After our organization interviewed about two dozen individuals, we realized that many were great storytellers! Thus, the History in Our Backyard Lecture Series was born in 2012.
We are grateful to the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum, Horsham, PA for allowing us to hold our first few live lectures at their facility. We relocated our live programming to The Fuge in Warminster, PA starting in November 2012.
Unless otherwise announced, we hold lectures on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30pm EST/EDT. Most events are now held as Zoom webinars, but we do schedule some live programming at The Fuge, including an Annual Veterans Tribute in November.
Note: you must be on our email distribution list in order to receive a Zoom link to this program. Email us at mail@ColdWarHistory.org if interested.
Our webinars are archived for on-demand viewing on our YouTube Channel .
Please refer to this link for a listing of past lecture topics and speakers: Link
Upcoming Events
Legacy of Peenemünde
April 18, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us for a sneak peek into historian Greg Kennedy's upcoming book!
In 1944…
Lost Spacecraft: The Search for Liberty Bell 7
May 16, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
"Lost Spacecraft- the Search for Liberty Bell 7" describes Curt Newport's 14-year obsession to raise Astronaut Gus Grissom's sunken Mercury spacecraft, Liberty Bell 7, from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Also told is how Newport's tea…
Blind Man's Bluff: American Submarine Espionage (aka SOSUS)
June 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us and author Christopher Drew for a presentation on the history of daring and dangerous American submarine espionage during the Cold War.
Christopher Drew is an investigative reporter for The New York Times and a co-author of &ldquo…
‘Hit-to-Kill’ Missile Defense
July 11, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us and historian and frequent guest of this webinar, David Stumpf, for a discussion on “Hit-To-Kill” Missile Defense-- how defensive missiles intercept incoming missile threats and collide with them in body-to-body impact.
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SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATION! Projects Mercury and Apollo Celebration
July 20, 2024 at noon
Additional information to follow.
Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima
Aug. 8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us for the return of historian and author Stephen Walker for a presentation based on his book, SHOCKWAVE: Countdown to Hiroshima, a New York Times bestseller and a riveting narrative of the f…
Eastern European Exiles in Postwar America
Aug. 29, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
This presentation will focus on the formation and development of anti-Communist organizations comprised of political exiles from East-central and South-East Europe in the United States during the early Cold War.
Martin Nekola, Ph.D. recei…
Historical Perspectives on Inertial Navigation
Sept. 12, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us and former Institute of Navigation Historial Marvin May for a history of inertial navigation.
Inertial navigation is used in a wide range of applications including the navigation of aircraft, tactical and strategic missiles, s…
Cold War Nuclear Weapons Tests: The ‘Atomic Age’ Matures
Oct. 10, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us and Scott Wiley, former docent at the National Air and Space Museum, for a presentation on Cold War nuclear weapons testing.
This presentation will explore…
Sew Sister: The Untold Story of NASA’s Seamstresses
Dec. 12, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us for our final webinar in 2024 with a presentation by retired NASA Aerospace Composite Tech, also known as a NASA seamstress, Jean Wrig…