Dr. Todd will discuss the origins of the Declaration of Independence, its purposes, and how it changed the world. Dr. Todd earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Georgetown Law. He has taught at Rochester University since 1979 and is a member of the Federalist Society and National Association of Scholars.

RHPL records most Smart Towns programs presented at the library. Recordings are posted on the RHPL website two-four weeks after the presentation. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org.

In this presentation, Oakland University Professor Bruce Zellers will explore the arduous battles fought in the war for equal voting rights. Travel through history, from Abigail Adams’s revolutionary era request to legislators to “remember the ladies,” to joining forces with abolitionists, to finally achieving victory with the help of WWI. Alas, the hope for “moral politics” and many social/cultural changes still remains to be achieved. This presentation is made possible through collaboration with the Rochester-Avon Historical Society. Museum members are free; $5 admission for non-members. Register at www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms.

This program features scenes from such plays as Shakespeare’s Henry V, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors to introduce the audience to the ways in which the performance conditions of Shakespeare’s time period influenced his plays. The program will have a mix of storytelling, performance, and history.

The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company dedicates itself to the development of a high quality ensemble of actors. Actors who work together frequently develop an onstage and offstage trust and chemistry that results in better productions. The structure of acting companies in Shakespeare’s England created an atmosphere in which actors worked together over decades, developing their talents and instincts together, and sharing and passing down knowledge. The Company is made up of actors who have performed in at least four full-length productions in the previous three seasons.

Shakespeare was one of the world's most influential writers. His prose, vocabulary, and wit influenced language and literature the world over. Additionally, his works, including plays and sonnets, provided lessons in politics, psychology, romance, revenge, and more.

RHPL records most Smart Towns programs presented at the library. Recordings are posted on the RHPL website two-four weeks after the presentation. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org. 

The fires that burned in Michigan’s Thumb in 1871 and 1881 resulted in catastrophic damage to property and wildlife – and remains among the most memorable historic fires in Michigan’s history.  One of the first official disaster relief efforts of the American Red Cross was in response to the Thumb fire of 1881, and some communities would never recover from the scorched trails of destruction.  Author Alan Naldrett pieces together accounts of those who lived through the events and the aftermath. 

Museum members are free; $5 admission for non-members. Register at www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms.

Dr. Jason Taylor, Pharm.D., is a clinical coordinator with Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital. Dr. Taylor's presentation will focus on the history of antibiotic discovery and how that profoundly impacted public health. He will also discuss how the new challenge with antibiotics is resistant bacteria and how that is limiting treatment options. 

RHPL records most Smart Towns programs presented at the library. Recordings are posted on the RHPL website two-four weeks after the presentation. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org. 

WWII historian Larry Martin will discuss the tragic story of the USS Indianapolis. In July 1945, the Indianapolis was on a secret mission to Tinian Island to deliver components of the atomic bomb -- the same bomb dropped on Hiroshima a few weeks later, leading to the end of WWII. After delivering the secret cargo, the Indianapolis was struck by a Japanese torpedo on July 30. The explosion caused the ship to sink within twelve minutes.  Of the 1,200 men on board, 300 died when the ship sunk. The remaining men were forced into the shark-infested Philippine Sea. Hundreds perished from starvation, dehydration, salt poisoning, and shark attacks. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis was one of the worst naval disasters in history.

Larry’s interest in WWII history and his passion for gathering and sharing the stories of the men and women of the war sparked the creation of the "In Their Own Words" project. The project helps educate new generations about the fascinating and unique history of WWII and fosters an appreciation for the hardships endured by all war veterans. Over the past decade, Larry has interviewed over 75 WWII veterans and hosted over 50 programs at public libraries and other facilities across the country. Special guest: USS Indianapolis survivor Dick Thelan (health permitting). 

RHPL records most Smart Towns programs presented at the library. Recordings are posted on the RHPL website two-four weeks after the presentation. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org. 

Dr. Federman will discuss and review the AIDS timeline, historical data, medical and social implications, and the future of AIDS research and care.

RHPL records most Smart Towns programs presented at the library. Recordings are posted on the RHPL website two-four weeks after the presentation. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org. 

The Polio Vaccine Story was originally published in five installments in the Parke-Davis Retirees Review. The articles focused on the development and use of the Salk Polio Vaccine, with emphasis on the role played by Parke-Davis, especially in Rochester, Michigan. Don Callihan is a Parke-Davis retiree and was Director of Engineering at the Parke-Davis facility in Rochester, Michigan.

Museum members; $5 admission for non-members. Register at www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms.

Register at calendar.rhpl.org. 

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The “fall” of Rome in the fifth century has been regarded as a significant turning point in history, particularly since the eighteenth-century historian Edward Gibbon wrote his six-volume magnum opus on the topic. References to the fall of Rome also appear in modern political discourse as pundits use the decline of the Roman Empire as an allegory for the decline of modern nation-states.

This presentation will reconsider the narrative of the fall of Rome by placing it in a broader historical context and discussing how the events described as the “fall” of Rome were not as significant as thought. The fall of Rome is a modern historiographic invention with both political and social motivations.

RHPL records most Smart Towns programs presented at the library. Recordings are posted on the RHPL website two-four weeks after the presentation. 

Register at calendar.rhpl.org.

Join Cranbrook geologist John Zawiskie for a review of the Ice Age history of southeast Michigan since the last glacial maximum, as inferred from landforms, sediments, surface rocks, and fossils. Zawiskie will also discuss accessible local evidence for a remarkable Snowball Earth global glaciation from 2.4 billion years ago. Key rocks and fossils will be available for examination before and after the lecture. Zawiskie has done extensive geological and paleontological field work in Antarctica, South America, the southwestern United States, and the Great Lakes region.

Museum members are free; $5 admission for non-members. Register at www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms.

In 1943, the United States left Africa with the Allied military forces to invade Sicily in the first step toward invading Europe’s “underbelly” in Italy. This presentation will follow the United States' initial entrance to Europe via Sicily through Italy and France to Germany until the end of World War II in May 1945.

The initial success at Sicily was made possible by a remarkable and improbable British diversion plan that resulted in Germany focusing its defense on the island of Sardinia and Greece rather than Sicily to confront the allied invasion.

Museum members are free; $5 admission for non-members. Register at www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms.