Friday 3/19 – Thursday 3/25
20 SATURDAY Legend has it the Mongol called Temujin was born clutching a blood clot, a sign of auspicious fortune. Dubbed Genghis Khan by his quivering minions, the man with a mesmerizing fire in his eyes and an uncanny ability to inspire intense loyalty united the perpetually feuding Mongol clans and created an empire stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Yet popular opinion still characterizes him as an anomalous barbaric scourge instead of the political and strategic genius he was. Last year photographer Jane Downton of the DePaul Geographical Society followed the emperor’s 12th-century central Asian conquests through Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Korea. Her slide lecture, In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan, will emphasize the life and landscape of the modern Mongols still living in these lands. It starts at 1:30 in room 154 of DePaul University’s Schmitt Academic Center, 2320 N. Kenmore. Admission is $2, $1 for students, and $1.50 for seniors; call 773-325-7871.
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25 THURSDAY With the impending destruction of historic treasures like the Medinah Temple and the Tree Studios and the widespread erection of penal-style condominiums, the city is hurtling toward the banal-compulsive. But there are enclaves like the Pullman Historic District, where our betters reward a healthy respect for history by waiving construction-permit fees and freezing property taxes. Tonight the Historic Pullman Foundation is hosting a Living in an Historic District Expo, which will explain the hows and whys of living in the past. It starts at 7 at the Hotel Florence, 11111 S. Forrestville, and it’s free. Call 773-785-3828.
