It’s History

Wacker Drive is a multilevel street in Chicago’s Loop, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River. Most of it is double-decked: the upper level for local traffic and the lower for through traffic and trucks serving buildings (originally a dock). Considered a precursor to the modern freeway, it was designed with pleasure vehicles on the upper level. It’s the only street in Chicago prefixed with all four cardinal directions on different segments. Named for city planner Charles H. Wacker, its tiers are known as Upper Wacker Drive and Lower Wacker Drive; a short section adds a third tier, often called Lower Lower (or Sub Lower) Wacker Drive.

#Chicago #WackerDrive #LowerWacker #ChicagoRiver #UrbanPlanning #Infrastructure
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A concise history of New York City’s Croton Distributing Reservoir, the mid-19th-century engineering project that brought clean drinking water to the city. Built on Murray Hill with a capacity of about 100 million gallons, it required major excavation and the transport of massive stone blocks from distant quarries, including in New Jersey. The video examines its impact on firefighting, industrial growth, and public health during events like the mid-19th-century cholera epidemic, its connection to the devastating 1835 fire, its demolition to make way for New York’s library, and what remains at the site today.

Chapters:
- 02:09 – New York’s first major source of fresh water: the Collect Pond
- 03:18 – Why the Croton Aqueduct needed a reservoir
- 05:49 – The role of 5th Avenue in early New York waterworks
- 08:40 – Construction of the Croton Distributing Reservoir
- 11:08 – How the reservoir transformed New York’s water infrastructure
- 12:22 – Demolition of the reservoir
- 12:57 – Making way for New York’s library
- 14:04 – What remains of the reservoir today

#CrotonAqueduct #NYCHistory #UrbanInfrastructure
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In autumn 2022, the Mississippi River fell to extraordinary lows: near Memphis, Civil War shipwrecks resurfaced with intact artifacts; at Baton Rouge, a steamboat hull last seen in 1915 was exposed; and saltwater from the Gulf advanced roughly 60 miles upstream, contaminating drinking water. The river didn’t run dry, but the conditions were unprecedented by historical standards.

This episode traces these events to engineering decisions after the catastrophic 1927 flood, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used levees and artificial cutoffs that shortened the river by about 170 miles. While effective for flood control, the faster, straighter river—lacking floodplains and natural reserves—proved vulnerable in drought, contributing to the record lows of 2022 and 2023.

#ItsHistory #MississippiRiver #AmericanHistory
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Did you know that Chicago's Merchandise Mart has its own zip code? Opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, spanning 4 million square feet. Its significance led to a dedicated L stop and a connection to a now-abandoned 60 miles of underground freight tunnels.

Merchandise Mart was built above a massive train yard, facilitating freight train deliveries in the heart of Chicago for many decades. This near-century-old art deco masterpiece, located on the banks of the Chicago River, serves around 20,000 people daily.

Video Highlights:
- Importance of Merchandise Mart’s land to Chicago trade
- Construction and size of Merchandise Mart
- Grand opening details
- Merchandise Mart as a "city within a city"
- Tour of Merchandise Mart
- History of radio broadcast at Merchandise Mart
- The Merchandise Mart train station
- Fate of the Merchandise Mart’s rail freight yard
- Features of Merchandise Mart’s basement
- Connection to Chicago freight tunnels
- Link to the Chicago Flood and its impact on Merchandise Mart
- Transformation of the Chicago Loop due to Merchandise Mart

#ITSHISTORY #MerchandiseMart #ChicagoHistory
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In this episode of It’s History, we explore the story behind the Lincoln Tunnel, one of the busiest vehicular tunnels in the world, connecting New York to New Jersey. The tunnel sees over 100,000 cars daily and around 21 million annually.

Topics covered include:
- Inspiration from the Holland Tunnel
- Proposed underwater tunnels
- Financial struggles and funding methods
- Engineering feats involved in its construction
- Ventilation system and significant events in its history

#LincolnTunnel #HollandTunnel #UrbanHistory #ItsHistory
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