FACT #1: Did you know that in Wisconsin’s Madison the State Capitol is the landmark of the entire city? No buildings built in Madison may be taller or overshadow the State Capitol. This building is to be the tallest throughout the city at all times and can clearly be seen downtown.

FACT #2: Another interesting fact about Madison is that there is a well-known National Public Radio (NPR) personality by the name of Michael Feldman in the city. There is an old and comical show on the radio called “Whad’Ya Know” that he is the host of. It is so alive that there is interaction among its listeners. The commentary on the radio show gives a sense of a game show occurring. Michael Feldman is live on the radio when Saturday mornings roll around. This popular personality has fans from out of town arriving in the city limits eager to meet him. Anyone is free to obtain ticket information by making phone contact at the number (608) 262-2201.

FACT #3: Moving along, did you know that James Madison is the man behind the name of the capital of Wisconsin? He is the United States’ fourth president. James Doty, who was a judge of the federal district at the baby stages of Madison’s birth and when no settlement was yet existent, made it his mission to make Madison the capital of the state of Wisconsin. He proposed the idea to use the names signed on the Constitution by statesmen to be the name of streets and presented it to the officials. And as result, there are also street names that have the name of Madison assigned to them.

FACT #4: The next interesting fact about Madison would include the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This university is not unlike other large universities when it comes to their athletics department. Their Badger teams have a rather vigorously loyal fan base. In basketball and hockey for both genders there is the Kohl Center, which is the latest addition for the athletes. In addition, it provides a great deal of space for all of their loyal fans to clap, scream with enthusiasm and cheer them on to victory. The Kohl Center may also be used for concerts, graduations and championships for high school students. Other uses include corporate meetings as well as special events when there are no games planned.

FACT #5: Then there is Frank Lloyd Wright who the next interesting fact is about. He is the renowned architect of the world, who considered Madison his home where he was raised during the teenage-years of his life. About one hour from the west side of Madison in a country town called Spring Green, Frank Lloyd Wright had an uncle who owned a farm. It was then that he had taken an extreme liking to architecture. Taliesin was his estate in that area that was destroyed completely by a servant who torched the estate. During this time, Wright experienced a tragic death of his female companion along with a total of six residents there. The one responsible of the events that transpired at that time was known to be the servant. Wright rose above the horror and losses that he had gone through and rebuilt the place he loved: Taliesin.

FACT #6: Madison has about four lakes that are along the borders of this land. There is a bit of a debate about the names of these lakes and the meaning of the names given to them.

+ Lake Mendota is defined as an evening lake or the term great.
+ Lake Monona means either beautiful, spirit or the morning lake.
+ Lake Waubesa is the lake that is associated with swans.
+ Lake Kegonsa is the lake that refers to fish.
+ Lake Wingra is commonly known to be the lake of the dead or the dead lake since the perimeters are quite marshy.

Between the last two lakes shown above, Lake Wingra and Lake Kegonsa, the debate is which one is a part of the “Four Lakes.” A group of Caucasian surveyors decided to give the lakes Indian names. However, this particular group was not originally part of the Winnebago monikers.

FACT #7: Madison has an impressive number of bicyclists in its city who enjoy the bike paths that stretch nearly one hundred miles. There are amazing scenic routes along the bike trail loop of Lake Monona and the UW Arboretum – among other trails. Some people in the local area even tend to think that bicycles outnumber vehicles within the city of Madison.

FACT #8: Madison is not only said to be the home town for Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect, but also to Tyne Daly, who is a well-known actor along with Chris Farley. In addition, Madison is home to Eric Heiden (speed-skating’s Olympic gold medalist) and John Bardeen (scientist to win the Nobel Prize). Bardeen even had a hand in the invention of the transistor. And Thornton Wilder’s home is Madison. He is an author who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for playwright.

FACT #9: In the year of 1967, the the life of Otis Redding ended when his airplane of two engines crashed into the Lake of Monona. At that time, he was actually flying from Cleveland, Ohio into the city of Madison, Wisconsin. He was twenty-six years of age. A sixties song he had done, “Dock of the Bay,” is still a song to remember.

FACT #10: The name the “Badgers” that represent both the state of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison actually came from settlers earlier in the nineteenth-century. This group was into the mining industry, specifically for lead. They spent so much time working that they dug shelters in the shafts of old mines. This was to offer protection from any surrounding elements and made it convenient for them to sleep nearby their work. Due to how it all turned out, the “badgers” name was born and has not changed to this day.