Isaac Rowlett
@isaacrowlett.bsky.social
5K followers 1.1K following 4K posts
Exploring Wisconsin’s past, present and future He/him Views = mine only
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isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Did you know the “weekend” and working only 8 hours per day used to be considered a radical, liberal idea?

139 years ago today, in Bay View, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 7 workers (including a 13 yo) lost their lives to advance this revolutionary idea.

A 🧵
Black and white etching-style triptych showing 8 hours for work on the left, 8 hours for rest in the middle, and 8 hours for “what we will” on the right
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
midwestache.bsky.social
On my best day, I could not describe this to someone. My gauge would be my Mom or my brother — but I couldn’t do it.
cjzero.bsky.social
what in the hell just happened in Milwaukee
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Boston, MA — 165 years ago today

Taken from a hot air balloon, this photo is one of the first examples of urban aerial photography.

It pre-dates the US Civil War and it was taken more than 40 years before the Wright brothers’ first airplane flight.
Aerial photo of Boston from 1860 showing densely packed multistory buildings
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
theserfstv.bsky.social
I remember when people were debating if Israel would actually strike a single hospital while they were leveling an entire civilization
Complete and total destruction of Jabalia camp in Gaza
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
trustedreveler.bsky.social
LA: we will fight you.

Chicago: we will fight you.

PDX: we will make you endure week after week of of improv theater.
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
alanrichardson.bsky.social
I cannot in good conscience recommend that my undergraduate or masters students go to graduate school in the USA. I will support them if they apply but I cannot recommend it to them. This is a change from 30 years of practice in which that was my strongest recommendation.
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Milwaukee, Wisconsin — 2025

Named for the abolitionist activist, newspaper editor and civil war hero Rufus King, this Art Moderne gem on Milwaukee’s North Side is consistently rated one of the best public high schools in Wisconsin.
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

N 29th & Fond Du Lac in the Amani neighborhood
Painting of a woman’s face on a fence with a treat behind it that resembles hair
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
What a gorgeous photo — well done, @lerual.bsky.social!
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Milwaukee a la René Magritte
Aerial photo of large and well-defined clouds out over Lake Michigan with downtown Milwaukee visible in the bottom right
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Milwaukee, 43 years ago today
By Paul G. Hayes of The Journal Staff
Milwaukee burst with unrestrained joy Sunday night because its baseball team had brought home the American League pennant.
It was a party unmatched in the memories. that large fraction of people 25 years old and younger who attended.
For happiness, its nearest rival was 25 years ago, a party for the world champion Milwaukee Braves. For public affection, you had to go back to the end of World War II. For drinking, it might have surpassed Milwaukee's celebration of the end of Prohibition.
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Milwaukee, 43 years ago tomorrow

“The Brewers won the American League Pennant, joining the 79th World Series against the National League's St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers became the first team ever to win the League Championship Series after being down 0-2.” — Wisconsin Historical Society
Black and white photo of people celebrating the Brewers victory Black and white photo of people filling the street celebrating the Brewers victory Black and white photo of people celebrating the Brewers victory. One guy standing on a car holds a sign that reads “ain’t no stopping us now” Black and white photo of people celebrating the Brewers victory
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
them: you seem distracted. Is something on your mind?

me:
Black and white photo of Milwaukee’s city hall and environs in the early 1900s
Reposted by Isaac Rowlett
eji.org
On this day in 1953, a Birmingham police commissioner banned an interracial All-Star baseball game organized by Jackie Robinson since it was a "mixed athletic event."
Oct. 8, 1953 | Jackie Robinson and Others Banned From Playing Interracial Baseball in AL
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Wisconsin, 154 years ago today

Drought leads several small fires to spread across the state, ultimately claiming 1200+ lives & 1.2 million acres.

Occurring the same day as the Great Chicago & Michigan Fires, the Peshtigo Fire remains the deadliest fire in recorded US history.
Map of the Peshtigo fire in eastern Wisconsin in 1871 Illustration of people and animals finding safety in a body of are during the enormous Peshtigo fire Illustration of people fleeing to the water for safety during the Peshtigo fire Black and white photo of a decimated town in the wake of the Peshtigo fire
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
251 years ago today: Britain passes the “Quebec Act,” which cedes control of the future state of Wisconsin (as well as much of the Midwest) to Canada.

This act infuriated American colonists and fueled the anger that would build into the American revolution 6 months later.
Map of Quebec in 1774, which at the time included much of what is today the Midwest of the United States
isaacrowlett.bsky.social
Congratulations, and kudos! Thank you for sharing that — it means a lot