Lectures/Talks - MNHS.ORG

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			Film Screening: 'Betty Mystique' Mill City Museum, Minneapolis MN Dates: Dec. 3, 2009 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: Free Join author and filmmaker Susan Marks for an evening celebrating the life and times of Betty Crocker. Marks will screen her short film "The Betty Mystique," answer questions about Betty Crocker and sign copies of her books (including "Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food" and the new "Historic Photos of Minnesota.") Marks' books will be available for purchase in the museum store. Mill City Museum is located within the National Historic Landmark Washburn A Mill complex, the birthplace of the company that created Betty Crocker in 1921. Susan Marks is a writer and documentary filmmaker. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history, as well as a master’s degree in liberal studies, with a focus on American studies, history, and film—from the University of Minnesota. History Lounge: The Inventive Mr. Jones Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN Dates: Dec. 8, 2009 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: Free Explore the complex life and mind of Minnesota inventor Frederick McKinley Jones, a self-taught engineer who tirelessly pursued innovations that would improve the lives of others. Jones pioneered new technology in areas ranging from communication and medical imaging to mobile refrigeration, eventually receiving 61 patents in his name. Join Society historian and educator Dwight Scott as he discusses how Jones faced down racial prejudice and his own demons to become one of the most accomplished inventors of the 20th century. This program is held in conjunction with the History Center exhibit "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World." For more information visit http://www.mnhs.org/benfranklin. See more events in this series See related events. Recreating an Early Twin Cities Christmas James J. Hill House, St. Paul MN Dates: Dec. 8, 2009 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: Tours: $8 adults, $6 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MHS members. Reservations: recommended, call 651-297-2555 Historian James Neagbour presents his popular illustrated talk on the history of Christmas celebrations in the Twin Cities from 1850 to 1940. The one hour talk will include comparisons, some surprising, to traditions, decorations, gifts and the preparation of Christmas dinner today. Light refreshments (coffee, cider, Christmas cookies—including Mrs. Hill’s own shortbread recipe) and tours of the Hill House will follow. The 12’ balsam Christmas tree will be decorated with ornaments from the early 1900s, recreated by Neagbour and others. Sorry, library passes are not valid for this program. World War II History Roundtable: The 82nd Airborne Division in the Battle of the Bulge Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul MN Dates: Dec. 10, 2009 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: $5, free for students. The German counteroffensive in the Ardennes was not broken at Bastogne, as popularly thought, but farther north. There, in the Salm River Valley, the 82nd Airborne Division turned back the German main effort and ended Hitler’s plans to turn the tide of war. Join Guy LoFaro, author of an upcoming book on the 82nd Airborne, and Division Veterans, for a lecture on the Battle of the Bulge. See more events in this series History Forum: Benjamin Franklin Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN Dates: Dec. 12, 2009 Time: 2 to 3:15 p.m. Fee: Individual tickets: $14; $10 MHS members, on sale September 21. Reservations: required, call 651-259-3015 or register online Talented polymath Benjamin Franklin focused most of his long life and his prodigious energy on politics. Through his own experiences in America’s early political and civic life, Franklin acquired a deep insight into the ways human nature complicates government and developed a clear-eyed, still relevant concept of the imperative role citizens must play in maintaining liberty and democracy. Explore Benjamin Franklin’s search for the keys to sustainable democracy with Lorraine Pangle, scholar of American political thought and ethics, author of "The Political Philosophy of Benjamin Franklin and Associate Professor of Government at the University of Texas-Austin." Forum guests are encouraged to tour the new History Center exhibit "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World" before of after the lecture. See more events in this series See related events. World War II History Roundtable: Soviet Military Leadership in World War II Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul MN Dates: Jan. 14, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: $5, free for students Join Roger Reese, author of numerous books on World War II Soviet military history, along with Russian veterans, for a lecture on Soviet soldiers’ leadership. Reese will discuss how recruitment and training from platoon level up to Marshal of the Soviet Union, determined performance in battle despite the effects of Stalin’s terror purges on leadership cadres. See more events in this series Minneapolis in the 20th Century with Iric Nathanson Mill City Museum, Minneapolis MN Dates: Jan. 14, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: Free Hear a free talk by author Iric Nathanson about the checkered history of Minneapolis based on his new book, "Minneapolis in the 20th Century: The Growth of an American City," published by MHS Press. Nathanson shines a light in dark corners of the city's past, exploring corruption that existed between the police department and city hall, brutal suppression of Depression-era unions and reports on anti-Semitism at midcentury. At the same time community leaders made a difference when racial violence exploded across the country, and concerned neighbors guided transportation policy from more and bigger highways to forward-looking light rail transit. By the end of the 20th century, the riverfront was transformed into a magnet for people wishing to live and play at the site where the city began to grow. Books will be available for purchase and Nathanson will sign copies. History Forum: General George Marshall Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN Dates: Jan. 30, 2010 Time: 2 to 3:15 p.m. Fee: Individual tickets: $14; $10 MHS members, on sale September 21. Reservations: required, call 651-259-3015 or register online A humble, but blunt and pragmatic planner, General George C. Marshall directed both the largest war-time army and the largest post-war recovery plan in U.S. history. After helping America win World War II, he sold us on the Marshall Plan to rebuild what had been destroyed, challenging the United States to lead in war and peace. Explore General Marshall’s quest to repair a world devastated by war with U.S. foreign relations and military history scholar and author of George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century, Mark A. Stoler, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Vermont. See more events in this series See related events. World War II History Roundtable: The Role of Bombers Against Germany The Role of Bombers Against Germany Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul MN Dates: Feb. 11, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: $5, free for students Author Williamson Murray will be joined by Army Air Forces Veterans for a lecture on the European Theater air war. The presentation will cover early struggles to the strategic developments that ensured the destruction of the Luftwaffe and Nazi war industry. Also, hear about the large numbers of Fort Snelling inductees who became trained flyers and crews. See more events in this series History Forum: Margaret Sanger Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN Dates: Feb. 20, 2010 Time: 2 to 3:15 p.m. Fee: Individual tickets: $14; $10 MHS members, on sale September 21. Reservations: required, call 651-259-3015 or register online As a public health nurse in the New York slums, Margaret Sanger worked with hundreds of mothers who wanted to ease their families’ path out of poverty by preventing unintended pregnancies, but had no safe way to do so. The experience inspired Sanger to launch a 50-year crusade to legalize birth control and sex education, altering American ideas about personal liberty along the way. Explore Margaret Sanger’s battle for women’s reproductive freedom with Ellen Chesler, historian and author of the Sanger biography "Woman of Valor," and director of Hunter College’s Eleanor Roosevelt Initiative on Women and Public Policy at Roosevelt House. See more events in this series See related events. History Forum: Frederick Douglass, In Search of A Better World Minnesota History Center, St. Paul MN Dates: March 6, 2010 Time: 2 to 3:15 p.m. Fee: Series subscription: $76; $54 MHS members, on sale September 1. Individual tickets: $14; $10 MHS members, on sale September 21, pending availability. Reservations: required, call 651-259-3015 or register online As a former slave who became one of America’s greatest social critics, Frederick Douglass spent a lifetime speaking truth to power. Motivated by a persistent faith in racial equality and a belief that ending slavery would save America’s soul, Douglass used the power of words to navigate the wilderness of pre-Civil War race relations, and helped guide the United States out of bondage. Explore Frederick Douglass’ quest for a path to equality with David Blight, leading Douglass scholar, two-time PBS historical advisor, award-winning author of "Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory," and Class of 1954 Professor of History at Yale University. See more events in this series See related events. World War II History Roundtable: The New Guinea Campaign Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul MN Dates: March 11, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: $5, free for students The much overlooked campaign in the Southwest Pacific and New Guinea landing were part of the Allies’ successful island hopping strategy. Many of the troops who fought this war in the jungles were from the 32nd Infantry Division, a Wisconsin National Guard unit. Join James Campbell, author of Ghost Mountain Boys, with Southwest Pacific Campaign Veterans for a lecture about the campaign. See more events in this series World War II History Roundtable: The Invasion of Anzio Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul MN Dates: April 8, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: $5, free for students Author, H. Paul Jeffers will be joined by Veterans for a presentation on the Invasion of Anzio. Despite early success of the surprise landing in late January 1944, savage fighting soon developed on the narrow 15-mile-long Anzio Beachhead south of Rome. By the breakout four months later, the Allies had lost nearly 30,000 men. See more events in this series World War II History Roundtable: Air Operations in the CBI: The Hump, Air Commandos and Air Cargo Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul MN Dates: May 13, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Fee: $5, free for students Air support in the CBI Theater was crucial to maintain ground operations; rugged and inhospitable terrain often made supply otherwise impossible. Cargo flights from India and over the Himalayas ("The Hump") kept China in the war and brought men, equipment and supplies into Burma to defeat the Japanese. This lecture is presented by author and historian Al Lathrop, with Veterans of the China Burma India Theater. See more events in this series