Bubbler Talk: Recent Episodes
WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR
Bubbler Talk question asker Susan Armour Seidman wants to know: What happened to the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear in Milwaukee?
Nearly 120 years ago, Theodore Kronshage — who would become Fox Point's first village president — had a home designed above Lake Michigan. Somehow the designs were used to build a house in Fort Atkinson.
With the arrival of spring, plants are blooming — in our homes, our parks, and even in the middle of some Milwaukee streets. One WUWM listener wondered about those peculiar sunken gardens in street medians, and "Bubbler Talk" investigates.
One Bay View building is not like the others. Bay View Terrace is 25-story condominium surrounded by single family homes.
The pictures that line Brady Street are like hieroglyphics, telling the story of the popular street's early history.
After years of advocacy by passenger rail groups, the inaugural Amtrak Borealis service is set to launch on May 21, 2024.
Every day, thousands of people visit the Milwaukee County Zoo to see the animals they love — whether it’s the adorable otters, roaring tigers or giant elephants. These animals live their lives on display, but most of us don’t know what happens after they die.
Dorothy Enderis was the second, and arguably most influential, leader of the Milwaukee Recreation Department. Learn about her and the neighborhood named in her honor.
The sleek, striking, boxy home's contemporary style stands out in the sea of more traditional Milwaukee homes that surround it.
Bubbler Talk question asker Dan Currier of Whitewater wants to know about a past iconic figure of Milwaukee: Where did the totem pole that stood in front of the old and the new Milwaukee Public Museum come from?
In 1974, former Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra conductor Kenneth Schermerhorn found the foghorns so distracting that he wrote a formal complaint to the Coast Guard about them. On this week's Bubbler Talk, we learn more about Schermerhorn and the nueroscience behind why the foghorns were so distracting to him.
For about 20 years, the Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra performed at the Grand Avenue Mall. Where did the animatronic bears go?
Have you ever wanted to learn more about a historic home or building in Milwaukee? This Bubbler Talk explores how to do the research and give you the tools to do it yourself.
Bubbler Talk question asker Conor Byrne was curious about the history of comic shops in Milwaukee. We spoke with local store owners and discovered the origin story behind the city's early comic scene.
A Bubbler Talk listener asks how Lake Michigan often has several shades of blue at once.
Amtrak's Hiawatha and Empire Builder will soon be joined by the TCMC and maybe, eventually, others in Milwaukee.
Bubbler Talk question asker Mark Behar has lived on Milwaukee's east side since the 1970s. He remembers a calming, consistent foghorn off the lakefront whenever there was inclement weather. He wants to know: What changed?
One of Milwaukee’s culturally-rich neighborhoods is Historic Mitchell Street on the city’s south side. Its businesses and residents have evolved, starting with deep Polish roots to today’s rich Hispanic flavor.
Riverwest resident Lindsey Goding came upon a mystery bridge above the Milwaukee River when she moved to the Milwaukee neighborhood. Together, for Bubbler Talk, we uncover its purpose.
Lauren Keene reached out to Bubbler Talk wanting to know what happened to the "Please Be Civil" neon sign that used to be visible at the corner of North and Humboldt in Milwaukee.
This week’s Bubbler Talk goes to the Grohmann Museum on the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s campus. The roof of the building is lined with bronze statues of workers, which sometimes face inward, and other times look out towards the street. We'll learn about the museum's history and why the statues were designed to turn.
Zack Biernat reached out to Bubbler Talk wanting to know if any live albums from big name acts have been recorded in Milwaukee. After some digging, we discovered there are actually quite a few.
In front of the Domes in Milwaukee, there's a set of numbers curving around a center plaque that lists each month of the year. Bubbler Talk explores what it is and how to use it.
It was like something out of a fairy tale. One day in the fall of 1985, a green and gold dragon appeared on Milwaukee’s East Side.
Lifelong Milwaukeean and Bubbler Talk listener Reginald Jones wondered who shaped the built environment in our city's early history. We find there's not a straightforward answer.
Several Bubbler Talk listeners are curious about cemeteries in their neighborhoods, like St. Adalbert Cemetery and Union Cemetery.
A Bubbler Talk question-asker wondered what kinds of fish are seen leaping in the Milwaukee River. We set out to learn the answer.
A Bubbler Talk listener wanted to know how much harm Jeffrey Dahmer’s crimes caused Milwaukee’s gay community. But to understand Dahmer’s impact, we first need to look at what life was like for LGBTQ Milwaukeeans in the 1980s.
Bubbler Talk digs into a question about how the Great Depression impacted Milwaukee by taking a look at a 'Hooverville' that existed near Lincoln Park.
A Bubbler Talk question asker was curious about Black historical sites in Milwaukee. There are many, so WUWM's Teran Powell chose to look at one that’s had many lives: the Jones-Hill House in the Harambee neighborhood.
If you’ve driven northbound on Interstate 43 toward Milwaukee’s downtown, chances are you’ve noticed a gigantic mural. Bubbler Talk digs into the story behind the colorful painting of an eagle and a dove with cascading flag stripes.
Bubbler Talk question asker Michelle Mullen started teaching in Fox Point, Wisconsin 10 years ago. And for just as long, she's wondered how the village was named and who created the fox-inspired street signs.
Milwaukeeans are able to check out books from 27 countywide library branches. And if the book isn't at your local branch, the library system will get it there... fast.
Everyday we use ZIP files — to download apps, create documents and send vital information over the internet. But did you know ZIP was created right here in Milwaukee as the final chapter in a battle for format supremacy.
Bubbler Talk question asker Adrienne LaRosa has fond family memories of Lake Park's Ravine Road. Closed since 2014, she wonders when it will open again.
Who were the first known Black people to settle in Milwaukee? That’s the question that piqued the curiosity of one of our Bubbler Talk question askers, and led to an interesting conversation with Wisconsin Black Historical Society's Clayborn Benson.
When walking up to the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, two lion statues greet you. Bubbler Talk question asker Nicole Reid of Racine wondered what the story behind them was.
Bubbler Talk takes up a listener's request to drive back in time and look into the history of the former vehicle production site on Clement Avenue in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood.
A Bubbler Talk listener sent us a question asking why Wisconsin's only urban state forest, Havenwoods, was created.
The Pfister Hotel is one of Milwaukee’s most historic and luxurious places to stay. It’s been around for nearly 130 years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s also supposedly haunted. For Bubbler Talk WUWM's Becky Mortensen explores the history, lore, and legend behind the Pfister Hotel ghost.
Once located on the corner of Farwell and North on Milwaukee's East Side, Oriental Drugs' hodgepodge of offerings served customers for nearly 30 years. Since closing in 1995, the place became etched in the city's lore.
What was the Eagles Ballroom before it became The Rave? That’s a question we’ve heard a lot at Bubbler Talk and it turns out there are a lot of answers.
Butter burgers! Think Kopp's, Culver's and, of course, Solly's Grille — which was recently recognized by the James Beard Awards as an American classic.
Bubbler Talk question asker Tom Roberts has been wondering about the circular, metal structure in Bay View's Cupertino Park — what is it and why is it near Lake Michigan.
Water towers are a routine part of the scenery in Wauwatosa. Bubbler Talk question asker and Tosa resident Brice Smith wants to know why there are so many of them.
In 1938, the heir of the Blatz Brewing Company wanted to bring his love of classical music to Milwaukee. Emil Blatz provided $100,000 for the construction of a bandshell that would soon become a temple of music.
The waves of Lake Michigan bring in an unknown number of things onto the shore — trash, trinkets and sometimes treasures, as Erin Christie learned while beach combing. Erin and her husband regularly comb the beach together, which inspired her to ask Bubbler Talk to explore some of the cool and unique things people have found on the shores of Lake Michigan.
For this week’s Bubbler Talk, question asker Dan Currier of Whitewater wants to know about a past iconic figure of Milwaukee: Where did the totem pole that stood in front the old and the new Milwaukee Public Museum come from?
On this Bubbler Talk, WUWM's Teran Powell looks into this question: Did Marian Anderson ever visit and sing in Milwaukee? If so, where did she stay, as individuals who were Black were not allowed to stay in hotels in the past.
On this week’s Bubbler Talk, question asker Craig Steitz wanted to know about the history of music stores in Milwaukee.
Imagine you’re rushing to catch a flight at Milwaukee County's General Mitchell International Airport — maybe for business or a long-anticipated vacation. What's on your mind? If you’re Dan Schley, you’re wondering: What’s the story behind the floor mosaics?
For this week's Bubbler Talk, we look at how the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps expanded the Milwaukee County Park system in the 1930s.
A WUWM listener, Erin Christie, enjoys the company of friends at her basement bar, so she requested an appreciation segment on the prevalence of basement bars in Milwaukee.
For this week’s Bubbler Talk, listener Connor Bowman asked us — “What’s the story with the reindeer I’ve been seeing at COVID testing and vaccination sites around Milwaukee?”
When you look at a map of Wisconsin, it’s covered in names that remind us of this country’s original inhabitants. Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Kinnickinnic — all words derived from Native American languages.
At the corner of North Shepard Avenue and East Locust Street, there are standalone brick pillars. Listener Eric Kowalik wondered where the structures came from and what they were for.
People have a lot of questions when they come to the Milwaukee County Zoo. But the most the important one may be this: how did all of these animals even get here?
With the help of former Milwaukee Braves and a local historian, we look back at the celebrations after the Braves became World Series Champions in 1957.
On May 4, 1989, two Milwaukee celebrities — Bob Reitman and Gene Mueller, hosts of the popular WKTI morning show Reitman and Mueller — were featured as barflies on the popular sitcom Cheers. Bubbler Talk looks into how this came about.
Eileen Hosmanek was walking her dogs with her daughter on Milwaukee's Lower East Side and came across something quite strange: the Near Here plaque.
Riverwest resident Lindsey Goding came upon a mystery bridge above the Milwaukee River when she moved to the Milwaukee neighborhood a few years ago. Together, for Bubbler Talk, we uncover its purpose.
Baseball great Hank Aaron passed away this year and will be honored at the Major League All Star Game on Tuesday. So, we thought we'd finally bring to the plate a Bubbler Talk question from 2017 that asks about Aaron statues in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is known as a city of breweries. But Bubbler Talk question asker Tom Targos has noticed another alcohol industry growing in Wisconsin — craft distilleries.
For this week's Bubbler Talk, WUWM's Audrey Nowakowski looks into why Milwaukeeans love their pizza topped with cheese, sausage, mushroom and onions.
On this week’s Bubbler Talk, WUWM's Marti Mikkelson gives an update on the shuttering of iconic Up And Under Pub on Milwaukee's Brady Street last September.
The near south side of Milwaukee has long been home to the city’s Mexican community, where food has always been an important part of the culture. This week's Bubbler Talk explores the history of one family's longtime restaurant — Luna's Texas Restaurant.
On this Bubbler Talk, we learn about the history behind the stained glass windows found in Milwaukee bungalows.
For more than 20 years, families gathered around their radios during the holidays to hear the Billie the Brownie show, featuring Billie, Santa Claus and Captain Larry.