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Tag History

Excavation exposes Roman imperial outpost at its bitter end

September 17, 2014

Like Pompeii, the ancient ruins of Zeugma, a frontier city of the Roman Empire on the banks of the Euphrates River in what is now modern Turkey, stood frozen in time.

Legend in genetics at forefront of book about heroism during 20th century’s darkest hours

August 20, 2014

Waclaw Szybalski, 92, a genius of genetics who has been repeatedly mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize, grew up as an aspiring scientist during World War II in the eastern part of Poland. Many of Szybalski's most significant wartime roles concerned a decidedly applied type of science: He cooked TNT so the Polish resistance could sabotage rail lines. He participated in smuggling typhus vaccine to Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. And he fed lice and supervised "louse feeders."

A grieving campus: Recalling the JFK assassination, 50 years later

November 20, 2013

Each generation has a “where-were-you-when” moment that serves as a generational touchstone. For Baby Boomers, that moment happened 50 years ago this Friday, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a Dallas motorcade.

Photo essay: A Birthday Feast for the Eyes

September 19, 2013

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of ecologist John T. Curtis' birth on Sept. 20, 1913, we share some moments from a recent early morning spent exploring Curtis Prairie at the UW–Madison Arboretum.

Jones book highlights forgotten history of March on Washington

August 27, 2013

August 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, which drew nearly 250,000 to the nation's capital.

Large, culturally significant textile collection unpacked

June 6, 2013

Yes, all kinds of works of art are being unpacked as part of the more than 13,000-piece Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection. The collection had been housed off campus for four years while work was being completed on the new Nancy Nicholas Hall in the School of Human Ecology Building.

Award helps turn first manuscripts into first-rate books

November 30, 2012

A scholar of "medieval media studies" and a historian of modern Europe have each won a 2012-13 First Book Award from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for the Humanities.