PLAY PODCASTS
Curious City

Curious City

Ask questions, vote and discover answers about Chicago, the region and its people. From WBEZ.

WBEZ Chicago

662 episodesEN-US

Show overview

Curious City has been publishing since 2012, and across the 14 years since has built a catalogue of 662 episodes. That works out to roughly 140 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.

Episodes typically run ten to twenty minutes — most land between 8 min and 17 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Arts show.

The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 39 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 87 episodes published. Published by WBEZ Chicago.

Episodes
662
Running
2012–2026 · 14y
Median length
13 min
Cadence
Weekly

From the publisher

Ask questions, vote and discover answers about Chicago, the region and its people. From WBEZ.

Latest Episodes

View all 662 episodes

School lunch used to ace the test

Aug 19, 202618 min

Shipwrecks, mussels and sponges: Chicago is a scuba diving destination

Aug 12, 202622 min

Chicago has many block club signs. What are block clubs and what do they do?

Aug 5, 202617 min

“Like getting paid to party”: The life of cover bands on the Chicago festival circuit

Jul 29, 202620 min

Is that a lobster in the Chicago River?

Jul 22, 202614 min

‘Give while you live’: Who is Museum of Science and Industry founder Julius Rosenwald?

Jul 15, 202616 min

A good lake, not a Great Lake

Jul 8, 202621 min

Why does Chicago have so little love for the ‘Watchdog’ of the lakefront?

Jul 1, 202625 min

Is This Your Card? A Brief History Of Chicago-style Magic

Jun 24, 202622 min

Where did the term 'Chicagoland' come from?

Jun 17, 202615 min

How did Hollywood Beach become Chicago’s ‘gay beach’?

Jun 10, 202619 min

Why does Chicago use Comic Sans on some elevator inspection certificates?

Jun 3, 202615 min

Does Chicago have a Filipino neighborhood?

May 27, 202622 min

Why are there helicopters flying over my neighborhood every night?

May 20, 202619 min

Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo?

May 13, 202630 min

Standing on history: Who built Chicago’s WPA sidewalks?

May 6, 202617 min

‘This is how I speak’: The influence of the Black Chicago accent

Apr 23, 202618 min

How has the Black Chicago accent retained its Southern roots?

Apr 22, 20266 min

The story of the Lady Elgin, the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history

Apr 9, 202615 min

What are Chicago area lighthouses used for?

Apr 8, 20266 min
Copyright 2015 Chicago Public Media