Dates and times are subject to change by organizers. Please visit the organizers’ website for the latest information.
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Add EventListen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere... This talk will explore Revere's patriotic technological service to his country, starting before his famous ride […]
Presented by David Hsiung. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the revolution that would lead to our country’s independence was in its early stages. The Continental Army was facing a major problem: gunpowder shortages. Join the Charles River Museum for an exploration of how the production of saltpeter, the principal ingredient of this explosive material, […]
Presented by Rick Kfoury. A visual look into the final years of railroad operations on the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham. The event is free, but registration is required. […]
NOTE: This Mill Talk has been rescheduled from its original May 21 date. Presented by Hendrik Broekman. Throughout his decades of experience in this industry, Hendrik has found himself constantly asked about the craftsmanship behind these exquisite instruments, how they are manufactured, and more. He will be answering these questions while sharing what it is […]
The labor movement in the United States is a bulwark of democracy and a driving force for social and economic equality. Yet its stories remain largely unknown to Americans. Robert Forrant and Mary Anne Trasciatti edited a collection of essays focused on nationwide efforts to propel the history of labor and working people into mainstream […]
For two days in November 1872, a massive fire swept through Boston, leaving the downtown in ruins and the population traumatized. Coming barely a year after the infamous Chicago fire, Boston’s inferno turned out to be one of the most expensive fires per acre in U.S. history. Yet today few are aware of how close […]
This presentation will explain what industrial archeology is. It will trace the history of the field, from its beginnings in England in the 1950s and the founding of the U.S. Society for Industrial Archeology in 1971, to the present, and describe some of its contributions, like the early surveys of historic textile mills. It will […]
In this talk Seth Rockman, George L. Littlefield Professor of American History at Brown University, tells the biggest stories of early American history through the most mundane artifacts: shoes manufactured in Massachusetts for the use of enslaved people in Mississippi, for example, or woolen dresses stitched in Rhode Island for enslaved women in South Carolina […]
Discover the story of the Cabot family, whose legacy of wealth and influence shaped Massachusetts from the colonial era through the dawn of industry, even inspiring the name of Francis Cabot Lowell. From their roots in Salem to their ventures in maritime commerce, the Cabots built a network of enterprise that extended across New England […]
Every product has a story, but one of the most improbable is the tale of Roomba. For 40+ years major corporations and basement tinkerers alike struggled to solve the seemingly simple problem of building a robotic floor cleaner. Nothing worked. Finally, in 2002 a quirky team from an unknown company cracked the riddle and delivered […]
The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, located in Saugus, Massachusetts, is a mid-twentieth century reconstruction of a seventeenth-century ironworks. Built by private investors in the public interest, the site is at turns an outdoor museum teaching the public about the origins of the iron and steel industries and an object lesson in the ingenuity […]
How refurbished technology can close the digital divide. In this conversation, Dylan Zajac will explore where old electronics really end up, the environmental and social costs of e-waste, and how Computers 4 People is building a scalable model to turn discarded technology into opportunity. The discussion will cover digital equity, sustainability, and what it takes […]
