State History
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4 of the most iconic foods invented in Wisconsin
Since joining the US as the 30th state in 1848, America’s Dairyland has brought to the table a cuisine strongly influenced by its German and Scandinavian heritage. Here are four of our most iconic food creations.
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School, suffrage, and… seatbelts? Wisconsin’s famous firsts
On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin became America’s 30th state. And we’ve been outdrinking the rest ever since (kidding, of course… that’s far from our only contribution!) Here are some other notable Wisconsin firsts.
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Step aside, cheese! Wisconsin ginseng is shattering records
Most people know Wisconsin for its cheese–we are the Dairy State, after all. And while we produce 26% of America’s cheese (the most of any state), we’re also the number one producer of another hot commodity…
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How women’s hockey became a Wisconsin dynasty
Many people don’t that women’s hockey is still a relatively new official college sport. So how did the Badgers get so good, so quickly? It comes down to three things…
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The 10 biggest Wisconsin musicians of all time (& their biggest hit)
Like us, the writers at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel must’ve spent a lot of time taking long walks and listening to music during the early days of the pandemic. Because, during that time, they compiled this list of 50 Wisconsin musicians who’ve made the greatest impact over the past 100 years…
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Chippewa Falls teacher and students keep the memory of a Pearl Harbor hero alive
A son of Chippewa Falls was mourned after the attack. Later, he was all but forgotten. A local teacher and students are making sure that doesn’t happen again.
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Local papers are disappearing. What’s next?
Since 2005, more than 2,500 newspapers across the US have closed. That’s left some 70 million Americans with either no local news organization or only one. You see the problem, but what’s the fix?
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Count, create, speak: 3 ways Wisconsinites are helping missing and murdered Indigenous women
There is an alarming number of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) in the state. Wisconsin, like much of North America, is only beginning to tackle this silent crisis. To start, the state created a task force hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ). Its mission: addressing the rates of “abduction, homicide, violence, and…
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Festivus Spirit Runs Especially Deep in Wisconsin
Buy a Milwaukee-made Festivus pole, air your grievances at Great Lakes Distillery, or see an “unadorned and lustrous” decoration at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
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From a Summer Camp for Spiritualists to a College for Mediums, Wisconsin’s Spirited History Persists Today
Spiritualism peaked in the mid-19th century, but the belief in communicating with the dead persisted much longer here.
