The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences presents
Philip J. Deloria ‘94 PhD, American Studies, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, Harvard University:
“The Year the Stars Fell: Toward a Continental History of a Very Few Hours.”
“The Year the Stars Fell” is a lecture by historian Philip Deloria that analyzes the impact of the intense November 12-13, 1833, meteor shower on people across North America. The shower, a part of the Leonid meteor shower, was so dramatic that many believed it to be the end of the world. It inspired awe, fear, and scientific inquiry, with early researchers like Denison Olmsted investigating it as a turning point for understanding meteor showers.
Deloria was recently selected as the recipient of the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association’s Wilbur Cross Medal, and his campus lecture is part of a series that coincides with the presentation of the award on October 20.
The Wilbur Cross Medal celebrates the legacy of service and achievements of Wilbur Lucius Cross (1889 PhD, English Literature), who served as dean of the Graduate School from 1916 to 1930 and as Connecticut’s governor from 1930 to 1939.