History

Series: The Flu And Wisconsin's Public Health

What Made The Great Flu Pandemic Of 1918 So Momentous

PBS Wisconsin

When a new and dangerous respiratory disease started racing around the globe in early 2020, it had been just over a century since humankind endured the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Series: The Novel Coronavirus, COVID-19 And Wisconsin: March 2020

Here's What Wisconsin Health Departments Consider Before Releasing Details On Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

Audio:

Megan Hart

Wisconsin Public Radio

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WPR

Protecting patient privacy and preventing complacency are both important when it comes to slowing the spread of coronavirus in Wisconsin. That's why you may not be able to find out many details on the confirmed cases in your area.

The Traditions And Transformation Of Maple Sugaring

Will Cushman

WisContext

No matter how methods have changed over the ages, a lot of time and energy go into transforming the springtime sap flows of maple trees into sweet, sugary syrup.

The Early History Of African Americans In Beloit

Audio:

Rob Ferrett

Wisconsin Public Radio

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WPR

Many of the first African Americans to live in the Beloit moved there as part of the Great Migration in the early decades of the 20th century. Blackhawk Technical College academic advisor and local historian Linda Fair discusses this history of the city.

The Great Migration And Beloit's African American Heritage

Will Cushman

WisContext

Beloit stands out in Wisconsin. It's a small city — home to fewer than 40,000 people — with a relatively large African American community.

Ice Harvesters Keep A 19th-Century Tradition Alive, One Block At A Time

Audio:

Rob Mentzer

Wisconsin Public Radio

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Wisconsin Life

Ice harvesting is a mostly forgotten trade. But for one day in January, volunteers with central Wisconsin's Historic Point Basse gave it a try.

Ho-Chunk Nation Opens Long-Awaited Museum Celebrating Its Culture, History

Elizabeth Dohms-Harter

Wisconsin Public Radio

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WPR

Brian Decorah had something to share. He walked into the Ho-Chunk Museum and Cultural Center and handed a program from 1942 of a Native American ceremony in the Wisconsin Dells to museum director Josie Lee.

Series: Renewable Energy In Wisconsin

The Circuitous Path Toward Affordable Solar Energy

Will Cushman

WisContext

Solar energy is cheaper, more efficient and more widely available than ever, but its viability was never assured. Technologies that enable the conversion of sunlight into usable electricity are the products of an uncoordinated, decades-long series of events that followed a circuitous and halting path

The History Of Ice Harvesting In Wisconsin

Audio:

Kealey Bultena

Wisconsin Public Radio

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WPR

When temperatures get cold in Wisconsin, that means the state's lakes start freezing over. Local historian Ann Waidelich shares the history behind ice harvesting - a big Wisconsin industry from yesteryear that relied on ice from the state's frozen lakes every winter.

Peddling A Paper City: How Madison Became Wisconsin's Capital

Audio:

John K. Wilson

Wisconsin Public Radio

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Wisconsin Life

The Wisconsin State Capitol is the center of state government and the center of Madison, with streets and avenues converging from every direction at the Capitol Square. But how did that particular spot become one of the most important places in the state?