Reporter Stephanie Schorow, author of Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston, describes the fire that burned down the Boston nightclub Cocoanut Grove in 1942. Schorow looks at the social, medical, and legal repercussions of the fire; myths and misconceptions that surround the fire; and Boston's collective memory of the fire.
Author Nancy Schultz, author of Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834, describes the burning down of a Roman Catholic convent and elite boarding school in 19th-century Boston; and discusses its causes.
Susan Wilson, author of Boston Sites and Insights: A Guide to Historical Landmarks, examines Boston landmarks, from the African Meeting House and the famously misunderstood Bunker Hill, to reveal the lesser-known stories and facts about them. Her presentation includes slides.
A panel discusses and debates the troubled desegregation of schools in Little Rock, AR, and the move towards desegregation in general. Ernest Green, one of the nine African American students who attended Little Rock's desegregated school, speaks as one of the panelists.
Mayor of Hiroshima Tadatoshi Akiba describes the effects of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima on the city and on the lives of the survivors, and calls for nuclear disarmament.
Two scholars present papers on the history of slavery, the slave trade, and African-American life in New England. The papers are "Creoles and Colonization: African Colonization Movements in Rhode Island and Nova Scotia in the Age of the American Revolution" and "William Lanson and the Vagaries of Early Free Black Life in New Haven, Connecticut, 1800-1831."
Historian Anthony Sammarcora follows the history of molasses in the 18th-century United States, looking at its importance to the world economy, its connection with the slave trade, and the Boston molasses flood.
Video (with or without captions) and audio options are available.
Historian Dorris Fanelli discusses the site of the first presidential "White House" in Philadelphia and the discovery that George Washington brought many of his slaves to work there. This discovery led to a new kind of public history and the creation of a commemorative site near the Liberty Bell Center.
Historian Charlie Bahne fleshes out the historical context of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, discussing the role of tea in everyday colonial life and reexamining the event from a modern perspective.
An mp3 version of the lecture may be downloaded.
Author Iris Chang follows the history of Chinese immigration in the U.S., the alternating acceptance and tension between Chinese Americans and "mainstream" U.S. society, and Chinese-American experiences in the U.S. Her presentation includes a question-and-answer session.