Before Madison Avenue, there was Chicago. At the turn of the 20th century, a remarkable confluence of immigrant entrepreneurs, creative mavericks, and freedom-seeking African Americans transformed the way America eats, shops, and thinks, and this documentary tells that story with wit, insight, and no small amount of nostalgia.

The City That Sold America reveals how Chicago gave the world fast food chains, soap operas, late night talk shows, Kleenex, and toothpaste, along with beloved icons like Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, and the Pillsbury Doughboy. It also uncovers the origins of product placement, market research, and conscious branding, practices that still shape our daily lives today. A fascinating look at the city that quietly changed everything, and the bold, inventive people who made it happen. This free program is open to the public. It is approximately 68 minutes, rated PG and made possible through Kanopy.