May Day Mayday

This special evening at MHS will feature three eminent historians telling stories of catastrophes at sea and reflecting on the evening’s tales.

From its founding, Massachusetts has looked towards the sea. Merchant trade, fishing, and whaling were the engines that drove the New England economy. However, the bounty of the sea was not without cost. Shipwrecks, disasters, and heroic rescues are staples of maritime history.

Nathaniel Philbrick is the author of In the Heart of the Sea, winner of the 2000 National Book Award and soon to be a major motion picture directed by Ron Howard; Sea of Glory, winner of the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Naval History Prize; Mayflower, a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in history; Bunker Hill, winner of the New England Book Award, and other bestselling works of American history. He lives on Nantucket Island.

William Fowler is the author of a number of books dealing with American history including: Under Two Flags: The Navy in the Civil War; Silas Talbot Captain of the Old Ironsides; co-author America and The Sea; William Ellery: A Rhode Island Politico and Lord of Admiralty; Rebels Under Sail: The Navy in the Revolution; Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy, 1783-1815; Samuel Adams: Radical Puritan; Empires at War: The French and Indian War and The Struggle for North America, 1754-1763. He is the former Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Fellow in American History at Mount Vernon. He has taught at Mystic Seaport Museum and has lectured at the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Naval War College, and the Sea Education Association.

Michael Tougias is an award winning author and co-author of 23 books. Among his bestsellers are A Storm Too Soon, The Finest Hours (soon to be a major motion picture by Disney), Fatal Forecast, Overboard, and King Philip's War. He is a sought-after inspirational speaker to business groups such as John Hancock, Raytheon, General Dynamics, and the Gulf Coast CEO's.