11/15/22: The Ace of Aces | History Speaks

America's top flying ace of the Second World War was Richard Bong from Wisconsin. Wausau-native, Mike O'Connor presents the life and legacy of Dick Bong. O'Connor wrote the book on Bong This is the final program for the 2022 History Speaks lecture series. Mike's preferred setup made it difficult to capture live with our existing equipment. So rather than a livestream, this was recorded and edited together by Ben Clark. History Speaks programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. www.mcpl.us

11/11/22: Wausau's South-East Neighborhood | History Chats

As we near the end of 2022, we return to celebration of the City of Wausau's 150th anniversary by looking at stories of a few of Wausau's neighborhoods. This time, Ben Clark examines the origins of a neighborhood on the south-east side of Wausau, arguably Wausau's first suburb. History Chats programs are presented in conjunction with the Marathon County Public Library. Go check out all the great programs and materials they offer at their website! www.mcpl.us

11/4/22: Wausau's German Neighborhood | History Chats

As we near the end of 2022, we return to celebration of the City of Wausau's 150th anniversary by looking at stories of a few of Wausau's neighborhoods. This time, Gary Gisselman examines the early "German" neighborhood that emerged south of downtown Wausau. History Chats programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. Go check out all the great programs and materials they offer at their website! www.mcpl.us

10/27/22: The County Homemakers Collection | History Chats

This week History Chats continues our look at some of our archival collections, by digging through the boxes containing the Marathon County Highway Department Collection. This week, Assistant Archivist Martina Kostreva tells us about the Homemakers Collection and the story of the Marathon County clubs. History Chats programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. Go check out all the great programs and materials they offer at their website! www.mcpl.us

10/21/22: The County Highway Dept Collection | History Chats

This week History Chats continues our look at some of our archival collections, by digging through the boxes containing the Marathon County Highway Department Collection. We may not think about the historical origins of the roads we use every day, but someone had to design, build, and maintain those roads. History Chats programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. Go check out all the great programs and materials they offer at their website! www.mcpl.us

10/9/22: Hard Boiled Eggs | History Speaks

Our October History Speaks program will feature Ze Xiong. He shares the story of his life, from being born in the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand, to seeing the difficulties of his family in assimilating to life in Wisconsin, to his decision to dedicate his life to helping people in need. Xiong has been a mentor for underserved youth through the Department of Public Instruction, has been a caretaker for adults with mental illness with Lutheran Social Services, and has been a voice for his community through his involvement with the Hmong American Center. He is currently a Forensic Scientist with the Department of Justice and an advocating for diversity and inclusion as a board member on the Diversity Advisory Council for the Attorney General. Ze also has a YouTube Channel where he recounts Hmong stories in Hmong and English. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9C_ITt4iI5k7NlpPxBDTg History Speaks programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. Go check out all the great programs and materials they offer at their website! www.mcpl.us

10/7/22: The League of Women Voters Collection | History Chats

The shelves in our archives have hundreds of boxes that may not always look very exciting from the outside, but as is often the case, it’s what is on the inside that’s important. This October, History Chats takes a look at some interesting archival collections to tell the stories of the people who created them. This week Gary Gisselman looks at how they did this in Marathon County by examining the League of Women Voters Collection in our archives. For more than a century, the LoWV has worked to foster informed voters in their communities. History Chats programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. www.mcpl.us

9/30/22: The Last Street Car in Wausau | History Chats

The trolley or electric street car had a major impact on how people saw the world around them, and obviously the way they traveled around that world. In Wausau and Schofield, a trolley line transported local commuters from 1907 to 1940. But after 33 years of service, the street cars were phased out of use in Wausau in favor of the auto-bus. On this program, Ben Clark looks at the rise and fall of Wausau's streetcars. History Chats programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. www.mcpl.us

9/17/22: Hidden Tragedy of Modern Myanmar | History Speaks

For our September presentation of the History Speaks program, Rick Lohr shares his experience visiting Myanmar (formerly Burma) in 1998. He’ll discuss the country’s cultures and the political background of the current civil conflict. Rick holds a master’s degree in teaching from UW-Stevens Point, with a concentration in 20th century East Asian history. He’s now retired having spent many years teaching at local schools. History Speaks programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. www.mcpl.us

9/16/22: The Last Fur Auction in Hamburg | History Chats

Although you might not realize it today, in the twentieth century one of the most successful fur auctions outside of the major global metropolitan centers, was here in Marathon County Wisconsin. Starting in 1936, the Fromm Brothers hosted fur buyers from across North American at their farm in Hamburg, for auctions. Until suddenly, the era of the Fromm auctions came to an end. As of last week, we have been doing History Chats for two full years (and 100+ episodes). So for our last month of programing of our second year, we are diving into a month of notable "lasts" in Marathon County history. History Chats programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library. www.mcpl.us