Curious City - Can Anyone Propose Legislation To City Council?

Little-known fact: in Chicago, you don’t need to be an elected official to propose legislation to City Council. But does this process really work? Has anyone ever done it? WBEZ city politics reporter Claudia Morell investigates. Along the way she speaks to a former governor and a cab driver who have tested it out for themselves.

Everything Everywhere Daily - The Leaning Tower of Pisa

In 1173, the Italian city of Pisa was on top of the world. They were a significant commercial power in Italy, commanded a sizable Mediterranean fleet, and wanted to demonstrate their power to the world. It had built a marvelous cathedral, and comparable baptistry and they decided to complete the complex by building a bell tower. However, that didn’t quite go as planned. Learn more about the Leaning Tower of Pisa on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Genie The Feral Child

In October 1970, a blind woman accidentally walked into a Los Angeles County welfare office with a child in tow. The staff in the office immediately noticed the odd girl with the woman. She walked funny, was emaciated, drooling, didn’t make a sound, and when asked, the woman mentioned that the girl was 13. The staff thought she looked like she was seven. This began one of the saddest cases of child welfare in history, and one which fascinated researchers for years.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Queen Isabella I of Castile

She was never intended to be a queen. She wasn’t the firstborn and the rules of the time didn’t support her as a woman. Yet through cunning and guile, she managed to take power. As a queen, she was at the center of many of the most significant and notorious events in European history, and she was largely responsible for the creation of the country which became Spain. Learn more about Isabella I of Castille and how she influenced the history of Europe on this episode of Everything Everywhere Dail

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The Battle of Thermopylae

In the year 480 BC, one of the most famous battles in history took place on the shore of the Malian Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Several thousand Greeks held back several hundred thousand Persians, in a battle which is still remembered 2,500 years later. While the Greeks lost the battle, they did ultimately win the war. Learn more about the Battle of Thermopylae and the 300 hundred Spartans, on the 300th episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - May Day

Every year of May 1st, people all around the northern hemisphere celebrate the arrival of spring. A day we call May Day. But it is also the day that communist countries held military parades, and the Soviets would show off all of their military strength in public. Mayday is also the international distress signal for radio. How are these very different things all related? Learn more about May Day on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - The Mount Tambora Eruption

In 1815, one of the most catastrophic and deadly events in recorded human history occurred in Indonesia. A volcanic explosion took place which was larger than anything, any human had ever witnessed in over 10,000 years. The total death toll from the event might have been as high as a quarter-million people. Learn more about the Mount Tambora explosion on this Episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - J. Harlen Bretz: Proving Theories Via Outliving Your Critics

Many people have an idealized view of how science works. They think that someone makes a discovery or publishes a paper, then everyone acknowledges their discovery, and everyone moves on to the next thing. Science! However, that isn’t quite how things work in reality. The real advancement of science can be quite messy. One man learned this the hard way. Learn more about J Harlen Bretz and how he changed a scientific discipline through determination and longevity.

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Bay Curious - Marin Was Once Armed With Nuclear Missiles, Luckily They Were Never Deployed

Bay Curious listener Chris Johanson wants to know whether the Nike Missile site in the Marin Headlands ever housed nuclear weapons. It's true. Veterans say the Cold War missile batteries that ringed the Bay Area housed warheads that more than equaled the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs combined.

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Reported by Craig Miller. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Curious City - Who Tolls The Bells In Chicago?

If you hear church bells ring in the Chicago-area, it’s likely they’re automated. Some bell systems are pneumatic or electronic. Others pipe digital hymns through amplifiers. But do real people ever ring real bells? That’s the question we’re exploring in this week’s episode. And the answer is yes! We head to five different spots, each with its own sound, unique history and distinct community.