19 Facts About Milwaukee You Never Knew Were True
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E Jamar
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Milwaukee is known for many things… from beer, to great food, art, and everything in between—this is one city that isn’t short of interesting things. Here are 19 awesome facts that we bet you didn’t know about!
You can find a lot at the public museum: an exhibit that replicates the historic streets of Milwaukee, a room where you’ll be engulfed in real butterflies, but most people don’t know that the dinosaur exhibit is also home to the world’s largest T-rex head!
If you find yourself walking down the RiverWalk on a warm summer day, you may run into a friend. There’s a bronze statue of the Fonz (from Happy Days) giving the thumbs up to our lovely river. You won’t want to miss this photo opportunity.
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Our art museum doesn’t just move the hearts of its visitors, the building itself move!. The Milwaukee Art Museum is one of the only museums to have a moveable part. The wings of the "Calatrava" open in the morning to welcome visitors and close at night... it's a magnificent sight.
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Christopher Latham Sholes invented the QWERTY typewriter, and he did it right here in Milwaukee. After the inventor moved to the city to write for a newspaper, he created a "typewriting machine," now known as the typewriter.
"Slice of Ice" in Red Arrow Park is an ice rink that can comfortably fit 100 skaters. It even has a warming house that sells Starbucks!
The East Side theater has played Rocky Horror every month since January of 1978!
If you haven’t been to a Wave game, you’re missing out. This indoor soccer team has been around since 1984, and is still going strong today.
In the early 1930s, Alfred Woelbing began creating Carmex lip balm on his stove top to relieve his cold sores. He then began selling the product out of the trunk of his car before, eventually renting a facility in Milwaukee. The popular yellow-capped lip balm is still manufactured in a Milwaukee suburb.
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Even though we all have voicemails nowadays, the first commercially successful answering machine was made successful by two Wisconsin business men, Joseph Zimmerman and George Danner.
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With 900,000 attendees and 1,000 performances over 11 days, Summerfest is the world’s largest music festival. It’s only fitting that the giant fest put down roots here, as we are the "City of Festivals."
Miller Park has a retractable roof... and it's fun to watch every time.
In 1844, Pabst was born!
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The Polar Plunge has been a New Year's Day tradition since 1916. To start the new year out right, Milwaukeeans strip down to jump in Lake Michigan. To get in the spirit, some people dress up—the crazier, the better.
The skywalk that crosses over the Milwaukee River is the only skywalk that exists over boat traffic.
Holler House is a great place to grab a drink, but you can also roll a strike at the oldest bowling alley in the U.S.
Sad, but true; during a speech in 1916, former president Teddy Roosevelt was shot in the chest at point-blank range. The assassination was not successful, due to a glasses case and manuscript in his chest pocket. Roosevelt then went on to finish the speech, with the bullet still in him.
Some know that Milwaukee was built on swampland, but there is actually a lake underneath the city! Lake Emily is located under the old Northwestern Mutual home office, and we're working hard to preserve it. Workers check the basement regularly and add water when needed.
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In early records, the city was spelled as "Milwaukie." We like the new spelling better.
Did you know these interesting Milwaukee facts? Let us know below!
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