Radio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts

Search Radio and Podcast

Podcasts›Curious City›Why does Chicago use Comic Sans on some elevator inspection certificates?

Arts

Why does Chicago use Comic Sans on some elevator inspection certificates?

Curious City by WBEZ Chicago

Jun 3, 202600:15:54Arts

Comic Sans often signals levity or sarcasm. The font is occasionally used for a key phrase in some official city elevator inspection certificates. That’s caused concern for some Chicagoans, including at least two Curious...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Curious City.

Industrial jobs left Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Why did it hit these cities differently?

Sep 30, 2026 - 21:34

For over a century, the Midwest had been defined by what we made, including cars, steel, and beer. But du...

Chicago, Milwaukee or Detroit: Which city has the best encased meats?

Sep 23, 2026 - 19:31

In Chicago, it’s the Chicago dog. In Milwaukee, the bratwurst. In Detroit, the Coney dog. Each is a littl...

How Ella Jenkins’ Chicago childhood shaped her iconic children’s music

Sep 16, 2026 - 22:38

From school assemblies to “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” Ella Jenkins was a rhythm specialist and children’s...

Did Chicago invent the rage room? A look inside “the Frustration Room”

Sep 9, 2026 - 21:03

The Frustration Room appeared in a Chicago motel in 1962 and offered visitors the opportunity to smash ob...

How did a native Chicago plant disappear forever?

Sep 2, 2026 - 18:15

Thismia americana enjoys near-cult-status among Chicago botanists, ecologists and plant enthusiasts. The...

Why is the island in Washington Park behind a locked gate?

Aug 26, 2026 - 15:52

Bynum Island was once a gem in Chicago’s Washington Park, but now it’s abandoned, overgrown and inaccessi...

School lunch used to ace the test

Aug 19, 2026 - 18:52

Former Chicago Public Schools students say school lunch used to be delicious decades ago. That comes as a...

Shipwrecks, mussels and sponges: Chicago is a scuba diving destination

Aug 12, 2026 - 22:01

One of the world’s largest scuba organizations was founded in the Chicago suburbs by Portage Park pool sw...