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Explore Dungeons & Dragons’ Wisconsin origins with PBS Wisconsin Education’s ‘The Look Back’
January 13, 2025 Leave a Comment
PBS Wisconsin Education’s digital series The Look Back returns for a second season of exploring eras from Wisconsin’s history through artifacts, including a Dungeons & Dragons booklet from the role-playing game’s Wisconsin birthplace.
The collection, created for learners in grades 4-6, features episodes hosted by Wisconsin-based historians who share artifacts, ask questions, visit archives and museums, tell the story of their findings and make connections to our lives today.
The most recent episode, Dice in the Dairyland: The History of Dungeons & Dragons, examines the origin story of Dungeons & Dragons right here in Wisconsin. From the first printing of the Dungeons & Dragons booklet in January 1974 to the beloved game played around the world, the hosts in this episode take educators and learners to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, as they learn about the history of the game, with plenty of role-play along the way.
“Season two of The Look Back continues to provide a unique look into Wisconsin history, including this worldwide phenomenon that started in our state,” said PBS Wisconsin Education executive producer Ryan Hendricks.
Other artifacts featured so far this season include an airway beacon tower from the Kelch Aviation Museum; the Pottawatomie Lighthouse in Door County; tall-tale postcards that made the Midwest look plentiful; and circus artifacts from Circus World in Baraboo.
Explore The Look Back for free online!
The Look Back was made in collaboration with the Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries, UW–Madison’s Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History, Wisconsin educators and learners, and museums around the state.
