Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Sterling Safety Bicycle

What did a bicycle rider in 1890 look for in a new bike? Safety and comfort, of course, but also beautiful construction—many of the same qualities that contemporary bicycle riders also seek. Sterling Bicycle advertisement featuring Annie Oakley on the safety bicycle, 1890s. The bicycle pictured here was donated to the Wisconsin Historical Museum, where it…

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April 10, 2017

The 1890s Bicycle Craze in Wisconsin

Bicycles entered the United States on the East Coast from Europe in 1869. By 1880, bicycling in the U.S. had become so popular that the League of American Wheelmen (LAW) was founded. One of LAW’s objectives was “to promote the general interests…

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April 10, 2017

Wisconsin Road Conditions

One of the biggest impediments to the progress of the popularity of bicycling in the late 19th century was bad roads. Wisconsin roads in the 1880s were “plagued by mud, poor signage, and crumbling bridges and sidewalks.”[1] This persisted throughout the 1890s…

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April 10, 2017

Dairy Industry / Health & Medicine / Industry / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Science & Medicine / Horlick's Malted Milk

Malted Milk and Infant Nutrition

Although known today mostly as a flavoring for milk shakes and chocolate-covered malt balls, malted milk made its first appearance in the 1880s as a substitute for human breast milk. At that time, breastfeeding babies began to lose its appeal among both…

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October 3, 2016

Dairy Industry / Racine / Health & Medicine / Industry / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / 1848-1877 / Racine County / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Manufacturing & Trade / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Horlick's Malted Milk

Horlick’s Malted Milk Company

Founded in 1873, under the name “J & W Horlick Company,” the Horlick’s Malted Milk Company was the creation of brothers William and James Horlick. The company specialized in producing malted milk as a nutritional supplement in a variety of forms: from…

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October 1, 2016

Health & Medicine / Racine / Food & Cooking / Related Stories / Everyday Life / 1848-1877 / Racine County / Global Connections / 1877-1900 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1900-1918 / Science & Medicine / Region 8 - South East / Horlick's Malted Milk

The Father of Malted Milk

William Horlick was born on February 23, 1846 to James and Priscilla Horlick in the village of Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England. In 1869, William made his first voyage to the United States to visit his distant uncle, Joseph A. Horlick of Racine, Wisconsin.…

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October 1, 2016