Were you wondering why Iran does those things they do? Where is the line between rhetoric and reality? This panel discussion explores Iranian behavior, motivations, and options in world affairs.
Russia’s 21st century political, economic & social challenges. Russia’s world role as oil producer & as weapon supplier to potential US adversaries and as an entity bordering Europe, Iran & China?
Prelude to the U.S. Civil War: A “What If” 150th Anniversary
Summary:
Could the Civil War have been avoided? If so, what would the implication have been for history? Reviewing the personalities and polarization that lead to America's most deadly conflict.
Russia 1812 -The Battle of Maloyaroslavets: Beating the Retreat: A "What If" 200th Anniversary
Summary:
Napoleon's Army leaving burning Moscow ruins confronted & turned back by Russians. Rich with battlefield photos, discusses history with potential & historical implications had things gone another way.
Superpower Nuclear Exchange Circa 1962: “What if” 50th Anniversary
Summary:
Retired Navy Captain with physics M.S. discusses a 1962 US/USSR nuclear exchange: delivery platforms, numbers, yields, accuracies, defenses, likely targets, fallout. What would things look like today?
Why in 897 was a Pope’s corpse disinterred, dressed in Papal regalia, put on trial, “executed” only to put on trial yet again a few years later and how did all this lead to the First Crusade?
Learn about the First Crusade, including how crusaders followed a divinely inspired goose around Europe, how they besieged a castle containing nothing more than sheep, and engaged in cannibalism.
Today, the 19th Century Age of Imperialism seems a quaint anachronism – an era populated by a new wave of technological marvels. Imperial ambition burst beyond the limits of Earth and soon included the Moon, Mars, Venus, and Mercury as stages upon which these contests were played out. This lecture surveys the figures, powers, events, and technologies of the era, ending as the stage was set for the interplanetary struggles of the 20th Century.
In the 19th century many submarines were designed, from Fulton's Nautilus for Napoleon, to Holland VI in 1897, forerunner of the subs of the World Wars. Subs were designed or built for 13+ nations. A submarine-qualified Navy Captain (ret.) with years experience at the Naval War College reviews the progression of 19th century sub design, as empowered by improving technology, and the background strategic requirements driving the projects.
The End of Antiquity and the Beginning of Medievalism: The Roman Imperial Crisis 235-284 AD
Description:
More than 35 emperors in 50 years and only one died of natural causes. The Empire had obviously reached a crisis point. But the interesting point is that the Empire actually survived multiple civil wars, multiple external invasions, hyperinflation, and a major plague. These events transformed the Roman Empire into an entity that resembled a medieval empire rather than one of antiquity. Come learn what happened, why, and how the Empire changed.