Historic Self-Guided Walking Tour of Madison

Online WI, United States

Get outside, go for a walk, and learn about the places in Madison connected to our state's rich military history. The “Madison's Every Place Has a Story Walking Tour” has 19 stops around the city and was created by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff. Along the tour you can read the about the historic stops, and view photographs from the museum collection. The tour can be accessed through Clio here. For the most dynamic experience the museum staff recommends users download The Clio – Your Guide to History app, available on Android and iOS. Clio is an educational website and mobile application that guides the public to thousands of historical and cultural sites throughout the United States. Tours on Clio are built by scholars for public benefit. The application and tour are free and can be accessed at anytime, onsite or remotely. Access the tour here.  

Free

Historian How To: Cataloging Oral Histories Using OCLC

Online WI, United States

The purpose of this quick class is to teach the student how to use the Online Computer Library Catalog (OCLC) for cataloging oral histories on WorldCat.Org. The content covers using navigating and creating bibliographic and local holdings records for oral histories using constant data records and manual data entry. Topics include Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), controlling headings, field formatting, validation, electronic location, date formatting, locking, producing, save files, and much more. This course is aimed at beginning OCLC users for oral history audio and video cataloging specifically. REGISTER HERE This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems.    

Free

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Trivia Night

Online WI, United States

Join us for our virtual trivia night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players. This free event will be based on 3 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics such as: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. REGISTER HERE For this virtual trivia night, we will be using the Kahoot! app. This app will allow for the multiple choice questions we will use during each round. Simply log onto Kahoot.it the night of the event (either through your mobile device or on a separate browser tab) and we will provide the access code…nothing to download and easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum through the generous support of Generac Power Systems.    

Free

Book Talk with Dr. John W. Coe (WI Book Festival event)

Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

This book is based on a large collection of materials donated to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. They reveal, among other things, a highly regarded naval officer who sacrificed his career by releasing classified documents to the press and by chasing non-existent conspiracies, pursuits that eventually cost him his career.

Free

Movie Night Virtual Discussion – Mr. Roberts (1955)

Online WI, United States

Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair, and join us for a Movie Night and Virtual Discussion with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Staff. While we can’t all be together, we can share discussion on major motion pictures that deal with the hardships, humor, and horrors of combat. REGISTER HERE Mr. Roberts will be our feature film for October, which follows the story of a WWII supply officer aboard a cargo ship whose attempts at gaining a transfer are thwarted by a tyrannical captain. Starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, and William Powell, this comedic look at Navy life during WWII is a film not to be missed. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services (we will not be watching the movie the night of the program), while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On October 29, 2021, at 7:00 pm we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. We will cover themes such as conflict, politics, pop culture, the military, and movie-making. After you register, we will email you the discussion questions and a link to join the virtual discussion via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public. This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems.    

Free

Book Talk with Dr. Brian Jordan- A Thousand May Fall: Life, Death, and Survival in the Union Army

Online WI, United States

How did ordinary soldiers navigate the extremes of war? How did they make sense of their service and sacrifices? These are the questions at the heart of Brian Matthew Jordan's A Thousand May Fall, an intimate chronicle of the Civil War from the common soldier's perspective. At the heart of the tale is the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, an ethnically German Union regiment caught in the crosshairs of Stonewall Jacksons flank attack at Chancellorsville--and decimated again two months later atop Blocher's Knoll at Gettysburg. Demonstrating how soldiers from a politically divided region weathered two devastating battles, the scourge of nativism, inconsistent support from home, and the ordeal of life on picket, this talk reveals the Civil War--and its long aftermath--anew. REGISTER HERE This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems.    

Free

Veterans Day Ceremony at the State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol 2 East Main Street, Madison, WI, United States

We're honored to announce that Wisconsin Veterans Museum Director Christopher Kolakowski will be speaking at a 10am Veterans Day ceremony at the State Capitol. Join us if you can. If you cannot, click here to view the live stream of the ceremony.

Book Talk with Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony – Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Project Apollo

Online WI, United States

On July 20th, 1969, over half the world’s population witnessed Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon. While often remembered as a scientific and technological feat, the ambitions of the Apollo program aimed far beyond the Moon. Through spaceflight, America sought to win hearts and minds, foster alliances, and shape the political trajectories of newly independent nations. Drawing on a rich array of untapped archives and firsthand interviews, Operation Moonglow knits together a story of politics and propaganda; diplomacy and spaceflight; decolonization and globalization to reveal the political forces that not only sent humans to the Moon but also attracted the largest audience in history. This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems. REGISTER HERE  

Free

Mess Night: Joseph Tachovsky

Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

Please join us for the return of our quarterly ‘Mess Night’ series to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. This event features our popular dinner and lecture, presented by author Joseph Tachovsky. Mr. Tachovsky will be speaking about the formation of a specialized group of Marines and their preparations for the assault on Saipan. Author Joseph Tachovsky describes the creation of "40 Thieves on Saipan." His research into the platoon his father led in the WWII Battle for Saipan unearthed details and stories about this unique Special Operations platoon of Elite Marines. The oral histories of surviving members shed light into how the platoon got their nickname of the "40 Thieves," other nefarious antics, and their role in the Battle for Saipan, D-Day in the Pacific. Each MESS NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM features a guest speaker, topic, dinner, drinks, and time to socialize before and after the talk. Registration will be required before the event. Join us as we transform this historic naval tradition into our own. Please register in advance. $38 MEMBERS |  $46 NON-MEMBERS | $30 STUDENTS (W/ID) Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation.   REGISTER HERE  

Movie Night Virtual Discussion – All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Online WI, United States

Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair, and join us for a Movie Night and Virtual Discussion with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Staff. While we can’t all be together, we can share discussion on major motion pictures that deal with the hardships, humor, and horrors of combat. For November, we will be looking at the 1930 powerhouse, All Quiet on the Western Front, starring Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Raymond Griffith, and Slim Summerville. Set during WWI, this film follows a group of German Schoolboys who enlist to fight during the war and highlights the tragedy of the conflict through the eyes of these soldiers. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services (we will not be watching the movie the night of the program), while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On November 19, 2021, at 7:00 pm we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. We will cover themes such as conflict, politics, pop culture, the military, and movie-making. After you register, we will email you the discussion questions and a link to join the virtual discussion via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public. This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems. REGISTER HERE  

Free

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Trivia Night

Online WI, United States

Join us for our virtual trivia night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players. This free event will be based on 3 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics such as: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. REGISTER HERE For this virtual trivia night, we will be using the Kahoot! app. This app will allow for the multiple choice questions we will use during each round. Simply log onto Kahoot.it the night of the event (either through your mobile device or on a separate browser tab) and we will provide the access code…nothing to download and easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is suitable for all ages. Program funding made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of Generac Power Systems.    

Free