In 1961 Chicagoan Ted Erikson is a 33 year-old chemist who swims as a hobby.

What possessed him to attempt to become one of the first to swim across Lake Michigan?  Larry Potash digs into this little-known story through the eyes of Ted’s widow.

Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on WGN, or stream it anytime on the WGN+ app on your smart TV with Amazon Fire, Roku, and Apple TV.

Check out the Backstory podcast at WGNtv.com/Backstory via Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.