Greetings and happy Women’s History Month from the Public History Project! March's newsletter celebrates women at UW-Madison and includes links to historical research, fresh book and movie recommendations, events, a bit of St. Patrick-related ephemera from the archives and more!

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Public History Project is a multi-year effort to uncover and give voice to those who experienced, challenged, and overcame prejudice on campus. As always, if you have a story to share, an event you think should be researched, or a person you think has been overlooked, please email us at publichistoryproject@wisc.edu.

In 1869, Clara Bewick, Anna Headen, Jane Nagle, Helen Noble, Elizabeth Spencer, and Ella Ursula Turner became the first six women to graduate from UW–Madison.

To mark 150 years back in 2019, the university began collecting and sharing stories celebrating the accomplishments of women at UW–Madison through the decades. 

Take a look at some of the compelling histories here.

We’re not entirely sure what’s going on here, or how land surveying would help drive away snakes, but you’ve got to love the artwork on this 1952 St. Patrick button from the archives celebrating UW engineering.

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day!

Event alert! The PHP is thrilled to cosponsor an evening with public historian Jason Steinhauer. Author of History, Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past, Steinhauer’s work examines big questions about the ways new technologies are shaping our history, politics, and future. Join Steinhauer for a campus talk exploring the effects things like ChatGPT, social media, and artificial intelligence have on how we think about history.

The event is free and open to the public. A reception and book signing will follow the presentation. 

De Luca Forum, Discovery Building 

Looking to celebrate women’s history that’s close to home? Pick up a copy of Women's Wisconsin: From Native Matriarchies to the New Millennium, a unique collection that mixes articles and expert commentary with primary sources like letters, diaries and oral histories to paint a rich picture of women’s lives in our state over centuries.

Each month Project Director Kacie Lucchini Butcher will share a book, podcast, movie, quote, or something else she thinks has been adding to the PHP. We're calling it "From The Desk of KLB"

This month From The Desk of KLB … have you heard of a little film called Everything Everywhere All at Once? Okay, so it’s not an obscure recommendation – it just won the Best Picture Oscar – and it’s not technically history-related, but star Michelle Yeoh certainly made history becoming the first Asian woman to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards. It’s hard to explain exactly what the movie is, aside from incredible, so if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch. It’s available for streaming and rental on several platforms.