Library Lunchtime Lecture Explores Forgotten History
The Library's Lunchtime Lecture series continued last week, with the
second installment for this semester delivered by Asst. Prof. Edward Kohn, History, and Chair of the Department of American Culture and Literature, who spoke on the subject of the great New York heatwave of 1896. Library Director David Thornton, in introducing Dr. Kohn, pointed out that his book on the same subject has received wide publicity, with Dr. Kohn having appeared as a guest on numerous radio and TV stations throughout the United States. During the course of his lecture, Dr. Kohn gave an overview of the tragic events of 1896 which he referred to as a “forgotten natural disaster,” during which almost 1,500 people died over 10 days. The lecture furthermore 
dealt with the response of civil society to the disaster and how the role assumed by New York Police Commissioner
Theodore Roosevelt “made him” in terms of his future political career. The final installment of the lecture series is scheduled to be held on May
5th. It will be addressed by Prof. Tekin Akıllıoğlu of the Law Faculty on the subject of Cyprus and the European Convention on Human Rights.