NHD 2017: CMHEC Topic Ideas – Urban Planning, Housing, Architecture, Environment

Last Updated on October 11, 2020

These curated resource lists coincide with the order of the topic ideas listed in the Chicago Metro History Fair (formerly CMHEC) NHD 2017 theme-related topic ideas. The links lead to resources from the Primary Source Nexus and the Library of Congress (LOC.gov) unless otherwise noted. Note: U.S. historic newspaper coverage is from 1789-1922 unless otherwise noted.

Burnham and the City Beautiful

• Today in History: Daniel Burnham background & primary sources
• Featured Source: 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
• World’s Fair Columbian Exposition primary sources

Public Utilities, Not Private! electricity and gas

• Chicago Gas Light: select newspaper articles from the New York Journal (1896-98)
• More Chicago Gas Light and Coke Company historic newspaper coverage
• People’s Gas Light and Coke Company historic newspaper coverage
• Samuel Insull historic newspaper coverage from the New York Journal (1891-99)
• Chicago Edison: select newspaper articles from the New York Journal (1898-99) and the New York Herald (1906)
• More Chicago Edison historic newspaper coverage
• Commonwealth Edison historic newspaper coverage
• Public utilities historic newspaper coverage
• Gas and Electricity Encyclopedia of Chicago
• Regulation – Public Vs. Private Power Frontline PBS
• Regulation as a Contract: The Origin of the Illinois Public Utilities Commission The Cliometric Society
• Public Utilities Act Illinois General Assembly

Saving Sullivan: Richard Nickel

• Richard Nickel primary source set
• The Richard Nickel Story WTTW PBS
• In ‘Nickel’s Chicago,’ a Lost City’s Lost Champion NPR
• Today in History: Louis H. Sullivan

Look at the Urban League (need to narrow)

The Parks and Playground Movement

• Chicago parks primary source set
• Chicago playgrounds primary source set
• McKinley Park photos
• Chicago South Park Commission historic newspaper coverage
• Playground Movement Encyclopedia of Chicago
• Today in History: Daniel Burnham
• Today in History: Frederick Law Olmsted

Frank Lloyd Wright

Rules of the Roads—The Introduction of Automobiles into the City

• Streets and Highways Encyclopedia of Chicago
• Chicago automobile images 1894-1919
• Chicago automobile laws: historic newspaper articles 1905-1915
• Chicago’s Highways, Old and New, from Indian Trail to Motor Road Internet archive

Mary McDowell

• Mary McDowell primary source set
• Mary McDowell (Chicago) historic newspaper coverage
• Mary McDowell and Chicago Settlement Houses Encyclopedia of Chicago
• Woman’s Christian Temperance Union primary source set
• Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (Chicago) historic newspaper coverage
• Women’s Trade Union League primary source set
• Women’s Trade Union League (Chicago) historic newspaper coverage

More NHD 2017 CMHEC topic ideas (Illinois / Chicago focus)

NHD 2017 topic ideas (U.S., European, & World History)

NHD 2017: Selecting a Topic for a History Project