Daily Archives: January 15, 2022

Tuesday, January 25, 5:15 pm – 6:30 pm – Earthquakes in New England, 1600 – 1800: Extraordinary Natural Events and Timekeeping Practices in Early America, Online

by

Katrin Kleeman of the German Maritime Museum at the Leibniz Institute for Maritime History, will speak with the Massachusetts Historical Society on January 25 at 5:15 online, with comments by Lukas Rieppel of Brown University.

New England is more seismically active than most would expect. Several notable earthquakes shook the northeast in the past, such as in 1638, 1663, 1727, 1755, or 1783, to name but a few. In early America, earthquakes were rare enough, however, to be perceived as unusual events that contemporaries remarked upon them in their diaries, almanacks, sermons, and newspapers. Although clocks were still rare in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, diarists often gave a precise time when an earthquake struck—which varied, often, drastically from observer to observer. This allows for questions on how and how reliably time was kept.

The Environmental History Seminar invites you to join the conversation. Seminars bring together a diverse group of scholars and interested members of the public to workshop a pre-circulated paper. Learn more.

Please note, this is an online event hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information. Register to attend online

Sundays, January 23, February 27, and March 27, 2:00 pm – The Big Chill: Early Environmental Histories of Climate Change, Online

by

Historic Deerfield presents a free three part virtual lecture series beginning Sunday, January 23 at 2 pm, and continuing monthly. From a centuries-long Little Ice Age to the global aftermath of the largest volcanic eruption in the last 10,000 years, this year’s series is devoted to early environmental histories and their impact on people and places. Join us for three virtual webinars this winter exploring how North American Indigenous communities and European colonizers understood and experienced the plunging temperatures and deep freezes, catastrophic flooding, and severe droughts and famine that became part of cultural memory and identity.

Topics include The Problem of Climate in Early Colonial History, presented by Sam White of Ohio State University, Tambora: The Eruption that Changed the World, presented by Gillen D’Arcy Wood of University of Illinois, and Snow Cover and Winter Knowledge of the Little Ice Age, presented by Thomas M. Wickman of Trinity College. Thomas Wickman, by the way, is author of Snowshoe Country: An Environmental and Cultural History of Winter in the Early American Northeast.

Free, but registration is required by clicking HERE This lecture series will be presented live via Zoom webinar. The link to the webinar will be sent to registrants prior to the event. Webinar will be recorded and available to registrants for viewing for two weeks after the live event.

Wednesday, January 19, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Trees That Always Please, Online

by

Join Fine Gardening Magazine on January 19 at 7 for a free one hour webinar followed by a thirty minute Q &A on Trees with Paul Cappiello.

Trees are a big investment. This isn’t only because they often have a hefty price tag, but also because they take up a lot of garden real estate and aren’t plants that you’ll be able to readily relocate. When choosing a tree, it’s important to make sure it performs in all four seasons. It shouldn’t just have lovely spring blooms and decent fall color. It should also have winter interest and other noteworthy traits that shine when it’s not at its peak. And a tree should be largely pest- and disease-free, with low needs when it comes to care. After all, who wants to invest in a plant that will require 50 years of high maintenance?

Woody plant expert Paul Cappiello understands these requirements well. As executive director for the Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in Crestwood, Kentucky, he is constantly evaluating the pros and cons of trees. And on his plant travels around the world, he’s always keeping an eye out for trees that are exceptional in myriad ways. For this presentation, Paul reached out to several of his horticultural friends and colleagues to provide you with a list of incredible trees that you will never regret planting. Whatever you choose, it will be one of the best garden investments you’ll make. Register at https://www.finegardening.com/article/trees-that-always-please-webinar