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CURATOR CONVERSATIONS- A WORLD GREATLY CHANGED: THE LEGACY OF WWII

Online WI, United States

In 1944 the U.S. Joint Chiefs predicted "a world greatly changed" by Allied victory. World War II left a towering legacy on the world, one still relevant and apparent 75 years after the guns fell silent in 1945. This conversation will explore the war's impact on the world and its people over the past 75 years. This is a free virtual panel discussion presented by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation via Zoom. REGISTER

Free

TRIVIA NIGHT

Join us Tuesday, September 15th for Trivia Night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players from around the state. This free event will be based on 4 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics associated with Wisconsin military history, to include: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. For this virtual trivia night, you will need to download the Kahoot! app. This app will allow for the multiple choice questions we will use during each round. Simply log onto Kahoot! the night of the event and we will provide the access code. There is nothing to download and it's easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is an educational component of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and is made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER

Free

MOVIE NIGHT: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

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 our fourth virtual discussion, we will look at the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, and Tom Sizemore. In this fictional account of a Ranger unit sent behind enemy lines to locate a soldier, the humanity and perilous nature of war is brought into full view. This movie also includes one of the most accurate and realistic recreations of the D-Day landings captured on film. This event may not be suitable for younger audiences as this film contains graphic war violence, language, and is of a mature subject matter. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services, while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On September 25th, 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. REGISTER Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation

Free

TALKING SPIRITS CEMETERY TOURS

CEMETERY TOURS GO 360 THIS YEAR Because we want to keep everyone safe and healthy during the pandemic, we will not be presenting in-person cemetery tours this year. While we agree that this change is a disappointment, the museum staff will present Talking Spirits Cemetery Tours: Myths and Realities through a 360-degree virtual tour of Forest Hill Cemetery on Madison’s near west side. Click here to take the tour. All you need to view the tour is internet access, and a computer, tablet, or smart phone; no special applications are required. You can view the tour at any time and as many times as you like. Access is free.  

Free

TRIVIA NIGHT

Join us Tuesday, October 20th for Trivia Night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players from around the state. This free event will be based on 4 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics associated with Wisconsin military history, to include: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. For this virtual trivia night, you will need to download 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 and we will provide the access code…nothing to download and it's easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is an educational component of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and is made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER

Free

MOVIE NIGHT: APOCALYPSE NOW

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 this virtual discussion, we will look at the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, starring Martin Sheen, Marlin Brando, Robert Duvall, and Laurence Fishburne. In this gripping and often surreal Vietnam War tale, an Army Captain is sent upriver to terminate the command of a once-revered Colonel. This event may not be suitable for younger audiences as this film contains graphic war violence, language, and is of a mature subject matter. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services, while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On October 30th, 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. REGISTER Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation

Free

TRIVIA NIGHT

Join us Tuesday, November 17th for Trivia Night and test your historical knowledge. Sign up as individuals or as a team and go head to head with other players from around the state. This free event will be based on 4 rounds of trivia, with each round focusing on topics associated with Wisconsin military history, to include: history, pop culture, names and places, events, and fun facts. For this virtual trivia night, you will need to download the Kahoot! app. This app will allow for the multiple choice questions we will use during each round. Simply log onto Kahoot! the night of the event and we will provide the access code. There is nothing to download and it's easy to use. Lots of fun will be had by all and prizes are given to the top 3 players/teams. This event is an educational component of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and is made possible by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. REGISTER

Movie Night: 1917

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 this virtual discussion, we will look at the 2019 film 1917, starring George MacKay, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Dean-Charles Chapman. In a desperate race to deliver a message that could save thousands of troops during World War I, two British soldiers must brave danger and cross into enemy territory. This event may not be suitable for younger audiences as this film contains graphic war violence, language, and is of a mature subject matter. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services, while thinking about the discussion questions we will provide you. On November 27th, 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. This event is free and open to the public. REGISTER Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation

Free

Curator Conversations – Akira Toki and the Purple Heart Battalion

Online WI, United States

Tune in to this Curator Conversations and be inspired by the bravery of Japanese-Americans who served in the United States military during World War II. Many of the 20,000 Japanese-Americans who served, including a Madison, Wisconsin native named Akira Toki, did so as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat team. This unit was made up predominantly of Japanese-Americans who fought Nazis, prejudice, and questions about their loyalty. These brave men defeated them all, becoming one of the most decorated American units in the war and earning the nickname The Purple Heart Battalion.  REGISTER HERE

Free

Curator Conversations: The Spanish Civil War

Online WI, United States

In James Madison Park sits a small monument, one of four in the United States to the International Brigades that fought in the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War. It lists the names of over forty Wisconsinites who fought for the Spanish Republic in the conflict, many seeing their first action eighty-five years ago this February and March as part of the famous Abraham Lincoln Battalion. Join Chris Kolakowski and Kevin Hampton for a look at the Spanish Civil War, the Lincoln Battalion and its members, and how the fighting influenced World War II. This event is free, virtual, and suitable for all ages. Please register in advance. REGISTER HERE Event sponsored by The Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation with support for the Foundation from Generac Power Systems.  

Free

Book Talk with John W. Coe – Rear Admiral John G. Crommelin: Naval Hero, Conspiracy Theorist, White Supremacist

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

Please join the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in-person on June 8, 2022 at 12:00 pm as we welcome author and historian John W. Coe, who will be presenting his newest book, Rear Admiral John G. Crommelin: Naval Hero, Conspiracy Theorist, White Supremacist. This book talk will be held in the museum’s Education Center and is free and open to the public. For information, please visit the museum website (wisvetsmuseum.com/events) or contact the museum at: visitor.curator@dva.wisconson.gov. REGISTER HERE Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. This event is appropriate for all ages.

Free

Book Talk with Megan Bever- At War With King Alcohol: Debating Drinking and Masculinity in The Civil War

Online WI, United States

At War with King Alcohol explores the ways that Civil War soldiers used liquor and examines the societal debates that grew out of their uses. The study looks at liquor’s medicinal uses during the war, broadens out to soldiers’ drinking habits, and ultimately focuses on the ways that society tried to regulate liquor during the war. REGISTER HERE This event is virtual, free, and suitable for all ages. Event sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation with support for the Foundation in memory of Pat Finley.

Free