Dr. Brendan Foley will be at the Historical Society for its annual meeting on Monday, June 4th at 8:00 p.m. to present From Duels to Data. Dr. Foley is a Research Specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and a Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research covers two broad topics: ancient shipwreck archaeology in the Mediterranean region, and 19th /20th century United States history of technology. His presentation will be an appropriate adjunct to the Society’s well-received Connecticut at War lecture series this past March.
Dr. Foley will talk about the years before and after the Civil War and how the U.S. Navy created modern engineering. This is a little-known but fascinating story with lots of political intrigue, shipwrecks, corruption, wasted government funds and even some pistol duels! Between 1840 and 1880 the U.S. Navy witnessed deadly pistol duels between dozens of its officers, wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on ships that wouldn’t float, and hounded from the service many of its best and brightest men. Yet in that same period it fought and won two wars, made lasting scientific discoveries, and laid the foundation for American industrial and military dominance. Central to this dramatic story is an overlooked aspect of American exceptionalism: federal technology sponsorship. During those forty years, officers at the U.S. Naval Academy created professional mechanical engineering. Over the next twenty years they carried it to the nation’s universities and industries, and launched the American Century.
All are welcome. The Society is at 13 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan. Please visit our website nchistory.org for more information about the program and the Society.
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