Videos

Professor Martin Sherwin talked about the Manhattan Project, beginning with the discovery of fission in 1938 through the use of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.…

CIA chief historian David Robarge talked about the evolving nature of the relationship between presidents and their CIA directors, and how it is influenced by the president’s needs and inter…

Constitutional law Professor Kermit Roosevelt presented a talk titled: “The Constitution and Declaration of Independence: A Contrary View.” Professor Roosevelt, the great-great-grandson of T…

John Farrell talked about the influence of Richard Nixon’s early life and career on his presidency, and how the two, he argues, ultimately led to his downfall. Mr. Farrell is the author of R…

The Smithsonian Associates hosted a panel discussion on the 2018 midterm elections. U.S. News and World Report's Ken Walsh moderated the event.

University of Maryland history professor Richard Bell examined why American Revolution loyalists chose to remain on the British side, what the Revolution was like for them, and how their liv…

Sally Quinn talked about her book Finding Magic, in which she discusses her life, career, and faith. She spoke with journalists Bob Woodward and Elsa Walsh.

Professor James Rentfrow talked about how the U.S. Navy evolved in the 20 years between the Spanish-American War and World War I, when the Naval Act of 1916 introduced submarines and institu…

Historian Paul Quigley talked about international perspectives on the U.S. Civil War. He argued that the South’s separatist movement aligned with other European movements for independence an…

Pollsters, reporters, and political scholars anazlyed the 2016 campaign and presidential election results. Other topics discussed included voter turnout and demographics, public polling, the…

Clayton Laurie talked about how, during the Civil War, both sides used new intelligence techniques that influenced the outcomes of key battles. This event was hosted by the Smithsonian Assoc…

U.S. Supreme Court observers, including attorneys who had argued before the court, previewed the 2014 term of the high court, which would begin in October, and what cases were likely to be t…

Donald Verrilli and Thomas Goldstein previewed cases on the Supreme Court’s docket for the 2013-2014 term. At the time of this event the court had cases on campaign finance, affirmative acti…

Former National Security Advisers Henry Kissinger and Stephen Hadley and former Deputy National Security Adviser James Steinberg discussed the issues that arose during their tenures. They we…

Five former presidential speechwriters discussed the role of presidential speechwriters throughout history and their relationships with the presidents they served. Topics included their asse…