The Cold War in Outer Space and At the State Level:
The Soviet/American Space Race, and How the Cold War Affected Wisconsin
Gene Eisman, co-author of Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of The Soviet and American Space Race (National Geographic, Washington, DC, 2007), will present this competition in a way you haven’t heard before. Epic Rivalrytells the story from both the American and the Russian points of view, and shows how each space-faring nation played a vital role in stimulating the work of the other. He’ll cover the "parallel universes" of the two space exploration programs, with visionaries Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolev and political leaders John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev at the epicenters. Gene is an independent historian and expert on the Cold War. He has traveled extensively in Russia/the former Soviet Union, including attending the famed Moscow Air Show, and is an expert on Soviet/Russian aviation. He has been a volunteer and lecturer at National Air and Space Museum since 2000. Previously he worked as a journalist for a national news wire service, covering a presidential Summit meeting between President Johnson and Soviet Premier Kosygin, and he has testified twice before the U.S. Senate.Chris Sturdevant, author of Cold War Wisconsin, will discuss the Cold War in a local context. Discover why Josef Stalin's only daughter settled in rural Wisconsin, how small Lake Michigan towns are forever linked to the USS Pueblo and a Sputnik crash, and other Badger State connections to the larger Cold War conflict abroad. Chris is a children's librarian who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His interest in the Cold War began while growing up during the 1980s. He studied history and physics at Carroll University, and he is a U.S. Air Force veteran and chairman of the Midwest Chapter of the Cold War Museum. Chris has represented Team USA in master's level track championships on three continents, and his travels have taken him to North Korea, Chernobyl and Afghanistan.
Agenda:
12:30-1:00: Participants arrive; they may get their beer or other drink at this time.
1:00-1:10: Jason Hall, Executive Director of the Cold War Museum, introduces the Museum, and Gene Eisman and Chris Sturdevant.
1:10-2:15: Gene presents on the Space Race and Chris on the Cold War in Wisconsin.
2:15-3:00: Q&A opportunity for the audience.
3:00-3:15: Audience members may claim their beer or other drink at this time or buy additional drinks.
3:15-4:15: The Museum (next door) will be open for event participants, with staff providing a tour for those interested.
Cost: $35, including the presentation; a $7 coupon toward a craft beer draft, Kombucha or other drink; a $10 contribution to the Cold War Museum; and special access to the Museum (next door) for event participants following the presentation. TICKETS AT THE DOOR, IF AVAILABLE, WILL BE $45.
