Wisconsin Governor Leonard J. Farwell abolished the death penalty after the state’s only execution went horribly wrong. A man was hanged for killing his wife. But something didn’t go right and onlookers watched him suffer for over half an hour. This law still stands today.

The capital of Wisconsin, Madison is named after former President James Madison. The former president had then recently passed away and they used the city to honor his memory.

Wisconsin originally got it’s name from “Ouisconsin” a old name for the Wisconsin river which was named by Native Americans. It’s original meaning has been lost into history, but theories usually pin it down to something that matches the river. Like “red stone place”, “gathering of the waters”, or “great rock” for example.