This dynamic film presentation in our newly renovated theater transports visitors through major events in Chicago’s history. Feel the intensity of the Great Chicago Fire and splendor of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Explore the sights of bustling Maxwell Street in the 1950s and peer down from an I-beam of the Sears Tower in the 1970s. Relive Chicago sports victories and cheer on President Obama during his Grant Park victory speech.

The film runs 27 minutes.

Modified screening times:

• Saturday, December 24: Final screening is at 2:00 p.m. due to holiday hours.
• Sunday, December 25: Museum closed for the holiday.
• Saturday, December 31: Final screening is at 2:00 p.m. due to holiday hours.
• Sunday, January 1: Museum closed for the holiday.
• Sunday, January 15: No screenings due to a private event.
• Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Screenings at 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. due to special programming.
• Wednesday, January 18: Museum closed to the public for staff institute day.
• Tuesday, January 24: Final screening is at 2:30 p.m. due to a private event.
• Friday, January 27: Final screening is at 1:30 p.m. due to a private event.
• Tuesday, January 31: Final screening is at 2:30 p.m. due to a private event.

The theater renovation and film presentation are generously supported by a major grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Additional support provided by ComEd; the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources Public Museum Capital Grant Program; The Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; and Shure.