Lectures and Seminars
Expert speakers and engaging topics are the hallmarks of our lectures and seminars.
- Appetite for America Book Release and Lecture: Monday, April 5
- In the K/Now: Up in Smoke: Thursday, April 8
- Prohibition Seminar: America Goes Dry: Tuesday, April 13
- Prohibition Seminar: Get Capone!: Tuesday, April 27
- Prohibition Seminar: The Way We Drank: Tuesday, May 4
- Urban History Seminar: Select Thursdays, September
2009–May 2010
In the K/Now
This monthly series explores contemporary issues affecting life in Chicago.
Up in Smoke
Thursday, April 8, 6:30 p.m.
Stigmatized and criminalized, marijuana use has been prohibited since the early twentieth century. Yet, its popularity—especially in popular culture—combined with shifting societal attitudes has rekindled a debate about the legalization of marijuana. Join a lively debate about marijuana prohibition and voice your opinion in a public forum. Presented in collaboration with the McCormick Freedom Project.
Cost:
Free; reservations required.
Save the date
The next In the K/Now will be Tuesday, May 11.
Appetite for America Book Release and Lecture
Monday, April 5, 7:00-7:45 p.m.
Join us as special guest
Stephen Fried launches his newest book Appetite
for America at the Chicago History Museum!
At this official book release, Fried will explore the stories of how visionary businessman Fred Harvey built a railroad hospitality empire that civilized the Wild West. With locations ranging from Santa Fe to Chicago’s Union Station, the Fred Harvey Company pioneered the first railroad restaurant brand, inspiring the hit film The Harvey Girls and tracing the growth of U.S. railroad industry.
The lecture will be followed by a brief book signing.
Cost:
$15; $10 Members
Prohibition Seminar
Tuesdays, April 13, 27, and May 4; 7:00 p.m.
Cost: Individual events are $10, $8 Members and $15, $12 Members; Series tickets: $32, $25 Members. Call 312.642.4600 for series tickets.
America Goes Dry
Tuesday, April 13, 7:00 p.m.
The idea to control the consumption of alcohol was developing for nearly a century before passage of an amendment to the Constitution. So what went wrong? How did an idea meant to improve not just people’s lives but people themselves instead spawn an epidemic of lawlessness and violence? Curator John Russick leads this conversation that digs into the roots of Prohibition.
Cost:
$10, $8 Members
Get Capone!
Tuesday, April 27, 7:00 p.m.
Join us for the official book release party for Get Capone, the true story of the hunt for Chicago’s most infamous gangster. Author Jonathan Eig shares how he uncovered never-before-seen, top-secret documents, including some of Capone’s personal letters, and offers a stunning new theory to explain the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Following the lecture, slip into our speakeasy with cash bar and enjoy a whiskey tasting with Templeton Rye Whiskey.
Cost:
$15, $12 Members
The Way We Drank
Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.
Those who did drink during Prohibition had no trouble finding what they wanted. The speakeasy changed American drinking habits, and it also permanently altered the nature of urban social life, particularly in relationships between men and women. Former New York Times public editor Dan Okrent and author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, discusses this exploration of America’s wet oases during the dry years.
Cost:
$10, $8 Members
Urban History Seminar 2009–2010
Select Thursdays, September-May
Cash bar at 5:45 p.m.; Dinner at 6:15 p.m.; Speaker at 7:00 p.m.
Cost:
$20 includes dinner and program; cash bar.
> Download the complete Urban History Seminar schedule (PDF, 20 KB)
> View an Urban History Seminar on The Daleys of Chicago
April 2010
Thursday, April 15, 5:45 p.m.
Lisa Krissoff Boehm of Worcester State College will present "Reconsidering the Second Great Migration: African American Women Reflect on their Journey, Work, and Urban Life."
May 2010
Thursday, May 6, 5:45 p.m.
Kenneth T. Jackson of Columbia University will present "Revisiting Crabgrass Frontier: Looking Backward and Forward."
Refund Policy:
Refunds for a tour will be given in the form of tour credit which can
be applied to another tour. Credit will be given with a minimum of two
weeks notice prior to the day of the tour. No exceptions.
Sign Language Interpretation:
The Chicago History Museum is happy to offer sign language
interpretation at any of its public programs. Please contact the Public
Programs Manager, at least 48 hours prior to the day of the event in
order to accommodate this request 312.642.4600