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🎤📚 Chicago Misconceptions: Snake Oil Cocaine & Medical Myths |CFC Winter Lecture Series🍸

Unfair stereotypes, urban legends, and dubious assumptions of Chicago's past

Join us for the Third lecture of the season, debunking medical myths, miracle cures, and misunderstood doctors in Chicago history. Lecture by historian & Rush University Medical Center archivist Nathalie Wheaton

THIRD LECTURE OF THE SEASON!
Lecture by Nathalie Wheaton
📅 Tuesday, January 20, 2026

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🚨 REGISTRATION REQUIRED — READ FIRST
You MUST register outside of Meetup on Eventbrite to attend the live, in-person lecture.

This event is FREE, but registration is required to enter the speakeasy area for the lecture.
🗓 Registration opens: Tuesday, 1/06/26 at 9:00 AM (set reminder)
⚠️ Space is limited — register ASAP
👉 Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-misconceptions-snake-oil-cocaine-medical-myths-registration-1975056987617

If registration is full:
• Join the Eventbrite waitlist — people cancel and waitlist guests DO get in
Walk-ins are allowed, space permitting
NEW, BIGGER VENUE — but it still fills up fast!

****IMPORTANT!! PLEASE NOTE THAT TICKETS FOR THE EVENT ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT EVERYONE SETS A REMINDER TO REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026, AT 9 AM. RSVPING ON MEETUP DOES NOT SECURE YOUR SPOT. YOU MUST GO BACK AND REGISTER ON THE 23RD VIA THE EVENTBRITE LINK TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE.****

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🕕 ⏰TIMING & ENTRY DETAILS (VERY IMPORTANT)
Meetup group meets at 6:00 PM
Doors open at 6:30 PM
Registered ticket holders admitted first
Walk-ins may enter starting at 7:00 PM, space permitting
Lecture begins promptly at 7:10 PM
➡️ If you are not registered, arrive close to 7:00 PM and be flexible.

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📍 Venue
Bad Apple Lincoln Park
658 W Belden Ave · Chicago
Historic, handicap accessible, with great food & cocktails
🍔 YES — food is available during the lecture
✔ Separate checks allowed
✔ More seating than past venues
✔ Food is excellent
https://www.badapplebar.com/the-bad-apple-lincoln-park

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🏙️ About the Series
Chicago for Chicagoans returns for their 9th Winter Speakeasy Lecture Series, designed to teach Chicago residents about the history of their own city.

Hosted at Bad Apple Lincoln Park, these pay-what-you-can events spark discussion about Chicago’s past — and how it continues to shape our future.

📅 NOW ON TUESDAY EVENINGS!

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🔍 This Year’s Theme: MISCONCEPTIONS
This season explores the unfair stereotypes, urban legends, and dubious assumptions surrounding Chicago’s past.

Each week features a different local Chicago historian & expert for 12 one-of-a-kind evenings of:
• Legendary tall tales
• Corrected mischaracterizations
• Disproven myths
• Lively discussion + tasty cocktails
Attend in person or watch the recorded lectures online afterward.

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📚 THIS WEEK’S LECTURE — 01/20/26
Will cocaine cure the ghosts in your blood? Let's unpack history's questionable medical practices, examine the misconception that yesteryear's physicians and surgeons were clueless old white guys, and discover how Chicago became a respected center for health research, patient care, and integrated medical practice. Lecture by historian & Rush University Medical Center archivist Nathalie Wheaton

🎤 Lecture by Rush University Medical Center archivist Nathalie Wheaton
Registration opens 1/6/26!

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👩‍🏫 About the Speaker: Nathalie Wheaton
Nathalie Wheaton has served as the archivist of Rush University Medical Center and Rush University since 2014, and, previously, as assistant archivist. As part of Kenamore & Klinkow, LLC, an independent archives consulting firm, she helped establish and manage the archives of UL (Underwriters Laboratories) in Northbrook, Ill., before returning to Rush. Nathalie is the long-time moderator of the Chicago Area Medical Archivists and serves on the Parents and Caregivers Advisory Board of Trans Up Front IL; the board of the Mount Prospect Historical Society; the Illinois Medical District Commission's Arts, Culture, and Events Council; and the Rush University Staff Council. Nathalie earned her MSLS degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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🌐 Learn More & Watch Recordings
Chicago for Chicagoans:
http://www.chicagoforchicagoans.org/
Effing Chicago:
http://effingchicago.com/

🎥 Recordings posted the following Thursday:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChicagoforChicagoans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagoforchicagoans/videos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicagoforchicagoans

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💛 Support the Nonprofit
Chicago for Chicagoans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Tax-deductible donations:
http://www.chicagoforchicagoans.org/donate.html

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🚇 Getting There
Public transit:
Google Maps or CTA Trip Planner
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/

🚗 Parking:
• Metered parking on Lincoln, Fullerton & Halsted
• Some free side-street parking (watch signs)
• SpotHero lot directly across the street

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⚠️ NO-SHOW POLICY (PLEASE READ)
3 no-shows without updating RSVP = 3-month event freeze
• RSVP cut-off = event start time
• If late, message the host directly
• Failure to check in counts as a no-show
• Continued no-shows may result in removal from the group

AI summary

By Meetup

An in-person lecture for Chicago residents debunking medical myths in Chicago history; attendees will learn how dubious cures shaped medical practice.

Related topics

Events in Chicago, IL
Chicago
Lectures
History
Fun Times
Social

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