Technology

Television - A telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. The term has come to refer to all the aspects of television from the television set to the programming and transmission.

Radio - the wireless transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of light.

Printing Press - The printing press is a mechanical printing device for making copies of identical text on multiple sheets of paper. Movable type was invented in China by Bi Sheng between 1041 to 1048. The use of movable type to mass produce printed works was popularized by a German goldsmith and eventual printer, Johannes Gutenberg, in the 1450s. While there are several local claims for the invention of the printing press in other parts of Europe, including Laurens Janszoon Coster in the Netherlands and Panfilo Castaldi in Italy, Gutenberg is credited by most scholars with its initial invention.

Photographs - An image or a representation of that on paper, created by collecting an array of photons onto special photo-sensitive paper. The most common photographs are those created of reflected visible wavelengths, producing permanent records of what the human eye can see.

Braille - The Braille system devised in 1821 by Louis Braille, is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write. Each Braille  character or "cell" is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two columns of three dots each. A dot may be raised at any of the six positions to form sixty-four combinations, counting the space in which no dots are raised. For reference purposes, a particular combination may be described by naming the positions where dots are raised, the positions being universally numbered 1 through 3 from top to bottom on the left, and 4 through 6 from top to bottom on the right. For example, dots 1-3-4 would describe a cell with three dots raised, at the top and bottom in the left column and on top of the right column (ie the letter 'm')

Braille, Louis (The Invention of the Braille System) – Louis Braille was blinded by an accident and infection at the age of 3. But he was determined to learn and at the age of 15 he modified sonography, a system created for soldiers, to create the Braille system, which allows the blind to learn more effectively. (World)

The Hollywood 10 (A group of actors put on trial during the red scare) -The term "Red Scare" has been retroactively applied to two distinct periods of strong anti-Communism in United States history: first from 1917 to 1920, and second from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, which signified the entrance into the Cold War. Both periods were characterized by the suspicion of widespread infiltration by communists and fears of communist influence on U.S. society. The first Red Scare also included fear of anarchists and aggressive labor unions; the second, fears of infiltration of the U.S. government.

48ers: Germans Revolutionaries Who Moved to Wisconsin - Political conditions in Germany from the failed revolution of 1848 motivated small groups of "48ers" to seek freedom in America. Many of these German immigrants found Wisconsin to be the right destination at that time.  

Automobile Industry in the USA - In the 1900’s three firms dominated the Automobile Industry: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. All three firms were based in Detroit Michigan, which had been the geographic center of the industry.

Banking System - The Federal Reserve reformed the banking system of the U.S.  Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913.

The Bessemer Process - An inexpensive, easy way to make steel, and was developed by the British inventor Henry Bessemer in the 1850’s.  This was a revolution in making steel, which built our country.  Even today, the impacts of this revolution can be seen in our everyday life.  

Earthquakes - Scientists have long explored for answers to great earthquakes throughout our history.  Possible topics include the great San Francisco earthquakes of 1906 and 1989.

Edison, Thomas - This scientist/inventor was a reformer in the fields of communication and electrification.  The long-lasting effect of his work and his inventions are with us today.

Fennimore's Narrow Gauge Railroad - The impact of railroads in Wisconsin, linking the countryside to the city and farms to markets, can be found throughout the state. The Fennimore  Railroad Historical Society, home of the "Dinky," contains details of Fennimore's narrow gauge train.

First Flight - The Wright Brothers began the exploration of flight with their historic flight in 1903.  This is an example of traveling with the purpose of  discovering, investigating, examining by probing, etc.

Ford, Henry – Inventor of the first American automobile.

Franklin, Benjamin - Benjamin Franklin was a man of many talents.  He had inventions such as bifocals, the lightening rod, the Franklin stove, and the light bulb.  He wrote the book Poor Richard's Alamak, was a post master in Philadelphia, and ran a newspaper. At the age of 70, Franklin was the oldest delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence.  He had a love of independence and contributed a lot to our country.   

Graham, Martha - Martha Graham was truly one of the leading pioneers in the field of dance. Dancing was a major part of her life and everything she did evolved from dancing.

Hudson River School - By the 1830’s, a group of American artists had established the Hudson River School.  This was a revolution in the field of art.

Hunter, Amy Louise: Reformer of Public Health - Amy Louise Hunter oversaw the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health of the Wisconsin Board of Health from 1935-1960, and in the course of her work, participated in no less than a public health revolution. Her strategies of statistical analysis and cooperation helped to alter maternal and child health care in Wisconsin.

The Industrial Revolution - The Industrial Revolution was a period of rapid growth in the use of machines in manufacturing and production.  It began in Great Britain, and this revolution quickly moved to the United States.

 Interchangeable Parts - Eli Whitney developed the use of interchangeable parts in his manufacturing of muskets.  This revolutionary process would eventually invent mass production, which is still impacting us today.

John Muir & the Sierra Club - A dedicated environmentalist named John Muir helped establish the Sierra Club in 1892.  The group was established to reform our country in regards to environmental causes.  The group’s goals were to explore, enjoy, and preserve the natural environment.  Although born in Scotland, Muir immigrated into Wisconsin in 1849.  He truly is the Wisconsin leader in environmental concerns.

Literature (e.g., Common Sense, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Jungle, Spring Green) - Many important pieces of American literature are examples of literature’s ability to communicate a strong message to people.

The Manhattan Project - The Manhattan Project was the U.S. government’s program to create the atomic bomb.  They created Little Boy and Fat Man, plutonium and uranium bombs.  

Mann, Horace, Educational Reformer - The Massachusetts lawyer Horace Mann was a leader in the fight for free elementary schools.  This educational reformer along with other educational leaders worked to provide public education.  He also was the first to set up normal schools-schools for educating teachers.

Model T: Henry Ford Revolutionizes the Auto Industry - Henry Ford and his Model T will truly revolutionize the automobile  industry.  He used mass production to bring down the cost of cars.  Ford first used the assembly line in 1914, and by 1925 the cost of a Model T  was only $ 260.00.

Morse Code - Morse Code is a system of representing letters, numbers, and punctuation marks by means of a code signal sent intermittently.  A line was constructed between Baltimore and Washington and the first message was sent of May 24, 1844.

Nuclear Power - This very large topic would need to be narrowed down to something specific.  Perhaps, the Manhattan Project, Einstein, Oppenheimer, etc. would be better.   

Oberlin College - In 1837, Oberlin College of Ohio was the first college in the United States to admit men and women. More reforms in education for women followed.  Including the admittance of the 1^st Black women to receive a degree in 1862. 

Octagon House in Wisconsin - Octagon houses were an architectural fad throughout the U.S., including Wisconsin during the 1850’s and 1860’s. Promoters of these octagonal-shaped homes attempted to reform building construction by making houses cheaper, more durable, more efficient, and healthier.

Oppenheimer, J. Robert, Manhattan Project Leader - Oppenheimer was one of the key scientists, who created the atomic bomb.  He encountered difficulties and troubles with such a controversial item like the atomic bomb.  Many of his troubles stemmed from his socialist beliefs. 

Pony Express - A fast mail service crossing the North American continent from the Missouri River to the Pacific coast, operating from April 1860 to November 1861. Messages were carried on horseback across the prairies, plains, deserts, and mountains of the United States. The Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system could be built and operated continuously the year around-something that had previously been regarded as impossible. 

Schurz, Margarethe Meyer & the First Kindergarten - In Watertown, Wisconsin, Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened the first Kindergarten.  This reform in the field of education has had long-lasting effects on our country.

Smallpox - Smallpox has a long history of use as a weapon.  After being wiped out as naturally occurring disease it has reinforced as a possible terrorist weapon.  Is it our nation’s responsibility or a world responsibility to control diseases like smallpox. 

Sears, Roebuck and Company – A pioneer in the mail-order catalog business, Sears, Roebuck and Company grew to become one of the largest chains of retail merchandise stores in the world.  For several decades in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Sears Roebuck catalog was one of rural America’s most vital links to the cornucopia of material goods being produced for sale in a rapidly urbanizing, industrializing country.

Technological Advances of Wisconsin's Farms - The silos of Wisconsin are one of the state's principal symbols, one of the most striking features of it's agricultural landscape, and one of the key technological discoveries that made year-round commercial milk production possible; revolutionizing agriculture, farm life, and the farm landscape in Wisconsin.  

Telegraph – The telegraph first demonstrated by Samuel F.B. Morse in 1844, played an important role in the economic, political, and the social life of the United States throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.  Although its primary users were business and press associations, the railroads also used the telegraph to signal train movements, and ordinary people used it to send notifications of births, deaths, and other important events in their life.

Telephone – In the era of Reconstruction, the electric telegraph remained the only option for long-distance communication.  Because the telegraph required expert translation of Morse Code and was limited to sending and receiving one message at a time, a race among scientist ensued for improvements that all believed would prove lucrative.

Transportation Revolution - During the 1800’s, the U.S. experienced a rapid growth in the speed and convenience of transportation.  The expansion of roads and canals helped create this revolution, but it was the invention of the steamboat and the railroad that truly propelled this rapid growth.  

Transcontinental Railroad: Connecting the East and the West - The transcontinental railroad connected the East and the West on May 10, 1869.  This led to a massive exchange and encounter between people in all parts of the nation.                                                      

Warfarin - Wisconsin was at the forefront in diagnosing and treating tuberculosis and was one of the first states to begin skin testing in 1927.  University of  Wisconsin - Madison Professor Karl Paul Link searched for a cure to a cattle-hemorrhaging disease and his discovery led to the creation of  Warfarin (also called coumarin), which was used as a poison to kill rodents. Warfarin ultimately became a boon in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan, WI - In 1853, the Wisconsin School for the Deaf opened to the public.  Since that time, thousands of Wisconsin deaf students have gone there to be educated in the most up-to-date methods.  In the 1990’s, the school changed considerably. Most of the deaf students in Wisconsin are now educated in their own public school districts.