Episode 92 of Questioning Everything, Open Lines Friday. Jake opened with a tribute to Bears legend Mike Ditka, then announced that the Atlas paperback is officially out and explained the new subscriber book giveaway. He read the first Dear Dreamer letter: Jim from Buffalo asked about Lake Erie beach glass and the granite breakwalls in every big Great Lakes city.
From there the night went into the October 8, 1871 fires (Chicago, Peshtigo, Manistee, Holland and more), the O'Leary cow story vs. the comet theory, and fire photos showing very little fire damage. Chat questions covered buried windows vs. street raising, old books, the horse-and-cart "elites" in the ruins, Lost History, the World's Fair human zoos, Judy Garland's strange Galveston line, and palaces that were supposedly temporary, like Festival Hall.
Coming up: Jake is on Luminary Lighthouse with Chris & Logan, and Peter Forhan returns next Friday with live demos.
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⏱️ KEY MOMENTS
0:00 Welcome to Open Lines Friday
0:58 Tribute to Mike Ditka
2:27 Atlas paperback launch + concert tees
5:31 Coming up: Peter Forhan, Luminary Lighthouse
9:20 Beginner tips: finding mud flood in your town
10:29 Dear Dreamer: Jim's lake glass & breakwalls
15:15 Shoutouts + book giveaway
18:08 Peshtigo & the October 8, 1871 fires
29:02 Community drama & staying neutral
33:13 Mrs. O'Leary's cow vs. the comet theory
36:04 Chat Q&A: Hancock, Soldier Field, tech
46:06 Buried windows or street raising?
50:12 Read real old books
53:52 Horse & carts and clean suits in the ruins
59:28 Lost History & city walk-alongs
1:06:19 Broken clocks & World's Fair human zoos
1:10:37 Temporary palaces & the first Ferris wheel
1:14:15 Judy Garland & the Galveston flood
1:21:46 Festival Hall: a plaster waterfall?
1:32:24 Wrap-up & what's next
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