: Balloon tour over Chicago in 1914
An aviation pioneer named Roy Knabenshue brought his dirigible to Chicago in 1914, offered 25-minute balloon rides and settled on a great idea: Why not hire a cameraman to film...
10 things you might not know about shameless promotions
We're surrounded by hype. There's swimmer Michael Phelps, whose "Phelps vs. Shark" special on the Discovery Channel never featured him swimming with a shark, just a CGI version. And there's...
How a former Chicago office boy built Charlottesville’s Gen. Lee statue
The man who bankrolled Charlottesville's statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee — a focus of last weekend's violent confrontations between white supremacists and their opponents — first built his fortune...