Wisconsin 101

“Ringing the Community Belles” – Racine’s Professional Baseball Team

As the United States entered World War II in 1941, the war’s impact on American culture was felt far and wide. Aside from the obvious strains on economic and industrial production, American recreation was temporarily put on hold. This included much of…

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August 24, 2020

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: <i>Happy Days</i> Bowling Shirt Costume

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Sports & Games / Curators' Favorites / 1965-1987 / Region 8 - South East / Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

OBJECT HISTORY: Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

This bowling shirt costume from the television series Happy Day speaks to Wisconsin's association with bowling. Milwaukee, where the show was set, was known as the bowling capital of America.

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August 15, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Art & Design / Lake Koshkonong / Object Histories / Sports & Games / Wisconsin Made / A Duck Decoy / Jefferson County / 1877-1900 / Nature & Environment / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: A Duck Decoy

With its painted black bill, brown head, and white and black body, it is likely obvious to humans that this object is made out of wood. This object is called a duck decoy, and was intended to fool other ducks into settling…

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July 1, 2018

Art, Sport & Entertainment / 20-sided die / Lake Geneva / Object Histories / Sports & Games / Walworth County / 1965-1987 / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: A Twenty-sided Die

Dice are used in games around the world to generate a random number. Traditionally the die is cubical; however there are multiple forms of non-cubicle die, such as, the 20-sided die. Ancient die were typically made from bones, wood, or rock. Today, die of all shapes are usually made from resin. The 20-sided die can…

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June 15, 2018

Art, Sport & Entertainment / 20-sided die / Lake Geneva / Sports & Games / Related Stories / Walworth County / 1965-1987 / Region 8 - South East

A Brief History of Dungeons and Dragons

In the late 1960s, Gary Gygax of Lake Geneva, WI fell in love with the board game Wargames. Wargames simulated actual battles from historic wars, but offered players the opportunity to carry out campaigns in new ways based on rolls of a…

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June 15, 2018

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Wausau / Related Stories / Sports & Games / Marathon County / A Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket Coat / 1918-1945 / Region 4 - Center / Transportation & Tourism

The Wausau Winter Frolic: Wausau’s History as a Sports Capital

In 1929, a teacher in Waupaca asked her pupils what Wisconsinites did for winter sports. According to one newspaper, the children “with one accord all exclaimed: ‘They go to Wausau!’” In the 1920s, when Wisconsinites thought of winter sports, they thought of…

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February 1, 2018