History

Series: Wisconsin Historical Society Press Excerpts

When The University Of Wisconsin Persecuted Gay Students

For nearly two decades after World War II, leaders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison systematically outed gay students to their families, extended harsh punishments for suspected homosexual activity and participated in harmful attempts at psychiatric treatment.

What Do All The Symbols On The Wisconsin State Flag Mean?

Audio:

Karl Christenson

Wisconsin Public Radio

Shared via

Wisconsin Life

Here's a classic joke: A miner, a sailor and a badger walk into a busy bar. Actually, it's not a bar … it's the Wisconsin state flag.

Series: Women In Wisconsin's Democracy

Wisconsin Marks Centennial Of Ratifying Women's Vote

Video:

Frederica Freyberg

PBS Wisconsin

Shared via

WPT

In 1919, Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to ratify the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. A celebration at the state Capitol 100 years later recalled that history and its legacy.

The Bygone Era Of Marshfield's Rural Taverns

Ryan Weichelt

UW-Eau Claire

In the 1960s and 1970s, several dozen rural taverns were located within a 7-mile radius from the center of the city of Marshfield. But by the end of the 20th century, more than three-fourths had closed their doors.

OWIs In Wisconsin Are Dropping, But There Are Still Tens Of Thousands Each Year

Will Cushman

WisContext

How are buzzed, drunk and high drivers held accountable for their actions in Wisconsin?

How Did Wisconsin Get Its Name?

Mary Kate McCoy

Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin's name came from the Algonquian language family — spoken by tribes in Wisconsin like the Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Mohican. But it certainly wasn't pronounced as it is today.

Series: Wisconsin's Diverse Waves Of Immigration

Series: Wisconsin Historical Society Press Excerpts

Wisconsin's Early Norwegian Press Was A Cohesive Force For Immigrants

Richard J. Fapso

When large numbers of emigrants from Norway started making their way to the United States in the mid-19th century, Wisconsin was one of the first places they settled.

Maritime Archeologist Dives Into History, Exploring Great Lake Shipwrecks

Video:

Zac Schultz

PBS Wisconsin

Tamara Thomsen is a maritime archeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society. She and her team are interested in history sunken in the Great Lakes — shipwrecks resting on the bottom, hundreds of feet below the waves.

Series: Wisconsin Historical Society Press Excerpts

What A 1977 Inferno In The North Woods Left In Its Wake

Bill Matthias

The drought-parched spring of 1977 was a particularly dangerous season of wildfire, with a trio of big burns in west-central Wisconsin and the Five Mile Tower Fire in the state's northwest corner.

What Does Manitowoc Have To Do With The Planet's Growing Space Junk Problem?

Hayley Sperling

WisContext

Humankind never fails to succeed in producing trash. And this propensity toward pollution is extending beyond Earth's confines.