Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo? episode artwork

EPISODE · May 13, 2026 · 30 MIN

Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo?

from Curious City · host WBEZ Chicago

There’s an ancient Roman column in Chicago hidden in plain sight near Soldier Field. It was a gift given by Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair, commemorating a daring transatlantic flight to the fair by Italian Air Marshal Italo Balbo. In a time when controversial monuments get removed, why does this one still stand?Written sources: “Italo Balbo: A Fascist Life” by Claudio Segré “Broken Icarus: The 1933 Chicago World's Fair, the Golden Age of Aviation, and the Rise of Fascism” by David Hanna “Genocide in Libya: Shar, a Hidden Colonial History” by Ali Abdullatif Ahmida “Italo Balbo's Flight to the 1933 Chicago World's Fair” by Don Fiore “The meaning of monuments : Remembering Italo Balbo in Italy and the United States” by Nick Carter “Italian Colonialism” edited by Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Mia Fuller

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 13, 2026

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Why does Chicago have a monument named for fascist leader Italo Balbo?

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