Videos

Jean Baker recounts the life of birth control advocate Margaret Sanger (1879-1966). Ms. Sanger, schooled as a nurse, became a vocal proponent of educating women on the concepts of contracept…

Historians, journalists, and scholars talked about the history and future of birthright citizenship and immigration policy since Reconstruction.

To mark the 30th Anniversary of the Tenement Museum, co-founder Ruth Abram told the story of the building at 97 Orchard Street in New York’s Lower East Side. She described how the museum has…

David Oshinsky talked about his book, Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital. New York City’s Bellevue hospital was founded in 1736 and is the ol…

Professor Tyler Anbinder talked about his book City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York, in which he recalls four centuries of immigration to New York City. He was joi…

Panelists talked about three female political trailblazers from New York: former Representatives Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), the first African American woman elected to the United States Congre…

In her book Conscience, Louisa Thomas recounts the life of her great-grandfather, Norman Thomas, and his three brothers, who had conflicting views during World War I. The sons of a Presbyter…

Kevin Baker spoke with four descendants of garment workers employed at New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. They talked about the March 25, 1911 factory fire and about efforts to mem…

Stephanie Coontz, history and family studies professor at The Evergreen State College, talked about her book, A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the …

Mark Kantrowitz and Deanne Loonin talked about the impact of student loan debt on both students and parents. According to a recent ProPublica report, parents were being saddled with student …

Author Robert Sullivan discussed his book, My American Revolution: Crossing the Delaware and I-78, which explores the role of the middle colonies in the American Revolution. He also responde…

Panelists discussed the influence of Super PACs and non-profit political spending in the 2012 election. Topics included the differences between Super PACSs and 501(c)4 organizations, disclos…

In his book Steven Jaffe recounts the attacks on New York City, from its earliest days as a Dutch trading outpost through the 19th and 20th century. The author examines how each conflict aff…

Richard Zacks recounts stories of New York City in the 1890s, the hub of America’s manufacturing and financial world as well as the home of an alternate economy, marked by casinos, brothels,…

Michael Grabell, author of Money Well Spent?: The Truth Behind the Trillion-Dollar Stimulus, the Biggest Economic Recovery Plan in History, talked about the “American Recovery and Reinvestme…

Jonathan Soffer, associate history professor at New York University’s Polytechnic Institute, examines Ed Koch’s tenure as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Mr. Soffer recalls the dep…

Paul David Pope, the son of National Enquirer publisher Gene Pope, Jr., recounts the founding of the tabloid newspaper. Gene Pope, Jr., was the son of Generoso Pope, an Italian immigrant who…

Philip Dray presents a history of organized labor in America. The author recalls the first unions started in the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, the rise of organized labor, and the …

Andrew Ross talked about his book Nice Work if You Can Get It: Life and Labor in Precarious Times (NYU Press; April 1, 2009). In his book he surveys the new topography of the global workplac…

Samuel Kassow talked about Who Will Write Our History?: Rediscovering a Hidden Archive from the Warsaw Ghetto (Vintage; January 6, 2009). In the book he recounts the efforts by Polish histor…