Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Timeline History: 1920-1939

Today in Labor History: Wisconsin Issues First Unemployment Compensation Check

Read More About It

"Web site highlights history of state programs for workers" by Stan Milam, The Capital Times, August 25, 2002

"The History of Wisconsin: War, a New Era, and Depression, 1914-1940" by Paul W. Glad

Vocabulary:

unemployment

compensation

Interesting Fact:

The check is on file as a historic document at the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Study Questions:

What is unemployment compensation and why was it so important?

How much does the state of Wisconsin pay each year in unemployment compensation?

Why did Neils Rudd receive unemployment compensation? What was his line of work?

U.S. historical events that occurred on August 17:

1969: Hurricane Camille kills 248 people as it slams into the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

August 17

August 17, 1936: The first state unemployment check, in the amount of $15, was issued to Neils Rudd. Wisconsin was the first state in the country to offer an unemployment compensation program.

Wisconsin History Day By Day homepage January - December calendar page

August 17, 1936: The first state unemployment check, in the amount of $15, was issued to Neils Rudd. Wisconsin was the first state in the country to offer an unemployment compensation program.