Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads Event: UM Dearborn Assistant Professor Martin Hershock Discusses Michigan - If You Seek An Interesting History Look About You

This presentation will offer a broad overview of Michigan's history from the time of its earliest native inhabitants up through the present day. Among the themes to be emphasized will be: migration, mobility and diversity; the importance of geography in Michigan's past; Michigan's extractive industries; the rise of the auto industry; environmental history; the legal landscape; and urbanization and post-industrialism. Martin Hershock is Assistant Professor and Department Chair of History at the University of Michigan, Dearborn. The event will be held in conjunction with Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2010, which, this year focuses on the subject of Michigan.

A Sneak Peek Into The Future Of The University Musical Society's Past: 100 Years of Concert Programs And Photographs With UMS President Ken Fischer

Join Ann Arbor District Library staff and University Musical Society President Ken Fischer as AADL launches two new online collections celebrating UMS's concert history. You will see how to browse and search thousands of pages of historical concert programs from the first 100 seasons of the University Musical Society. They will also unveil a growing collection of images that include both performance and rare backstage photographs of celebrated UMS artists over the past century. Refreshments will be served at this kick-off event, which will include a demo of these new online resources (soon available at aadl.org) as well as a talk by UMS President Ken Fisher on the history of UMS and the future of its archives.

Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Reads Event: Detroit Historical Society Curator Joel Stone Discusses Great Lakes Shipwrecks - Committed to the Deep: Exploring Underwater Treasures

The very first ship on the upper Great Lakes, LaSalle's Griffon, sailed only a single voyage before disappearing beneath the waves. Since then, thousands of other vessels, along with their crews, have met the same fate. What remains of these ships and cargoes beneath the mighty Great Lakes? Join us for a fascinating journey, as we tour the mysteries of the Lakes through excellent photographs and amazing underwater video with Detroit Historical Society curator Joel Stone. This event will be held in conjunction with Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2010, which, this year focuses on the subject of Michigan.

'Mrs. Charles Darwin's Recipe Book Revived and Illustrated,' Discussed By Author Weslie Janeway

While husband Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species changed the way we viewed evolution, there was another book, written by a different Darwin, that shed light on Victorian style, taste, and family life. Unknown to the general public until now, Mrs. Charles Darwin compiled a cookery notebook filled with culinary instruction and personal anecdotes about everyday life in the Darwin household. The book features facsimile representations of the original recipes, each one tested by authors Weslie Janeway and Dusha Bateson. The event is cosponsored by the Culinary Historians Of Ann Arbor. Books will be on sale and a booksigning will follow the event. The Culinary Historians will prepare several tasty samples for the audience, based on Mrs. Darwin's recipes.

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2010 Author Event: Author Jerry Dennis Discusses 'The Living Great Lakes: Searching For The Heart Of The Inland Seas'

Acclaimed author Jerry Dennis will discuss his book in the Towsley Auditorium of the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College (located at 4800 Huron River Drive in Ann Arbor Township) and offer his own thoughts on the Great Lakes and his personal 4-week journey through the Lakes as a crew-member on a tall-masted schooner. Dennis' book, 'The Living Great Lakes: Searching For The Heart Of The Inland Seas,' has been chosen as the focus of the 2010 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads program. This appearance is a key event for the Reads program, which this year focuses on the subject of Michigan. A booksigning will follow and books will be on sale at this event, courtesy of Nicola's Books.

An Evening With White House Press Corps Star Helen Thomas As She Discusses Her New Book 'Listen Up Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President To Know And Do'

Since John F. Kennedy's presidency, Helen Thomas has covered more presidents as a member of the White House Press Corps than any journalist working today. The recipient of more than thirty honorary degrees, she was honored in 1998 with the inaugural Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award, established by the White House Correspondents' Association. From her long and illustrious vantage point, she has seen presidents succeed and fail, and has now collected that knowledge in her new book (co-written with Craig Crawford), 'Listen Up Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do.' At this special event, cosponsored by Michigan Radio, Helen shares her candid views about the White House and discusses her new book of Presidential advice. The event, which will include a booksigning, will be held at The Michigan Theater (603 East Liberty, Ann Arbor). Books will be on sale at the event, courtesy of Nicola's Books.

Disaster Survivor Pierette Domenica Simpson Discusses Her Experience On The Andrea Doria and her Book 'Alive on the Andrea Doria: The Greatest Sea Rescue in History'

Pierette Domenica Simpson will share her up-close and personal account of surviving the most catastrophic ship collision in history between the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm, in July of 1956, when she was 9 years old. Now an outspoken proponent of safety at sea, she is the only survivor in history to have written a complete shipwreck account, investigating and reporting on both the human and technical aspects that lead to the collision. This event will include a book-signing, books will be on sale courtesy of Nicola's Books.

From the Observer to the Web: Then & Now Goes Online

The Ann Arbor District Library and the Ann Arbor Observer are extremely pleased to unveil 'Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now' to the public. Local historian Grace Shackman and Ann Arbor Observer editor John Hilton will discuss the history of the Ann Arbor as viewed by the Observer and staff will introduce 'Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now' an online collection of local history articles published in the Ann Arbor Observer over the past three decades. These articles give a rich picture of the various themes, people, and places that make up Ann Arbor. Accompanying the articles is an image gallery with photographs from Ann Arbor's past. Refreshments will be served at this event, which will include a demo of this new historical resource.

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads: Detroit Observatory and the Victorian Space Race

Are you curious about how the 1854 Detroit Observatory came to be -- and why it is in Ann Arbor, NOT Detroit? Michigan is not the most likely place to build a state-of-the-art astronomical observatory. However, the Detroit Observatory, named in honor of major donors from Detroit, was the centerpiece of President Henry Philip Tappan's efforts to transform the University of Michigan into one of the first research universities in the United States.

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads Event: Researcher Herman Bender Discusses Prehistoric Astronomy in the Upper Midwest

Over the past quarter century, a new field of study called archeoastronomy has developed, investigating astronomical alignments that may have been incorporated or utilized in prehistoric times by ancient people. Years of field research at petroform sites may prove that some of the most unique and oldest archeoastronomy sites in North America - possibly as old as the pyramids in Egypt - are located in southeastern Wisconsin.