Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1507: Lighter Than Air
Episode: 1507 Rediscovering lighter-than-air flight. Today, do you suppose you'll ever get to ride in a dirigible?
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engnines of Our Ingenuity 1506: The First Mechanical Clocks
Episode: 1506 The invisible invention of the clock. Today, we look for the first mechanical clock.
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1503: New Women Fliers
Episode: 1503 The second generation of women fliers comes to maturity. Today, a new generation of women fliers.
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1502: The Temptress Moon
Episode: 1502 In which the temptress Moon leads calendar-makers astray. Today, the moon deceives us.
Curious City - ‘It felt like a secret’: Remembering Chicago’s Berlin nightclub
Berlin nightclub in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood closed permanently in November 2023, after four decades in business. The closure happened amid stalled negotiations between the bar’s owners and its unionizing employees. Today, the space remains empty, and it’s unclear what will take its place.
In our last episode, Curious City looked into a mural that was a staple at Berlin for much of its existence. Today, we revisit an episode of WBEZ’s The Rundown podcast from just after the club closed. In asking some of the people who worked there, danced there and made memories there, it’s obvious that Berlin was more than just a bar.
“It felt like a secret almost,” said All The Way Kay, who DJed at Berlin for over 15 years. “It felt like something that you wanted to hold very, very close to you because spaces like that really don't exist.”
We talked with Kay, queer historian Owen Keehnen, DJ Greg Haus and several listeners who called The Rundown podcast to share what Berlin meant to them and what they hope for the future.
Bay Curious - How Tiny Homes Once Housed Thousands in San Francisco
After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, thousands of San Franciscans were homeless. City leaders needed them to stay in the city to help rebuild, so they built tiny homes and set up villages in neighborhood parks. These earthquake cottages gave many people their first shot at homeownership and helped the city recover. You can still find a few of them dotted around the city if you know what to look for.
Additional Resources:
- San Francisco's Historic 'Relief Cottages,' Built After the 1906 Earthquake, Are Hidden in Plain Sight
- Read the transcript for this episode
- Stunning Archival Photos of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire
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- Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest
- Got a question you want answered? Ask!
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This story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Gabriela Glueck, Christopher Beale and Katrina Schwartz. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2038: Leap Second
Episode: 2038 Putting a leap second in an elastic year. Today, we add a second to our lives.
Curious City - What’s the story behind Berlin nightclub’s huge mural?
The large mural hung over the main bar at Berlin. Painted in the Art Deco style, the masculine and feminine figures in the painting watched over the nightly revelry at the storied nightclub until it closed in 2023.
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2566: Champagne
Episode: 2566 Taking Champagne to the Masses. Today, we pop the cork.
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2364: The Longest Year in History
Episode: 2364 46 BC: In which Julius Caesar creates the longest year. Today, UH scholar Richard Armstrong tells us about the longest year in history.