Wisconsin Historical Society

Happy 105th Birthday, Green Bay Packers! 🎉 On August 11, 1919, the Green Bay Packers professional football team was founded during a meeting in the editorial rooms of Green Bay Press-Gazette. On this evening, a score or more of young athletes, called together by Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun, gathered in the editorial room on Cherry Street and organized a football team. The text on the reverse side of this postcard reads, "The home stadium of the Green Bay Packers, built in 1957, has a present seating capacity of 56,926 with the completion of private boxes in August, 1985. Home games are consistently sold out on a season-ticket basis." The Packers kick-off their regular season on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, September 6. 🏈 📸: circa 1991 | WHI Image ID 127532

Happy 80th Birthday, Smokey Bear! You’re invited to his 80th birthday party on Saturday, August 10 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland. Smokey Bear was born on August 9, 1944, when the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council decided a cartoon bear would be the symbol in their campaign to educate Americans about forest fire prevention. Artist Albert Staehle was asked to paint the first poster of Smokey Bear. It depicted a bear pouring a bucket of water on a campfire and saying “Care will prevent 9 out of 10 fires.” Smokey Bear quickly became an American icon. Stop by to meet Smokey Bear, check out a DNR fire control truck, and enjoy family-fun activities! Raffle, prizes, and free birthday cake included, while supplies last. 📸: Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center

Our first object installation is now up for viewing at Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson! Stop in and enjoy this beautiful display honoring Wisconsin alderperson and Secretary of State Vel Phillips and her amazing contributions to our state, featuring images and objects from the Wisconsin Historical Society’s collections. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth! These installations on a variety of historical topics will be going up around the state as part of our Wisconsin History Makers Tour. The tour is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant Number: MA-253159-OMS-23. #WIHistoryMakers

Congratulations to the Ephraim Historical Foundation in Door County for celebrating its 75th anniversary this year! 75 years ago, a visionary team came together in 1949 to save the Pioneer Schoolhouse in Ephraim, WI and their dedication and hard work laid the foundation for Ephraim Historical Foundation to continue its mission of protecting and preserving the rich history of Wisconsin. We were honored to be a part of their annual meeting on Saturday, July 20 where members commemorated the 75th anniversary of the organization. It was held in the Ephraim Village Hall that looks out on the beautiful Eagle Harbor in the Bay of Green Bay. They held their board elections, a "State of the Organization" presentation and Christian Overland, The Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society gave some remarks. 📸: July 20, 2024

150 Harley-Davidson Motor Company riders embarked on a journey to Old World Wisconsin on Friday, July 26! Gathering in Milwaukee for the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival, invited riders, from around the country, traveled the 60-minute route from Milwaukee to Eagle, Wisconsin, to explore the 600-acre living history attraction —a favorite place of Homecoming Festival honoree Willie G. Davidson, Harley-Davidson’s long-time head of styling who developed the brand’s iconic look, and whose grandfather founded the company in 1903. Following the ride, participants enjoyed a picnic lunch on the scenic grounds of Old World Wisconsin before returning to Milwaukee for an evening of festivities. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Old World Wisconsin and traveled through the past. 📸: July 26, 2024

Have you been watching the Olympics? This year there are 31 athletes that are from or tied to Wisconsin in some way. Most are on Team USA, but some, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, are competing for their home country. Since the first modern Olympics in 1896, over 450 Olympians have had a connection to Wis. Some were born and raised here, others lived here for part of their lives, or attended school here. Below you can read about four Wis. medalists. 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙖𝙜𝙚, who lived in La Crosse since he was four, overcame racial boundaries to accomplish multiple firsts in track and field. He was the first Black athlete to run track for the University of Wisconsin and the 1st Black athlete to win a Big Ten track championship. His biggest accomplishment came in 1904 when he became the first Black Olympic medalist, winning bronze in both the 200 and 400-meter hurdles. Poage was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, and a park is now named in his honor in his hometown of La Crosse. 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 “𝘽𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙮” 𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙅𝙧. grew up just a few miles away from Lake Geneva, and his boat maker father started teaching him to sail when he was only 6 years old. By the time he was 16, he had won his first regatta. At the 1964 Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the Flying Dutchman class of sailing. Returning to the 1972 games, Buddy won the gold medal in a landslide victory in the Soling sailing class. The “Wizard of Zenda”, as he was now known, continued his father’s boat manufacturing business and remained an avid and renowned sailor the rest of his life. 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙮, born and raised in Madison, competed in two different Olympics in two different sports. In 1972 she qualified to compete in speedskating, and although she did not medal, her 7th place finish was impressive nonetheless, as she was only 14 years old. Unfortunately, an ankle injury halted her skating career a few years later, and she instead began focusing on cycling. Women’s cycling was a new event in the 1984 games, and Connie made history by winning the first gold medal for the 79-kilometer race. 𝘽𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 was a first-round draft pick for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999. Although he was aiming for the major league, his success in the minors qualified him for the 2000 Olympics, which MLB did not allow major league players to compete in. US had previously lost to final opponent Cuba 25 times in other tournaments, but that didn’t stop Sheets from pitching a complete game with just 3 hits and no runs. It was the first and only time the US won Olympic gold for baseball before the sport was removed. Sheets went on to pitch 8 seasons for the Brewers and still holds the single-game and single-season records for strikeouts. 📸: 1903 | Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 📸: September 23, 1972 | Wisconsin State Journal 📸: July 30, 1984 | Eau Claire Leader-Telegram 📸: September 27, 2000 | The Janesville Gazette

Happy 100th Birthday to the Original Cream Puff! 🎉 This treat has been sold at the Wisconsin State Fair since 1924. Did you know it’s the most popular food item for fairgoers? This year, the Wisconsin State Fair is releasing BRAND-NEW, limited-edition flavors throughout the fair including Root Beer Float Cream Puff, Raspberry Cheesecake Cream Puff, English Toffee Cream Puff and Chocolate Birthday Cake Cream Puff. The Original Cream Puff will also be available. Here's a tasty fact - the Wisconsin State Fair sells approximately 30,000 Original Cream Puffs each day during the fair. The Wisconsin State Fair kicks off Thursday, August 1 and goes through Sunday, August 11. This year the Wisconsin State Fair will celebrate 173 years. Learn more: https://wihist.org/4d1rj6t We posted the recipe for the Original Cream Puff courtesy of Travel Wisconsin in the comments. 📸: Bakers hold up large trays with fresh cream puffs at the State Fair midway concession stand | date unknown | WHI Image ID 26192

History is made on paper... but do you know the history OF paper? Join us for this FREE papermaking course at the Lake Geneva Public Library during the Wisconsin Historical Society History Makers Tour to learn about—and create your very own—paper! Mark your calendars for Discover the History of Papermaking in Lake Geneva on Saturday, August 10. Learn more: https://wihist.org/46i6PDO The History Makers Tour is presented by Culver's Restaurants and is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant Number: MA-253159-OMS-23. #WIHistoryMakers

Are you looking for something to do together as a family this summer? O the Places We Go has all the tips to make your visit to Old World Wisconsin one filled with lots of old-fashioned family fun! And now’s a great time to take the family to Old World Wisconsin during Kids Get in FREE Days! Wednesday, July 31- Sunday, Aug. 4 Wednesday, Aug. 7- Sunday, Aug. 11 Choose your own adventure at what has been called one of the best living history experiences in America. Plan your visit: https://wihist.org/3y5JDfC

Good luck to all the athletes with ties to Wisconsin who are competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics! During these games, there will be approximately 10,500 athletes competing in 329 events across 32 sports. Who will make history? You can catch the Paris 2024 Olympics from Friday, July 26 - Sunday, August 11 on NBC's family of networks and their streaming service, Peacock. Learn more about these Wisconsin athletes in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. Go Team USA!