Category: History
Inside the Fallout Shelter
In 2010 some homeowners in Neenah opened a backyard fallout shelter that was built by the previous property owners in 1960. Inside were ammo boxes filled with supplies (from food and games to medicine and radiation meters) to last a family of four for about 2 weeks. Some artifacts from the shelter were donated to the Neenah… Continue reading Inside the Fallout Shelter
The Neenah Shelter
This past Wednesday was a big day for our exhibition. The local news stations came to stories, and since then the story has gone national! How exciting that the exhibit is starting to pick up that kind of attention. I had my first appearance on television as well. It is amazing how USA Today, Huffington… Continue reading The Neenah Shelter
Schlitz Brewery Strike 1948
This Day in Milwaukee County History: on April 26th, 1948, a strike by CIO Brewery Workers in Milwaukee cuts off production of over 12 percent of the United States’ beer supply. Six of the city’s major breweries were affected by the walkout. Bottling house employees of the Schlitz Brewing Company had failed to show up the night before. By the early morning, bottle house employees from the Blatz, Pabst, Miller, Gettelman and Independant brewing companies had joined in the walkout.
The strike lasted a full 24 days. By the end of the first week, local bars and taverns were running precariously low on the product that made Milwaukee famous.
The strike had broken out due to a dispute over wages. The Local 9 of the CIO Brewery Workers Union had demanded a wage increase of $16 per week. The breweries countered with an offer of $5.50. This offer was unacceptable for…
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Undergrad History Nearly History
My time as an undergrad student at UW-Oshkosh is coming to a close. It is hard to believe that in two weeks I will have completed four years of college and be walking across the stage to receive my hard-earned degree in history. This is the brief history of my four-year experience as a history… Continue reading Undergrad History Nearly History
National Beer Day!
Today is National Beer Day celebrating 80 years since the end of an awful beer dry spell. Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office in 1933 trying to break the Great Depression that gripped the nation. FDR pushed through congress and signed the Beer & Wine Revenue Act that made alcohol under 3.2% potency legal. Why did FDR want liquor to flow freely… Continue reading National Beer Day!
Take Cover Neenah! My First History Exhibit Project
As May approaches the opening day of Take Cover Neenah! exhibit at the Neenah Historical Society gets closer! It has been a great opportunity to work with fellow historians to assemble an amazing exhibit about Cold War history in the United State and in Neenah, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Humanities Council awarded a grant to the historical society to help fund the… Continue reading Take Cover Neenah! My First History Exhibit Project
Going Underground…What Would You Bring?
Imagine a world where you live in constant fear of being annihilated by nuclear weapons. You are going about your day, and in the late afternoon the neighborhood sirens blast, your radio and TV switched to emergency messages saying terrorists are launching a nuclear attack on the United States. You have 15 minutes before the bomb hits,… Continue reading Going Underground…What Would You Bring?
Mapping Wisconsin Shelters
I have been working on a history project that I hope will get some of my fellow Wisconsinites involved in. I started a page on Facebook that is geared towards the Wisconsin experience of the Cold War. There are publications and scholarly works done on the Cold War, but I would like to hear the first-hand stories… Continue reading Mapping Wisconsin Shelters
My Visit to the Wisconsin Historical Museum
Molly and I spent the day down in Madison, Wisconsin. There are a number of places to visit down there, but the Wisconsin Historical Museum has always been on my list of places to visit. The museum has a wonderful building on the corner of West Mifflin Street and North Carroll Street. Admission to the museum is based on suggested donations.… Continue reading My Visit to the Wisconsin Historical Museum
The Weekend Historian 