Bubbler Talk

The Midwest was a major hub for industry — middle wage jobs, strong unions, thriving neighborhoods. And then, over decades, they went away, and whole cities were devastated.

Why do Midwestern cities have such strong associations with certain hot dogs or sausages? In Milwaukee, it’s the bratwurst. In Chicago, the Chicago dog. Detroit has the Coney dog.

Have you ever wondered how the art you admire gets to the museum? Bubbler Talk explores the art of moving masterpieces.

A WUWM employee noticed a pattern on her drives between Milwaukee and Illinois, and wondered whether Walworth County is a magnet for severe weather.

Bowling is a beloved American pastime. The sport's roots run deep in Milwaukee, which previously held the title of "America’s Bowling Capital."

Steampunk is a subculture where people express themselves through Victorian-era costumes with a science fiction twist. For Bubbler Talk, we’ll learn about how southeastern Wisconsin is a major steampunk hub.

In urban areas, parcels of undeveloped land are becoming rarer and rarer. One of them is Seminary Woods in St. Francis.

In the mid-1900s, a Racine man named Anton Kratochvil built more than 20 round or semi-circular houses and apartments in southeast Wisconsin. But why round?

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. To close out the season, we listen to Maayan Silver’s story about ice cream cocktails and their connection to Milwaukee. Stories mentioned in this episode: Ice Cream Cocktails, Milwaukee-Style What Happened to Milwaukee's Signature Yeast Smell? What's that smell when you drive over Milwaukee's Hoan Bridge? A Mystery Tree Grows In Milwaukee Just in time for Valentine's Day: The 'blind date cookie' and its Milwaukee connection There's a radio haunting this century-old Milwaukee area bar Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Ann-Elise Henzl’s 2017 story about how Milwaukee got the nickname “Cream City.” Mentioned in this episode: How Milwaukee Got The Nickname 'Cream City' Cream City brick: From Ice Age glaciers to Milwaukee's early strip malls In Wisconsin, A Bloody Mary Isn't Complete Unless It Has A Beer Chaser The saga of Milwaukee's water tower dragon WUWM 2026 Election Survey Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Susan Bence’s stranger-than-fiction 2018 story about a restaurant where you could dine with dolphins. Stories mentioned in this episode: Dining With Dolphins: Remembering Milwaukee's 'Most Unusual' Restaurant Did You Know There's An Ancient Coral Reef in Wauwatosa? Swimming The Milwaukee River: Should You Jump In? Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Lake Effect executive producer Becky Mortensen’s story about the legend of the Pfister Hotel being haunted. Stories mentioned in this episode: The legend of the Pfister Hotel ghost Unearthing the history of Milwaukee’s celery farms Where are the victims of the Bay View Massacre buried? Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Xcaret Nuñez’s 2024 story: “What happens when an animal at the Milwaukee County Zoo dies?” Stories mentioned in this episode: What happens when an animal at the Milwaukee County Zoo dies? Meet Ringo: The star, artist and friend of Bradford Beach Unearthing the history of Milwaukee’s celery farms The search for the mystery artist behind the wooden birds on the Oak Leaf Trail Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Teran Powell’s 2022 story “A look at Milwaukee's early Black settlers,” and talk with Teran about her Bubbler Talk reporting. Stories mentioned in this episode: A look at Milwaukee's early Black settlers Painted Koi Fish Have Been 'Swimming' On Milwaukee's Sidewalks For Over A Decade Who’s behind ‘The Unsung Hero,’ the 6-story mural in Milwaukee’s Third Ward? Cathedral Square's 'Immigrant Mother' statue symbolizes universal motherhood The Morris Pratt Institute has been a source of Spiritualist education for more than a century Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Audrey Nowakowski’s delicious 2019 story “Cruller Or Kruller? However You Spell It, It's A Milwaukee Doughnut Staple.” Stories mentioned in this episode: Cruller Or Kruller? However You Spell It, It's A Milwaukee Doughnut Staple The journey of the ancestral pole that once stood outside of the Milwaukee Public Museum How Enderis Park neighborhood's namesake, Dorothy Enderis, shaped Milwaukee Recreation An Ode To Craftsmanship: Stained Glass Windows In Milwaukee Bungalows Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. This week, we listen to Emily Files’ 2019 story “The saga of Milwaukee's water tower dragon.” Stories mentioned in this episode: The saga of Milwaukee's water tower dragon Did you know the Milwaukee Safety Academy used to be a Catholic girls school? Milwaukee's Lost Town Of Lake How Granville Township Became Part Of Milwaukee Why is Thiensville landlocked by Mequon? Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee is the result of 'healing' after a military past Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

WUWM is celebrating 10 years of Bubbler Talk, our series driven by listeners’ curiosity. We’re listening back to some of our favorite episodes from the last decade and talking with the reporters who brought them to life. To kick it off, we listen to the very first Bubbler Talk episode: “Why do Wisconsinites call that a bubbler, anyway?” by Joy Powers. Stories mentioned in this episode: Why Do Wisconsinites Call That A Bubbler, Anyway? Where are the victims of the Bay View Massacre buried? How to research historic properties in Milwaukee Have a question for Bubbler Talk? Submit it here: wuwm.com/bubblertalk.

A bronze statue of an immigrant mother with two children has stood in Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square since 1960. One of our "Bubbler Talk" listeners wanted to know more.

Along I-94 near American Family Field, a group of cemeteries line the freeway. A Bubbler Talk listener wanted to know more about them.

For this episode of Bubbler Talk, we explore the history of immigrants who made Milwaukee a "German Athens."

Milwaukee's Skylight Music Theater was designed to look like the Théâtre de la Coup d'Or in Rochefort, France. Here's how it happened.

The blind date cookie has been around for centuries. A Bubbler Talk listener wanted to learn how the sweet's origins are connected to Milwaukee.

Marquette University is technically the third home of the St. Joan of Arc Chapel, which was built in France around 1420.

It’s mostly apartments and offices now, but Milwaukee’s downtown Plankinton Building used to be a grand shopping arcade.

A group of Milwaukee tumblers has been soaring through the air and wowing crowds. One listener wanted to know more.

For Bubbler Talk, we hit the road to try to answer the question: why is Milwaukee missing so many street signs? And what can residents do about it?

Beavers have been reintroduced into Milwaukee's waterways for over a decade. A Bubbler Talk listener wanted to know more.

Celery is green, crunchy and flavorful. But did you know it also has a history in Milwaukee? "Bubbler Talk" takes a deep dive into this little-known chapter of the city’s history.

One Bay View building is not like the others. Bay View Terrace is 25-story condominium surrounded by single family homes.

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.

An all-girls Catholic High School opened on Milwaukee's northwest side in 1965. Six years later, it shut down. What happened?

Discover Milwaukee’s Water Current Walking Tour with "Bubbler Talk," exploring public art, water innovation and hidden gems along the city’s rivers.

A historical marker used to recognize one of the last remaining Native American burial mounds in Milwaukee County. For "Bubbler Talk," we learn why it was removed and what's next for the sacred burial site.

Bubbler Talk investigates a military plane crash on Milwaukee's Jones Island in 1959, and its connection the annual Air and Water Show.

A massive mural in Milwaukee's Third Ward features a seated female figure wearing an apron. Her hands are crossed at the wrist and rest on her knees. But the painting stops at her shoulders. Who is behind "The Unsung Hero"?

A Bubbler Talk listener sent us a question asking why Wisconsin's only urban state forest, Havenwoods, was created.

For Bubbler Talk, we explore the history of Silver City, National Park and the neighborhood's former amusement park.

The Bay View Massacre was a pivotal moment in Wisconsin's labor and political history, but not much is known about the victims. In this Bubbler Talk we explore who they were and where they're buried.

Sheepshead is a card game played throughout Wisconsin. But where did it come from? And what's up with all the different rules? Answers ahead in this episode of "Bubbler Talk."

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.

In 1971, Indigenous activists ripped the plywood off the abandoned Coast Guard station in Milwaukee's McKinley Park and occupied it. They successfully shaped the future, and a mysterious bridge remains.

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.

For about 20 years, the Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra performed at the Grand Avenue Mall. Where did the animatronic bears go?

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?

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.

Northridge Mall was one of several large suburban malls built in the 1960s and '70s. It was at the far northwestern edge of Milwaukee — at 76th Street and Brown Deer Road. But the glory days didn’t last. The mall closed 15 years ago and has gone into extended limbo.

Earlier this year, wildfires ravaged Los Angeles for almost a month. Destroying historical landmarks and reshaping the city forever. It got a "Bubbler Talk" listener thinking: How have Milwaukee fires shaped the city? Where and how did the fires start?

On this week's episode of "Bubbler Talk," we answer a question about what happens to homes that are sold to cash buyers advertising around Milwaukee.

"Bubbler Talk" listeners Amy Gajewski and Victor Muñoz are certified scuba divers with an interest in shipwrecks. That’s why they want to know: Why are there so many shipwrecks in Lake Michigan, especially off the coast of the Milwaukee area?

This "Bubbler Talk" takes us to the Milwaukee Public Market. Or rather, you could say something calls us to the market: it's signature colorful rooster logo. We find out what it represents and how it reflects the inspiration behind the 20-year-old iconic Milwaukee food hall.