Making Wisconsin: A History of the Badger State

Wisconsin's most famous shipwreck, the Edmund Fitzgerald

It's a maritime tragedy that's cemented in time. With the help of folk singer Gordon Lightfoot, you've likely heard the woes of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The ship met its ill-fated end nearly 50 years ago in Lake Superior and remains one of the most mysterious and controversial wrecks to date.

Many details remain unknown about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, leaving experts to a range of hypotheses for that night. Of course, the harsh Nov. 10 storm was a large contributing factor, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly what caused the ship to drag to the depths of Lake Superior.

After recounting that stormy night and the theories surrounding the sinking, we site down with University of Wisconsin professor Steve Ackerman, an expert in atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

00:28:19

Feb 2, 2022 5:18 PM

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Being Bucky Badger

Skits, dancing and a whole lot of pushups -- that’s only some of what it takes to be the beloved Buck Badger.

Buckingham U. Badger is a staple for the UW-Madison campus and Wisconsin as a state. But how did Bucky become the icon he is today?

Nameless before the 1940s, the mascot used to be a real, living badger kept in a cage at football games. Due to a rather ferocious personality, that Bucky was benched.

The mascot came to life in 1949, when Bill Sagal, a UW cheerleader, sported on a paper mache rendition of the mascot’s head for the Homecoming game.

Today, what does it take to become the mighty mustelid? Contenders for the mascot spot go through a rigorous three-day tryout, ensuring Bucky is up to the highest standards. Bucky’s everywhere, after all.

“Every second, someone’s eyes are on you. Whether you’re at a parade or if you’re at a basketball game, you’re always on,” former Bucky Badger Devin Deegan said.

Discover more Bucky trivia -- like what his middle initial “U” stands for -- in Making Wisconsin: A History of the Badger State.

Additional Resources:

Becoming Bucky

Bucky Badger - A Historical Look Back

00:22:44

Dec 6, 2021 12:36 AM

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The Legacy of Vel Phillips

Vel Phillips -- known as a civil rights pioneer and woman of many firsts -- is becoming a ubiquitous name in Madison.

Phillips represents many firsts for Wisconsin, including being the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin- Madison Law School and to be elected to a statewide office in Wisconsin and the entire nation.

She also served as the first female and African American elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, as well as the first African American judge in the state of Wisconsin.

One of Phillips’ most notable moments was in her fight for fair housing. Despite her Common Council colleagues sometimes refusing to debate the topic, Phillips fought relentlessly for six years in the 1960s to establish a fair housing law in the city.

Phillips stood by and stood up for Black and marginalized Wisconsinites, paving the way for a more just system in the state.

00:22:40

Nov 23, 2021 1:9 AM

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“The Forgotten Fire” of 1871

On October 8, 1871, two fires were set ablaze. Though one is likely written in your history books and one has been left to the ashes.

While the Great Chicago Fire was burning through the Windy City, there was a much more disastrous event happening here at home: The Peshtigo Fire.

150 years ago, The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed Peshtigo, burning down all but one building and killing 800 people in the city alone, according to The Peshtigo Fire Museum.

Charlie and Gabriella walk us through what caused this natural disaster — including weather patterns and standard industry practices of the time — as well as why it could never happen again.

We also hear from Barb Englebert Chisolm, who does historical reenactments of how her ancestors survived the fire.

Additional resources:

The National Weather Service details the large-scale weather patterns that contributed to the fire
Wisconsin Historical Society’s newspaper story about the fire’s history from 1921
Fire Storm at Peshtigo by Denise Gess and William D. Lutz

WBAY’s coverage of the Peshtigo fire:

00:25:30

Oct 25, 2021 6:7 PM

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The Wisconsin Accent

The Wisconsin accent is surely a unique one — no oofs, eh’s or opes about it.

Between the yeah’s ... er no’s, where do these specific phrases and dialects come from? Making Wisconsin’s Gabriella Rusk sat down with UW Linguistics Professor Joe Salmons to figure out.

Accents tend to boil down to immigration patterns. German immigrants began making a home in Wisconsin in the 1840′s and for decades after, the Dairyland had the largest percentage of self-identified German Americans compared to any other state.

It’s European immigrants — German, Norwegian, Polish, etc. — that have contributed to certain quirks in ‘Sconsin speech.

However, Salmons says language and accents don’t always have a concrete origin. They’re comprised of a bunch of little factors as well. He adds that the Wisconsin accent wasn’t necessarily recognizable until recently.

“It’s only in the 60′s that we really start having a lot of discussion of ‘oh boy, she sure had a strong Wisconsin accent,’” Salmons said.

Curious about the origins of “ope,” or how Wisconsin’s Afghan refugees might influence our state’s dialect? Listen to Making Wisconsin: A History of the Badger State to figure it out ... why doncha?

00:22:33

Oct 11, 2021 11:50 PM

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Sterling Hall Bombing

Just over 50 years ago, the largest terrorist attacks on American soil up until that time happened on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus: the bombing of Sterling Hall.

Four bombers made a violent statement against the U.S. government's involvement in the Vietnam war.

At 3:45 a.m. they set off a massive fertilizer bomb in an alley next to the University of Wisconsin’s Sterling Hall, killing 33-year-old postdoctoral researcher Robert Fassnacht.

In the first half of this episode, NBC15’s Charlie Shortino and Gabriella Rusk take a look back at that day and the events that led up to the bombing. Then, we hear from Phil Little, who was part of the official response to the Sterling Hall bombing. His interview starts at 15:06 into the episode.

For more information on the Sterling Hall bombing, you can also check out NBC15 coverage of the 50th anniversary of the event.

Wisconsin Historical Museum curator says Sterling Hall bombing is reminder of how far community has come

Survivor of Sterling Hall bombing looks back, 50 years later

Special thanks to UW Madison’s Archives & Records Management Services and Troy Reeves. Their Sterling Hall Bombing of 1970 project has compiled oral histories, videos of the damage, and many other items for those looking to find out more.

00:25:52

Sep 28, 2021 8:15 PM

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9/11

Twenty years after one of the most tragic days in American history, the memories remain fresh.

As part of NBC15 News' commeration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we brought the stories of a Madison firefighter who was at Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath and a woman whose volunteer work sparked a new passion and life's goal. We also sat down with Gov. Scott McCallum, who recounted what it was like to be leading the state when the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history struck our shores.

For our first episode of Making Wisconsin: A history of the Badger State, we wanted to take the time to bring you deeper into their lives and let them explain how 9/11 affected them. The links to their stories and videos on our website, so you can learn more.