55: Big Jim O’Leary and Mark Twain vs USPS

This week we learn how the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 gave birth to the city's most honest gambler and how Mark Twain's feud with the United States Postal Service lasted a lifetime. A listener email tells us the story of Mike the Headless Chicken. Episode Tabs: The Irish American Gangster Whose Family Rose from Chicago's Ashes https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/big-jim-oleary-chicago-crime-boss Mark Twain Had a Lifelong Feud with the United States Postal Service https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mark-twain-had-a-lifelong-feud-with-the-united-states-postal-service Listener Tabs: How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31374512-how-to-tame-a-fox-and-build-a-dog Mike the Headless Chicken https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken Email your closed tab submissions to: [email protected] Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs 500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7 Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7a SUPPORT THE SHOW and get 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabs See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.