A catalogue of great music suddenly becomes the score for a Broadway Musical. From Fats Waller to the Gershwins to the Four Seasons and Carole King, the music associated with these artists has become the backdrop for a genre of musical known as the Juke Box. Learn the history of the genre and enjoy the fun these great musicals offer. This class is being underwritten by the Robin Fields Memorial Lecture Fund.

Thanksgiving is one of the enduring legends of the Plymouth Colony settlers. They never called themselves “Pilgrims” nor did any of their contemporaries. The story of Plymouth Rock is properly classified as fiction, just one more of the many myths that developed long after the founding of America’s second colony. However, there is an interesting and little known story about what really happened 400 years ago to these hardy souls. In this class you’ll learn the difference between myth and reality.

Taiwan, China and the United States have complicated relations going back almost a century that impact their relations today. This lecture will explain salient developments with a focus on why the United States is so involved with these relations and what is at stake for each government in the currently tense situation.

How often do you find yourself thinking: “I can’t stand that person!”? This workshop will provide you with an opportunity to look at conflict from a slightly different perspective and to explore new alternatives for handling conflict. Participation will offer the opportunity to understand the potential positive outcomes of conflict, the different options for approaching it, and how conflict can be transformative.

This course is for students with PC, not Mac, formats. It is for advanced beginners or intermediate computer students. It is for students who have recently purchased a new computer with Windows 10, or have upgraded from Win 7 or 8 to Windows 10, and would like to learn about the features that are new to Windows 10. Our course will cover the following subjects: the two halves of the Start Menu, using the pre-installed apps that come with Windows 10, the Windows Store, System Restore and restore points, searching in Windows 10, backing up your computer, Windows Updates, privacy, the Action Center, Smart Screen, File Explorer, and much more. Limit: 10

(This program is more of a concert than a class.) The lute, mandolin and Spanish guitar each have a timeless sonic beauty. In this hour we will enjoy these family-related string instruments and their unique personalities. Musical treats from the Medieval world, the Renaissance and the Baroque era will give this hour a special richness. You will also enjoy musical gems from Spain and Brazil.

When the Constitution was written in 1787, the Founders viewed the U.S. Supreme Court as the weakest branch of government. Today, the Court’s decisions influence every aspect of our Nation’s life. This series of classes will explore the Court’s evolution and the judicial titans responsible for it. (Sign up for one, two or all three sessions in this series. See class #810 for Part 1 and class #832 for Part 3.) This session will discuss how during the Gilded Age the Court, packed with railroad and other corporate lawyers, protected property rights of big corporations and rejected claims of racial minorities, and workers. The intellectual and moral leadership came from prescient dissents from Justices Harlan and Holmes. In the 1930s the Court acquired a new home of its own, began to accept New Deal laws regulating businesses, and survived FDR’s effort to undermine its independence by packing the court with additional appointees. In 1954 the Court issued its decision in Brown v. Board of Education under the new leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren. The decision has perhaps had the most impact of all Court decisions on the average American, but it tested anew the Court’s ability to ensure acceptance of its decisions.

When the Constitution was written in 1787, the Founders viewed the U.S. Supreme Court as the weakest branch of government. Today, the Court’s decisions influence every aspect of our Nation’s life. This series of classes will explore the Court’s evolution and the judicial titans responsible for it. (Sign up for one, two or all three sessions in this series. See class #810 for Part 1 and class #832 for Part 3.) This session will discuss how during the Gilded Age the Court, packed with railroad and other corporate lawyers, protected property rights of big corporations and rejected claims of racial minorities, and workers. The intellectual and moral leadership came from prescient dissents from Justices Harlan and Holmes. In the 1930s the Court acquired a new home of its own, began to accept New Deal laws regulating businesses, and survived FDR’s effort to undermine its independence by packing the court with additional appointees. In 1954 the Court issued its decision in Brown v. Board of Education under the new leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren. The decision has perhaps had the most impact of all Court decisions on the average American, but it tested anew the Court’s ability to ensure acceptance of its decisions.

The many Native American sites that have been found in Washington, DC, ranging from the White House to a Native village on Capitol Hill, are unmarked. This leaves a casual viewer to overlook the several thousand years of history before the city was built. In this class, Dr. Lione will present what he has collected on the Native history of the city. He also will discuss how this history might be rightfully celebrated.

On an ebb tide, nearly 100 skeletons of WWI-era wooden steamboats seem to rise from the waters of a small embayment on the Potomac River. This presentation will explain the history of these watercraft and how they ended up in Maryland. While these form the nexus of the Mallows Bay - Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary, many other historical, cultural and natural elements contribute to the first new Sanctuary in 20 years.

Thoreau was a writer, teacher, editor, lecturer, abolitionist, scientist, and political activist. Author of 20 volumes, Thoreau’s fame is based on two works: Walden, a book on simple living within nature, and “Civil Disobedience,” an essay about peaceful resistance to injustice. His scientific writings anticipated modern-day environmentalism; his political essays influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Learn more about this controversial man from Concord and why his powerful words and deeds still inspire some and infuriate others.

In January 1942, Nazi submarines launched Operation Paukenschlag, or “Drumbeat,” a campaign to defeat the United States on its own shores. Even as u-boats attacked Allied ships, cities from Boston to Galveston refused to impose blackouts, creating a neon shooting gallery along the East Coast and into the Caribbean. Vessels backlit by the onshore lights were easy targets. By that summer, U.S. General George Marshall warned that the German attacks were so serious that they “threaten our entire war effort.”

In January 1942, Nazi submarines launched Operation Paukenschlag, or “Drumbeat,” a campaign to defeat the United States on its own shores. Even as u-boats attacked Allied ships, cities from Boston to Galveston refused to impose blackouts, creating a neon shooting gallery along the East Coast and into the Caribbean. Vessels backlit by the onshore lights were easy targets. By that summer, U.S. General George Marshall warned that the German attacks were so serious that they “threaten our entire war effort.”

Over 2,000 years ago, Alexander the Great and his army of Macedonians marched relentlessly on a 22,000 mile expedition from Greece through Asia into India. Alexander's conquest of much of the known world by the time of his death at age 32 was a crucial turning point in world civilization. By opening contacts between Europe and Asia, he paved the way for the later Roman Empire, the eventual spread of Islam and the cultural elements of foreign lands that continue to affect the world today.

Learn about healthy habits to manage Pre-Diabetes and Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

William Hogarth is one of the most innovative and famed artists in British art. He transformed and expanded the subject matter of genre paintings, creating a series telling stories which he called "modern moral subjects." A native-born English artist and inspiring teacher, Hogarth decried European influence on British painting. He also helped change social conventions, art and law and served as a founding governor of a notable charitable institution, Captain Coram's Foundling Hospital, which exists to this day.

Primitive man began looking to the skies long before the advent of recorded history. He found strange lights and moving dots, and peopled the heavens with their gods. From Pythagoras to Copernicus, from Kepler to Lowell, and from Hale to Hubble, this lecture outlines humanity’s search for knowledge in the skies. The first primitive telescope in 1610 allowed Galileo to prove that Earth was not the center of the universe. In the 1920s Edwin Hubble made the universe far grander than ever imagined. And his namesake the Hubble Space Telescope has given us vistas almost beyond imagination. See into the past and the future.

When the Constitution was written in 1787, the Founders viewed the U.S. Supreme Court as the weakest branch of government. Today, the Court’s decisions influence every aspect of our Nation’s life. This series of classes will explore the Court’s evolution and the judicial titans responsible for it. (Sign up for one, two or all three sessions in this series. See class #810 for Part 1 and class #821 for Part 2.) This session will discuss how the Court after the Brown decision became a major protector of individual rights and liberties, issuing landmark decisions in such areas as right to counsel, voting, and, most controversially, on abortion rights. The Court’s membership became more racially and gender diverse with the appointments of Justices Thurgood Marshall, O’Connor, and Ginsburg, and public scrutiny of judicial nominations grew. The 2005 appointment of Chief Justice Roberts and eight consecutive GOP appointees over a twenty-three year period have completely remade the Court. The session will discuss how a steady stream of relatively recent decisions have rejected the judicial philosophy of earlier, more liberal Justices. The session and the course will conclude by considering whether the present Court is influenced more by political considerations than prior Courts have been, whether the Senate confirmation process has become more politicized, and whether the Court now plays a more dominant role in setting national policy than was envisioned by the Framers. If the answers to these questions are yes, what are the steps that Congress or the public at large should seriously consider to address this problem?

When the Constitution was written in 1787, the Founders viewed the U.S. Supreme Court as the weakest branch of government. Today, the Court’s decisions influence every aspect of our Nation’s life. This series of classes will explore the Court’s evolution and the judicial titans responsible for it. (Sign up for one, two or all three sessions in this series. See class #810 for Part 1 and class #821 for Part 2.) This session will discuss how the Court after the Brown decision became a major protector of individual rights and liberties, issuing landmark decisions in such areas as right to counsel, voting, and, most controversially, on abortion rights. The Court’s membership became more racially and gender diverse with the appointments of Justices Thurgood Marshall, O’Connor, and Ginsburg, and public scrutiny of judicial nominations grew. The 2005 appointment of Chief Justice Roberts and eight consecutive GOP appointees over a twenty-three year period have completely remade the Court. The session will discuss how a steady stream of relatively recent decisions have rejected the judicial philosophy of earlier, more liberal Justices. The session and the course will conclude by considering whether the present Court is influenced more by political considerations than prior Courts have been, whether the Senate confirmation process has become more politicized, and whether the Court now plays a more dominant role in setting national policy than was envisioned by the Framers. If the answers to these questions are yes, what are the steps that Congress or the public at large should seriously consider to address this problem?

Phil Hochberg will chat with WFT Hall of Famer Brig Owens and WFT historian Mike Richman about the Glory Days of Washington football – five Super Bowl appearances, three Super Bowl wins (we’ll look at clips from those victories), glorious wins over the Cowboys. They'll also look to (what is hoped to be) the promising future – a 2020 Eastern Division championship, a young and highly successful defensive line, and a new regular-season crew at quarterback. Phil Hochberg, a Stadium Announcer for 38 years, is a member of the team’s Ring of Stars and the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame.