Captain's Corner 2024 Lecture Series
Captain’s Corner, the lecture series onboard our historic ship Olympia!
Hear talks about naval and maritime history onboard a historic ship this summer! Offered once a month, from April through September, at 2 PM onboard Olympia in the captain’s cabin, the Independence Seaport Museum will host a variety of speakers all highlighting themes of relevance to our two historic ships. Admission includes self-guided access to the ship before or after the lecture. Check-in at the ticket booth in front of the historic ships.
This program is free for Members – please email Membership@phillyseaport.org if you have any questions.
Please note that Olympia is not ADA accessible. If you have any accessibility questions, please email Education@phillyseaport.org
Saturday, September 14th, 2024
Speaker: Paul Cora
The Zigzag Streak: Winston Churchill in World War I
Most Americans remember Winston Churchill as the Prime Minister who embodied Britain's will to defy Hitler in World War II. While this is undoubtedly Churchill's enduring legacy, his service to Britain in World War I was no less remarkable. Join ISM and Paul Cora as we discuss Churchill’s trajectory, from First Lord of the Admiralty at the outbreak of war in 1914 to ultimately becoming the Minister of Munitions in control of Britain's war production during 1917-18. As Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith once attributed to Winston Churchill, "Greatness is a zigzag streak of lightning in the brain" - Churchill's World War I career lived up to that assessment.
About Paul: Paul Cora was the Chair of the Western Front Association East Coast Branch from 1998 to 2018 and organized over 50 history symposiums and other public programs in the Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia regions. The WFA is an international organization dedicated to furthering public knowledge of the history and legacy of the First World War - the "seminal tragedy of the 20th century." Professionally, he worked in public history and museums, especially historic naval ships, for nearly 30 years. Paul holds a Master's degree in History from the University of Maryland and has authored and contributed to several books, including The Fighting Coast Guard: America's Maritime Guardians at War in the 20th Century (University Press of Kansas 2022), Supporting Allied Offensives 8 August - 11 November 1918 (US Army Center of Military History 2018), and Yellowjackets! The 361st Fighter Group in World War II (Schiffer Publishing 2002). Today he works in the maritime industry as the procurement manager for a shipyard.