July 15, 2009
What We’re Reading: July 16, 2009 Edition
This week’s What We’re Reading explores President Obama’s recent meetings with historians, conservation training on the road, a look at a 200 year old murder mystery, and lesson plans on EDSITEments calendar. Also, check out a collection of Soviet posters and cartoons and on demand classic movies.
- Obama’s Secret Meeting With Historians
In an effort to learn from the mistakes of presidents past, President Obama recently held a dinner with nine historians, including, to list a few, Michael Beschloss, H. W. Brands, Douglas Brinkley, Robert Dallek, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. - Traveling Archivist To Bring Conservation Training
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources recently announced a new “Traveling Archivist” program through the North Carolina Office of Archives & History. “The Traveling Archivist will demonstrate hands-on preservation and collection techniques and practices to safeguard the rare and precious materials from damage or deterioration.” - Was Explorer Meriwether Lewis Murdered?
Though historians for centuries have written off Meriwether Lewis’ tragic death at the age of 35 as a suicide, his descendents are not quite as easily convinced. They’re currently arguing their case to the National Park Service to let them dig up the explorer’s bones for investigation. Lewis’ descendents have even created a website (Solve the Mystery) detailing the explorer’s life and mysterious death. - EDSITEment Calendar
From EDSITEment’s calendar this week: celebrating Woody Guthrie’s birthday in 1912 with the Music Across America lesson plan, noting the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 with a WWI Documentary Chronology, remembering that Congress declared Washington, DC, the permanent capital of the U.S. today in 1790 with A Landmark Lesson: The United States Capitol building, and more. - Views and Re-Views: Soviet Political Posters and Cartoons
From the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, a collection of Soviet political posters and cartoons. - Hollywood Classics by Warner Archive
The New Yorker reports on the classic movies from the 1920’s through 1980’s now available on demand through the Warner Archive for around $20 each. For more information check out this CNET article.
Contributors: Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
