Highlights Archives
Two Days in October: Madison and Vietnam
"Two Days in October," a documentary film based on the book "They Marched Into Sunlight" by Pulitzer Prize-winning Wisconsin author David Maraniss, chronicles two parallel events in 1967 — a bloody battle between Viet Cong and U.S. troops on October 17, and the violence between protesters and police in Madison the next day. The documentary's story, told almost entirely through the eyes of participants, dramatically contrasts two events that had powerful after effects.
The Wisconsin Historical Society hosts a free preview of the film in its headquarters auditorium on Friday, October 7th, from 7 to 9 p.m. It will be shown nationwide on PBS 10 days later. Although the Friday showing is free, a reservation is required. Call 800-253-1158, or go to Wisconsin Public Television's Web site to reserve a seat.
You'll find background on the war and its protesters at Turning Points in Wisconsin History, pictures from Vietnam by Wisconsin journalist Dickey Chapelle, and images of anti-war demonstrations (including the one portrayed in the film) at Wisconsin Historical Images.
Three years after the events depicted in "Two Days in October," on August 24, 1970, bombers destroyed the Army Math Research Center in Sterling Hall on the Madison campus, killing an innocent bystander and deflating much of the anti-war movement's momentum. All that remains of the van that carried that bomb is featured in our regular Museum Object of Week feature, along with other images of that fateful event.
:: Posted October 6, 2005
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