September 15, 1875: Increase Lapham, Wisconsin's first scientist and scholar, died from a heart attack while fishing on a lake near his home. Lapham, who moved to Milwaukee in 1836 to work for the Rock River Canal Company, had a wide range of interests in such fields as botany, geology, cartography, horticulture and history. He was the author of the first book published in Wisconsin, "Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin" in 1844. He was a leader in the development of the National Weather Service. Lapham served as the president of the Wisconsin Historical Society and chief geologist of Wisconsin.