Elyse Luray of PBS's History Detectives speaks to Guillaume de Syon, author and expert on the Zeppelin, about the Hindenburg and the relationship between the U.S. and Germany at the time of the Hindenburg disaster.
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.
Both Thomas E. Heslin, editor of the Providence Journal, and Paul Edward Parker, a reporter from the paper, discuss their coverage of and investigations into a 2003 fire that killed 100 people at the Station Nightclub, near Providence, RI.
Bruce Twickler, writer and director of the film Damrell's Fire, describes the Great Boston Fire of 1872, emphasizing the role of Fire Chief John Damrell in minimizing loss of life to the fire.
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.
John Fish, director of the Historical Maritime Group, outlines the 1898 sinking of the New England passenger steamer Portland and his group's modern-day search for its remains. The lecture is accompanied by slides.
Audio and video options are available.
Professor Allen Gontz describes the techniques and technology used to search for sunken artifacts in the Boston Harbor and the wrecks found by these techniques, including those of the Magnifique (wrecked in 1782) and the Niagara (wrecked in 1897). The presentation includes slides.
President of Solimar Research Group looks at the history of natural and man-made disasters in Los Angeles over the past 40 years, focusing particularly on recent unrest beginning in 1992. He considers efforts to revitalize and unify the city in the wake of these events and whether these efforts have been successful.
Professor Edward T. Linenthal discusses the similarities and differences in cultural reactions to the events of September 11, 2001, and the aftermath of the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing of April 19, 1995. He explores the co-construction of narrative and memorial process in light of considerations for the World Trade Center and a memorial at the site.