Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Weird Travel: Odd Wisconsin exhibit's odd items
Wisconsin has enough odd history that the "Odd Wisconsin" exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison has swapped in 40% of what is on display. The result is a fresh look at Wisconsin's oddball undertakings.
What makes many of the objects odd are not the objects themselves, but the stories behind them. Many--from the serious to the nostalgic, illuminate aspects of American history that have a Wisconsin connection.
One of the items in particular has me humming a tune that's probably going to be with me for the rest of the day.
Do you remember a certain hot dog commercial with a certain song? The instrument that played the tune offers a trip down memory lane for anyone whose childhood goes back that far.
Although Aaron's the Tuesday Trivia aficionado, here are two more pieces of trivia to add to this week's questions. What instrument is on display and what's the song? You don't have to wait until next Tuesday to find out the answers to these two. They are after the jump.
And here's a bonus: What's in the jar?
The instrument: banjo-ukulele.
The song: Oh I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener."
The song title is written on the instrument. Banjo-ukulele's were made in the 1920s and 1930s in response to the popularity of Hawaiian music at the time.
The museum's Web pages that highlight the Odd Wisconsin exhibit describes some of the items on display. They include:
-
Wonder Spot "Book" Sign. The Wonder Spot was a cabin built on the side of a hill that was angled in such a way to give tourists to Wisconsin Dells a discombobulated feeling. The cabin was taken down in 2006 to make room for Highway 12.
-
Glass Teddy Roosevelt drank out of after he was shot while delivering a speech.
-
Giant Punt Gun. Used in the 19th century to hunt ducks, this gun weighs 26 pounds.
-
Skunk Grease Medicine. Made in 1920 as a home remedy for pleurisy. (That's what's in the jar.) The description of this concoction centers on the self-reliance of Wisconsin's farmers.
In case you missed out on the Oscar Meyer Wiener commericals, here's one of the classics.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Stories, Video
Add your comments