History

  For ten seasons on PBS, the popular series History Detectives solved puzzles behind historic objects and artifacts. This summer, the show took a different twist and renamed History Detectives Special Investigations, explored some of America'’s most intriguing mysteries, from the disappearance of big bandleader Glenn Miller during WWII, to who killed Jimmy Hoffa and why. One of the series hosts, Wes Cowan, holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and owns one of the nation'’s leading auction houses - Cowan's Auctions, based in Cincinnati, specializing in historical Americana. He joins us to discuss his career of delving into the past, at his auction house and for the show.

The Cincinnati Museum Center at historic Union Terminal is currently exhibiting some of its world-class collection of invertebrate fossils from the Ordovician Period, called Cincinnati Under the Sea. Dr. Brenda Hunda, curator of invertebrate paleontology at the center, joins Robyn Carey-Allgeyer to talk about this collection and this particular period in our history.

The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency

  Jacob Dolson Cox was a divinity student, Ohio governor, University of Cincinnati president, attorney, a contemporary of James A. Garfield and James Monroe, military historian, and a battlefield commander in the Union Army, rising to the rank of major general. A new biography of prominent Ohioan Jacob Dolson Cox by Eugene Schmiel reveals for the first time Cox’s remarkable Civil War service. Dr. Schmiel joins us to discuss his new book, Citizen-General: Jacob Dolson Cox and the Civil War Era.

  THE BOYS IN THE BOAT: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown, tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. Daniel James Brown joined us to talk about the improbable story of nine working-class boys from the American west who beat the odds and found hope in the most desperate of times.

  Western Female Seminary, which opened its doors in 1855, later became Western College for Women. The first college in the country to have an artist-in-residence, Western attracted national attention when it hosted civil rights training for Freedom Summer 1964. In 1974, the college became part of Miami University in Oxford.

“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months.”

For 50 years, the Cincinnati Preservation Association has worked to identify and save some of the architectural and historic buildings in our city. In celebration of this anniversary, Paul Muller and Margo Warminski from the CPA join Jane Durrell to talk about the group’s mission, victories and focus for the future.

Northern Kentucky University

Many Americans tend to think of the Civil War as more glorious and less awful than its reality. In Living Hell: The Dark Side of the Civil War, Northern Kentucky University Regents Professor of History Emeritus Dr. Michael C. C. Adams gathers the voices of those who were on the firing line or in the hospital ward to create a far more realistic, and brutal, picture of the war. Dr. Adams is presenting a lecture on his work at 3 PM, April 10, in the Griffin Hall George and Ellen Rieveschl Digitorium on the NKU campus. For more information, call the NKU Department of History and Geography at (859) 572-5461.

The Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China’s Last Dynasty exhibit is now on display at the Taft Museum of Art. The exhibit illustrates the culture of the Qing dynasty and the final days of empire in China through more than 100 rarely seen items, including imperial silk robes, hats, fans, sleeve bands, rank badges, jewelry, shoes, and wall hangings. Lisa Morrisette, Taft Museum manager of School and Docent Programs, gives us an idea of some of the many beautiful pieces on display. 

  Victorian, Art Deco, Federal, Italianate, German Gothic, Cincinnati’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are home to a variety of architectural styles.

Founded in 1880 by Maria Longworth in Cincinnati, Rookwood Pottery was soon recognized for its beautiful and distinctive pieces worldwide. In 1902 Rookwood began creating architectural pottery, and its tiles and custom designs adorned thousands of private homes and public buildings, from Carew Tower to Grand Central Station.

  Anyone who wants to dive deeper into Irish history and culture than what they’ll find on tap at the local taverns Monday should check out the University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library’s new website featuring its rare Irish literature collection. UC Rare Books Library Head Archivist Kevin Grace, and UC Student Melissa Schirmer, who put the site together,  give us a pre-St. Patrick’s Day primer on all things Irish.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

  107 Northern Kentuckians lost their lives in combat in Vietnam.  An exhibit currently at the Behringer-Crawford Museum, “Vietnam: Our Story,” looks at the Vietnam experience through firsthand accounts of Northern Kentuckians who were involved in the conflict, both overseas and at home. Behringer-Crawford Museum Curator of Exhibits Tiffany Hoppenjans, Dr.