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Main Line School Night

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History

in Literature, History, Science & Current Affairs

"Hey kids, what time is it?" (MT31863)

$54 MEMBER PRICE: $43.20

with Jackie Strauss

Calendar Oct 7, 2026 at 1 pm

Via keyboard accompaniment, let’s take a trip back in time when your only worry was what show to watch on TV or listen to on the radio. When Sunday nights belonged to Ed Sullivan, Lucy ruled Mondays and Tuesdays meant Uncle Miltie! When we were “Stuck on Bandaids” and drank that “Heavenly Coffee."

Will run

Voting Rights: An Unfinished Battle (SL31807)

$47 MEMBER PRICE: $37.60

with Dan Biddle

Calendar Oct 7, 2026 at 1 pm

NEW You know about Bloody Sunday in 1965. Visit lesser-known episodes in the long fight for Black voting rights, a rescinding of those rights, a Philadelphia assassination, the Reconstruction-era bloodbaths, the unpunished killings of 20th Century activists, and the recent gutting of the Voting Rights Act. This story is full of heroes and villains, terrible setbacks and inspiring victories. And it's not over. Sara Rimer, Journalist

Will run

The New York Campaign: Revolutionary War Battles of 1776 (TT41176)

$579 MEMBER PRICE: $463.20

with Lawrence Swesey

Calendar Oct 8, 2026 at 8 am

NEW Explore the people, places and moments that defined the Continental Army's fight for survival in the fall of 1776. Join Main Line School Night’s favorite historian, Maj. Larry Swesey (USA-Ret.) for a captivating, two-day guided journey retracing the battles of the New York Campaign from the bruising Battle of Brooklyn and dramatic overnight escape, through Manhattan, White Plains, Fort Lee, and the pivotal turning point at Trenton.  Excursion includes a private lunch and museum visit at the historic Fraunces Tavern, comfortable overnight accommodations and buffet breakfast. See Maj. Swesey's Trying Times lecture on 9/23/26. (3 Feet: Extenisve Walking and Lengthy Periods of Standing.)

The Iran War in Historical Perspective: Why the hatred? (SL51807)

$47 MEMBER PRICE: $37.60

with Alan McPherson

Calendar Oct 9, 2026 at 12:30 pm

NEW Why do Iranians and Americans hate and distrust each other to the point of going to war? Perhaps surprisingly, the hostility does not stem from cultural or religious differences, but from the Cold War. In 1946, 1953, and 1979, the U.S. wanted stability from an oil-rich country on the edge of the Soviet empire. Iranians wanted all sorts of things that clashed with U.S. aims. For 47 years, the clash has been open and acrimonious.

Full Course

Forbidden Political Philosophies: Continuing Explorations (LH11031)

$83 MEMBER PRICE: $66.40

with Benjamin Olshin

Calendar Oct 12, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 4 weeks

If we look back at writers ranging from Plato to George Orwell, there have always been a wide variety of political philosophies — everything from monarchism to philosopher-kings to anarcho-syndicalism. Continue to broaden your understanding of political thought and the valuable insights they offer in addressing the challenges of political polarization, classism, and societal instability.

Full Course

Understanding the American Presidency (SL22809)

$95 MEMBER PRICE: $76

with Thomas Kane

Calendar Oct 13, 2026 at 7:30 pm, runs for 4 weeks

NEW Go beyond the daily news, however important that news might be. Examine six critical components of a president's performance - communication, decision making, political skill, vision, personality, and character. Examples will be provided from the performance of recent presidents in relation to these components. Also look at the effect of the electoral process on presidential performance. 

Will run

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (MT31862)

$47 MEMBER PRICE: $37.60

with Jack Covington

Calendar Oct 14, 2026 at 2 pm

NEW Robert Louis Stevenson penned a world-famous thriller in which Dr. Jekyll, convinced that all people have two personalities, concocts a drug to separate one person into two personalities and tests it on himself. Enter Mr. Hyde – Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego – who is as depraved and vicious as Dr. Jekyll is virtuous and kindly. Experience the eternal battle between good and evil.

Will run

Shedding Light on Historic Lighting in Early America (LH41809)

$54 MEMBER PRICE: $43.20

with Donald Fennimore

Calendar Oct 15, 2026 at 1 pm

NEW Our ancestors needed light in their lives every bit as much as we do. Yet, their resources were comparatively meager. Consider the primitive beginnings of artificial light in early America and trace the various means of its development to the time of the incandescent bulb.





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