The Chappell Lecture Series, Great Lives, will feature subjects as diverse as Confucius, Al Capone, and Shirley Temple, from January through April 2015. All lectures are at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall. Admission is free.
Jan. 15: Alfred Hitchcock, by Thomas Leitch, co-editor of A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock
Jan. 20: The Explorers, by Martin Dugard, author of The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success
Jan. 22: Mathew Brady, by Robert Wilson, author of Mathew Brady: Portraits of a Nation
Jan. 27: John F. Kennedy, by Larry Sabato, author of The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy
Feb. 3: Duke Ellington, by John Hasse, author of Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington
Feb. 5: Robert Ripley, by Neal Thompson, author of A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley
Feb. 10: Winnie Davis, by Heath Lee, author of Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause
Feb. 17: Al Capone, by Jonathan Eig, author of Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America’s Most Wanted Gangster
Feb. 19: Confucius, by Annping Chin, author of The Authentic Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics
Feb. 24: Jane Austen, by Claudia Johnson, author of Jane Austen’s Cults and Cultures
Feb. 26: Charles Darwin, by Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place
March 10: James and Dolley Madison, by David Stewart, author of Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America
March 12: Alexander the Great and the Amazons, by Adrienne Mayor, author of The Amazons: The Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World
March 17: Ulysses S. Grant, by Joan Waugh, author of U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth
March 24: Hannibal, by Barry Strauss, author of Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the Genius of Leadership
March 26: Shirley Temple, by John Kasson, author of The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America
April 7: Ted Williams, by Ben Bradlee Jr., author of The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams
April 14: Peter the Great, by Jeremy Black, author of Europe and the World, 1650-1830