Jul 25, 2026

If this historian could go back in time and attend any of Lincoln’s speeches, he’d pick the Cooper Union address rather than the one you (I?) think: “Why go to Gettysburg and stand around for hours for a two-and-a-half minute speech?” Plus Lincoln’s choice of weapons when challenged to a duel. Presented with...

Jul 18, 2026

This social scientist and policy advisor finds hope in local resistance to data centers. “These are our neighbors saying we thought we had no power, but we know where AI sits in our lives, and we can say something about it.” I’m still uneasy about my toaster-oven. Presented with the Park Avenue Armory....

Jul 11, 2026

“Eye surgery now is so marvelous,” says this ophthalmologist. “I’m amazed.” At age 97, he’s one of the innovators who made it amazing, and he found time to go out for beers with Wernher von Braun and perform Shakespeare (not simultaneously). Produced with New York’s Amateur Comedy Club with the sponsorship...

Jul 4, 2026

Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington does not convey his actual appearance, says the Jewish Museum’s director. “It’s the way Washington wanted to present himself.” The dubious task of the society painter, plus 3,500 years of Jewish life expressed as art. Listen quickly. Music: Pete Rushefsky,...