The first location, at 1855 W. Madison St., was opened in 1934 when William "Billy Goat" Sianis bought the Lincoln Tavern, near Chicago Stadium, for $205 with a bounced check (the proceeds from the first weekend they were open were used to fulfill the payment).
 When the 1944 Republican National Convention came to town, he posted a sign saying "No Republicans allowed," causing the place to be packed with Republicans demanding service.
 This resulted in publicity, which Sianis used to his advantage.

In 1964, the original tavern moved to 430 N. Michigan Ave.,
which is actually below Michigan Avenue, made possible by Chicago's network of multilevel streets in that vicinity.
Being situated between the offices of the Chicago Tribune and the old Chicago Sun-Times building led to the tavern's mention in several regular newspaper columns, particularly those of Mike Royko.

In 1970, Sianis petitioned then mayor of Chicago Richard J. Daley to issue him the first liquor license for the moon.
 His hope, according to the comedic letter that currently adorns the establishment's wall, was to best serve his country by serving delicious cheeseburgers to wayfaring astronauts as well as raising moon-goats.
Sianis died in October 1970.

On New Year's Eve 2005, the tavern held a farewell party for the City News Service, successor to the City News Bureau of Chicago, whose reporters were a fixture at the Billy Goat for decades.
A small sign commemorating America's first news agency still hangs near the northwest wall.

In 2010, Illinois's Republican junior U.S. Senator-elect Representative Mark Kirk met with his defeated Democratic opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, for 20 minutes at the Chicago tavern following the bitter campaign and a tight election, where both sides had made each other's missteps very public.
The first location, at 1855 W. Madison St., was opened in 1934 when William "Billy Goat" Sianis bought the Lincoln Tavern, near Chicago Stadium, for $205 with a bounced check (the proceeds from the first weekend they were open were used to fulfill the payment).  When the 1944 Republican National Convention came to town, he posted a sign saying "No Republicans allowed," causing the place to be packed with Republicans demanding service.  This resulted in publicity, which Sianis used to his advantage.
In 1964, the original tavern moved to 430 N. Michigan Ave., which is actually below Michigan Avenue, made possible by Chicago's network of multilevel streets in that vicinity. Being situated between the offices of the Chicago Tribune and the old Chicago Sun-Times building led to the tavern's mention in several regular newspaper columns, particularly those of Mike Royko.
In 1970, Sianis petitioned then mayor of Chicago Richard J. Daley to issue him the first liquor license for the moon.  His hope, according to the comedic letter that currently adorns the establishment's wall, was to best serve his country by serving delicious cheeseburgers to wayfaring astronauts as well as raising moon-goats. Sianis died in October 1970.
On New Year's Eve 2005, the tavern held a farewell party for the City News Service, successor to the City News Bureau of Chicago, whose reporters were a fixture at the Billy Goat for decades. A small sign commemorating America's first news agency still hangs near the northwest wall.
In 2010, Illinois's Republican junior U.S. Senator-elect Representative Mark Kirk met with his defeated Democratic opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, for 20 minutes at the Chicago tavern following the bitter campaign and a tight election, where both sides had made each other's missteps very public.
Billy Goat Tavern