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Wisconsin People & Ideas

Lake Mendota’s Picnic Point in 1960. George Gurda, via UW Digital Collections

The first international Earth Day celebrations were held in April 1970, and I experienced it at a 6:00 sunrise gathering at Picnic Point, on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison.

A new book from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press traces the history of the University of Wisconsin’s groundbreaking Washburn Observatory, where some of the world’s most cutting-edge astronomical inventions were born.

Crop of Kevon Harrold's album cover for Foreverland

This winter, we asked some of the newly inducted 2024 Academy Fellows to recommend books, documentaries, podcasts, records, or plays. Here’s the list of what’s currently inspiring Wisconsin’s most inspiring thought leaders.

Katherine and Steve Freund, co-founders of The Tardigrade’s Bookshelf.

While searching for a location to open their dream bookstore in Appleton, an unconventional option caught the eyes of a married pair of veterans-turned-entrepreneurs.

Midwest Linen Revival co-founder Leslie Schroeder harvests fresh flax from the Parisi Family Farm in Dane County. Photo by Zoe Schneberger

Prevailing wisdom and archaeological evidence suggest that we have been wearing clothes for a very long time.

Photo of Brenda Cárdenas at home, photo by TJ Lambert, Stages Photography

Once upon a time, a young girl lived in a bungalow in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee. At first glance, the girl’s house was modest, with a tan-brick exterior and cozy-sized rooms.

Photo of Paul Hsu and his son Will Hsu of Hsu Ginseng Enterprises

As I pulled into the parking lot of Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprises, Inc., in rural Marathon County, I realized that I don’t know much about ginseng. Yet in Wausau, as I will soon learn, this gnarly white-root vegetable is king.

Photo of James Brady Foust in front of the sign for an art gallery he and his wife support

Foust was an accomplished geographer, inventor, professor, and patron of arts who revolutionized insurance geospatial databases, patented new technology, served as a professor at UW–Eau Claire for thirty-seven years.

Photo of Executive Director Erika Monroe-Kane

There is a spot in my house where I sit. I can look out at my neighbor’s garden and get a peek at Lake Monona, the lamp behind me hits my book just right, and there is a place to set my tea.

Photo of Magazine Editor Sandra Barnidge

I’m always restless during the muddy awakening of fresh spring. I’ve become an avid gardener in recent years, and I love this seasonal transition between rest and renewal.

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