Ron Grossman

Albert Goodwill Spalding, better known as A.G. Spalding, pitched for the Boston Red Stockings from 1871-75. He left Boston to play for the Chicago White Stockings and eventually became team president.

Flashback: Baseball at the feet of the Sphinx? A 1888-89 world tour sent the Chicago White Stockings on a really long road trip

May 7, 2021 at 1:33 p.m.

On Feb. 9, 1889, the Chicago White Stockings played the All-America team on a diamond scratched into the sand at the feet of the Sphinx. The only spectators were Bedouin...

Queen Elizabeth II, left, arrives for her tour of the Art Institute of Chicago on July 6, 1959. Joining the queen are (left to right) William McCormick Blair, of the Art Institute, Gov. William Stratton, Mrs. Blair, Prince Philip and Mayor Richard J. Daley.

Column: A ‘Chicago street-corner boy’ finds himself saddened by an English prince’s funeral

April 17, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

On the death of Princess Diana, I was asked to explain a royal funeral to American readers. On paper I was fit for the task, having been a history professor....

Attendants and doctors move Sam Scalise at Michael Reese Hospital during his relocation to another hospital on March 1, 1948. Scalise had been in an auto accident where he was thrown 47 feet, and survived with cuts and bruises. Scalise was a known criminal.

Flashback: Michael Reese Hospital brought skilled healers to a South Side in need

April 16, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

In 2008, the closing of Michael Reese Hospital was lamented with the sitting of shiva in the home of an alumnus of the institution, a bastion of a South Side...

Robert Wadlow demonstrates he is nearly as tall as this New York stoplight in April 1937. Wadlow hated publicity but out of necessity derived financial benefit from it. The college student had hopes of becoming a lawyer. Editor's note: This historical print shows damage. (AP)

Flashback: Robert Wadlow, the ‘Alton Giant’ who at age 21 was over 8 feet tall, fought for his dignity in court

July 1, 2025 at 11:42 a.m.

The police had their hands full getting the 8-foot-8.25-inch Robert Wadlow in and out of a Missouri courtroom where he was suing Dr. Charles Humberd for diagnosing him as a...

A fan reads a book in the stands before the Chicago White Sox home opener against the Kansas City Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 8, 2021.

Column: Think baseball is too slow? You’re missing the point.

April 10, 2021 at 3:08 p.m.

One spring long ago, our schoolyard was abuzz because Eddie's big brother had been invited to try out for a major-league baseball team. I still can't fathom how he got...

Composer and musician Florence Price by G. Nelidoff in Chicago, Illinois. (University of Arkansas Libraries)

Flashback: With a CSO concert in 1933, Black composer Florence Price’s career hit a history-making crescendo. The world is finally rediscovering her gifts.

April 3, 2025 at 2:53 p.m.

On June 15, 1933, the flick of a baton turned a page in history. Responding to the conductor's downbeat, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra made Florence B. Price the first Black...

All Stories

Flashback: Baseball at the feet of the Sphinx? A 1888-89 world tour sent the Chicago White Stockings on a really long road trip

Column: A ‘Chicago street-corner boy’ finds himself saddened by an English prince’s funeral

Flashback: Michael Reese Hospital brought skilled healers to a South Side in need

Flashback: Robert Wadlow, the ‘Alton Giant’ who at age 21 was over 8 feet tall, fought for his dignity in court

Column: Think baseball is too slow? You’re missing the point.

Flashback: With a CSO concert in 1933, Black composer Florence Price’s career hit a history-making crescendo. The world is finally rediscovering her gifts.

Flashback: Irish Americans invaded Canada in a plot to liberate Ireland. The far-fetched plan got its start in Chicago.

Flashback: Leo Koretz, the Ponzi of Chicago, suckered investors and wooed women with his ill-gotten wealth

Flashback: A crisis of conscience over slavery gave birth to a formidable political force: The Republican Party

Flashback: Lost to history: Floy Clements and her historic rise to become state’s first Black female lawmaker