History

Lifesaving Medal For The Rescue Of The Tanner

Audio:

Wisconsin Public Radio

This lifesaving medal was awarded to one of the volunteers involved in saving the sailors aboard the a three-masted ship foundering near Milwaukee in 1875.

Wisconsin's Remaining Effigy Mounds Are The Tip Of A Historical Iceberg

Scott Gordon

WisContext

The ways in which contemporary Wisconsinites interpret and value the state's ancient effigy mounds continue to evolve.

Sauk City's Plastics Recycling Pioneer

Audio:

Erika Janik

Wisconsin Public Radio

In 1979, Milly Zantow and friend Jenny Ehl cashed in their life insurance policies and bought a commercial plastics grinder for $5,000 to start E-Z Recycling.

Wisconsin Company Helps Pioneer Workplace Safety

Audio:

Erika Janik

Wisconsin Public Radio

Employers Mutual was founded in Wausau in 1911 shortly after the nation's first workers compensation law was passed in Wisconsin.

From Bauhaus To This Old House: Reviving Historic Buildings In Central Wisconsin

Scott Gordon

WisContext

As many smaller Wisconsin communities face declining population and changing economic realities, people across the state are seeking opportunities for renewal.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: Wisconsin Ag And Global Trade

The Origins Of Wisconsin's Kerrygold Underground

Scott Gordon

WisContext

At least one Wisconsinite drives to Nebraska and back to buy Ireland's most famous non-alcoholic export: grass-fed Kerrygold butter. Fans can't buy this product in Wisconsin because a state law enacted in the 1970s.

Series: Local Food Science

Clean Hop Program Seeks To Beat Disease And Better Bitter Beer

Kristian Knutsen

WisContext

The flowering of craft beer over the past decade was accompanied and aided by an arms race to scale new heights of bitter flavors.

Series: Wisconsin's Diverse Waves Of Immigration

Ethnic And Racial Diversity Are An Ever-Changing Reality In Wisconsin

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Few people would consider Wisconsin an ethnically diverse state, unless they're considering various strains of European ancestry. That is factually correct, but Wisconsin has seen many waves of change over the years.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

The Same River Twice: Getting Voter Poll Questions Right

Kristin Runge

UW-Extension

In 1948, four national polling firms infamously predicted that Thomas Dewey would win the presidential election by a comfortable 5 to 15 percentage points rather than the 4.4 percentage point victory won by President Harry Truman. This error brought the young polling industry to its knees.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

The Same River Twice: Election Polling Challenged By Accurate Sampling

Kristin Runge

UW-Extension

The 2016 presidential election results took many people of all political stripes by surprise. It will be a while before it is fully understood why figures released by many reputable state and national polls were off, some by a wide margin. Until then, history may offer some potential explanations.