Author and journalist Simon Winchester examines the 1906 California earthquake, which devastated San Francisco. He focuses on the geology that allowed this earthquake and the historical impact of the quake.
Professor Mitchell Zuckoff follows the life of Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi (1882-1949), legendary con man who set up the Securities Exchange Company, which promised investors massive returns on their investments based on the buying and trading of international postal reply coupons. The scheme, begun around 1918, collapsed in 1920 after the Boston Post revealed it to the public. The presentation includes slides.
Audio and video options are available.
COO of the New England Genealogical Society D. Brenton Simons explores the criminal history of colonial Boston. He examines such issues as murders and murderers, including a serial murderer; con men; and witch trials. His presentation includes slides.
Audio and video options are available.
Professor Nina Silber traces the emergence of a new sense of self and citizenship among the women left behind by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Silber argues that women found themselves at a disadvantage, with their husbands away, in a male-dominated society; but also found new, active roles for themselves in politics and support.
Boston Historical Society editor Helen R. Deese discusses the 45-volume diary of Boston Transcendentalist, feminist, writer, and reformer Caroline Healey Dall (1822-1912). Deese focuses on the thorough, extensive picture of the life of a 19th-century woman that the diaries represent.
Preservation consultant Pamela Wilkinson Fox discusses historic country houses and mansions outlying the Boston area. Fox follows the trend of the rich and famous building country homes and communities along Massachusett's North Shore (Essex County), beginning in the 19th century. Her presentation includes slides.
Audio and video options are available.
Photographer and writer Susan Wilson outlines the "Literary Trail" of Boston—tracking the history of significant writers in Boston through the historical sites related to their lives remaining in the city. Wilson focuses specifically on female writers.
Professor Karen Ordahl Kupperman and historian Walter W. Woodward examine the history of the Jamestown colony in-depth, focusing on the personalities involved, including John Smith.
Historian Charles Bahne covers the history of Cambridge's Brattle Street, an elegant Massachusetts residential thoroughfare and historic district. He treats the topic chronologically and looks at the buildings and residents that have occupied the street.
New England Victorian Society president Ed Gordon explores the history of Charlestown in the Victorian era, looking at the many Victorian structures that remain today. The presentation includes slides.
The lecture audio can be downloaded separately.