The American War of Independence freed the 13 British colonies in North America from Crown rule and set the stage for the United States’ bold experiment in self-government. Drawing on primary sources, historian Christopher Hamner traces the war from its roots in the crises of the 1770s through the opening campaigns of the conflict, culminating in the American victories at Trenton and Princeton and an examination of British strategy in a springtime series. This session focuses on pre-American Revolution events from the Boston Massacre in 1770 to the battle at Bunker Hill in June 1775.
The three voyages of Captain James Cook from 1768 to 1779 were filled with high drama, tragedy, intrigue, and humor. Historian Justin M. Jacobs places Cook and his world in historical context, highlights his substantive connections with the Polynesian world, and examines his search for the “Great Southern Continent” and Northwest Passage.
Students discover the history, origins, and special characteristics of the Textura style of Blackletter calligraphy, one of the major typefaces in the history of Western typography. Learn the use of proper proportions and construction of minuscule and majuscule letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.
Willa Cather’s visits to Santa Fe in the 1920s with her partner, book editor Edith Lewis, inspired her to research and write the enduring novel she referred to as her best book. Author Garrett Peck examines how the Southwestern setting and spirit of Death Comes for the Archbishop is rooted in those travels.
Get ready for a spectacular party with a French accent! The annual month-long Francophonie Cultural Festival spotlights the music, art, literature, film, cuisine, and customs of French-speaking countries and regions from across the globe. One of the celebration’s highlights, La Grande Fête is always magnifique, and this year’s bash is no exception.
Ages 6 to 11. The Science Guys of Baltimore are back to teach us about the wild world of weather!
Thomas Aquinas transformed the Western intellectual tradition through his vast philosophical and theological work, especially the Summa theologiae. His vision has shaped thinkers and religious believers from his own era to today. Aquinas scholar Scott MacDonald explores some of the bold and perennially relevant ideas fundamental to Aquinas’ distinctively philosophical theology.
From ancient times to the present scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline as mathematics, which appears to have been a product of human thought, could so perfectly explain the natural world. In a fascinating presentation, astrophysicist Mario Livio explores why mathematics is a powerful lens through which to examine the cosmos.
