Military historian Geoff Babb assesses the historical accuracy of the 1963 film 55 Days at Peking, which delivers an epic retelling of a central episode in China’s turn-of-the-20th-century Boxer Rebellion. It’s the latest installment of the Library’s Hollywood vs. History series in partnership with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
In a discussion of her book Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move Out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One, New York urban revitalization strategist and entrepreneur Majora Carter urges struggling, low-status communities to keep homegrown talent from moving away. Like the corporate world, she says, such areas need a retention plan. Her presentation continues the Library’s Making a Great City series.
Drop by the Plaza Branch’s Kid Corner anytime during this two-hour creative session. Learn to make your own ice cream, using simple ingredients and a little science know-how, and then enjoy a sundae. Supply kits are provided while they last. (Ages 3 and up)
Don Desko, founder and CEO of the B-25 History Project, recounts the value of America’s B-25 bomber to Allied efforts in World War II. Manufactured in Kansas City, Kansas, the aircraft saw perhaps its most notable action in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities in April 1942.
Bubble snakes? Square bubbles? Bubbles you can hold in your hand? Find out how any of this is physically possible as we explore the fun of bubbles! Recommended for ages 3 and up. Supplies are provided (while they last).
This year, prepare yourself for CAGE MATCH, a monthly pairing of two Nicolas Cage movies engaged in epic cinematic combat. Which films will be screened? That’s to be decided by YOU, the voting public.
Portraitist and muralist Desiree Kelly, who painted the bold, personality-infused images of 11 Black baseball players in the Library exhibition ‘The Nine’ and Other Works, discusses her style, inspirations, and award-winning career.
Historian Emilye Crosby of the State University of New York at Geneseo discusses the significance of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the crucial role that women – ordinary citizens at the grassroots level – played in its passage. Her presentation comes on the eve of Women’s Equality Day on August 26.