Name: History Sandwiched In Spring 2026
Start: 2026-05-12T12:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-05-12T13:30:00-05:00
Location: 1 S Pinckney St, Madison, WI 53703-2808, United States

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻
Wish there was a way to get a crash-course on the most unique aspects of Wisconsin history in one place? Look no further than History Sandwiched In, where scholars, historians, authors and community members from across the state join together to hold engaging discussions on wide-ranging historical topics of interest. From talks on deep-sea diving explorations to exploring the unique clothes and textiles collected by the Wisconsin Historical Society and more, learn about the people, places, artifacts and stories that shaped—and continue to shape—the Badger State.
All History Sandwiched In events are free and open to the public. Capacity will be limited to 60 persons per talk. Advanced registration is recommended to ensure your spot.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲
𝗠𝗮𝗿 𝟭𝟬 – 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗜 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱-𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿, 𝗠𝗮𝘅 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗵𝗹
Recounting harrowing experiences with tangled air-hoses, hungry sharks, and painful cases of the bends, Thomsen recounts how Max Nohl’s unquenchable thirst for adventure propelled him to transcend fear and become one of the field’s great innovators. She will describe his early passion for the undersea world and his many groundbreaking contributions to the diving industry, including inventing the first self-contained diving suit, co-founding Milwaukee-based diving equipment company, DESCO, and developing early underwater film and photography techniques for Hollywood.
𝗔𝗽𝗿 𝟳 – 𝗝𝗶𝗺 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻
Join architectural historian Jim Draeger as he discusses the emergence of the houses-by-mail phenomenon in the late 1800s, a fascinating chapter of our state’s building history. As a new century approached, companies offered blueprints by mail, with Sears and Roebuck selling millwork and house plans in 1895. By 1908, Sears offered complete homes through mail order catalogs, eventually become the largest supplier of mail-order houses in America, and claiming, over more than three decades, to have sold over 100,000 homes! All this and much more will be shared in this visually driven and engaging presentation.
𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟮 – 𝗝𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀
Curious about what clothing and textiles the Historical Society collects? What stories do they tell? Join Jigme Wangchuk, a UW-Madison Fashion and Textiles Design student and WHS Intern, for a special slideshow presentation that will provide insight into the contents and work of the collections closet. In addition, there will be a limited number of items from the collections closet on view as part of a pop-up display. This will be one presentation to not miss!

𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁
Free and open to the public
Advanced registration is recommended
Register Today: https://wihist.org/4rtXz8W

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
An active, community-focused space that hosts school groups, pop-up exhibits, author talks, public programs and more; located in the US Bank Building on Madison's Capitol Square.
History Maker Space
U.S. Bank Plaza
1 S. Pinckney Street
Madison, WI 53703

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗚𝗼 & 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
This portion of History Sandwiched In programming includes three dates. Please note that program registration is for individual lecture dates. When registering to attend, make note of which presentation is scheduled for which date.
Lectures will take place in the U.S. Bank Plaza large conference room on the 1st floor of the building, located just off the central lobby area.
Upon arrival, lecture attendees are to confirm their registration by checking-in with a WHS staff member.
All lectures will be in person, with capacity limited to 60 people per lecture date.
Admittance to lecture programs will be provided to ticketholders first, with seating available (when possible) on a first-come first serve basis for drop-in attendees.
When possible, lecturers will also sell related book titles, or their other books, in the History Maker Space Gift Shop.
Visitor parking is available onsite at U.S. Bank Plaza in the US Bank Plaza Ramp. Go to https://www.uli.com/parking for more information on weekday hourly parking rates.
Additional street parking is available and there are public parking lots within two blocks of the U.S. Bank Plaza building. Go to https://www.cityofmadison.com/parking/garages-lots/hourly-rates for information about the locations and rates of downtown Madison garages and street meters. The closest public parking garage to the U.S. Bank Plaza building is the Capitol Square North Garage, approximately a 5-minute walk from the lecture location.
A selection of stories will be recorded, streamed, and made available to the wider public by PBS Wisconsin via the University Place program on public television.
Attendees who are interested in learning more about the lecture topics and lecturers as well as those who have questions are encouraged to contact Jenny Pederson at [email protected] or 608-669-5160.