Presentations examining the historical significance of Thomas Edison’s inventions, aviator Bessie Coleman’s feats and George Washington as a Founding Father are scheduled at the Old Bridge Public Library Main Branch, Route 516 and Cottrell Road.
“Thomas Edison and His Brilliant Phonograph” is set for 2:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 12. The interactive session will examine how Edison’s inventions continue to impact daily life. Kathleen Carlucci, director, and David Seebaugh, curator, the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, will lead a discussion about Edison’s birthplace, his early work experiences and influences, and the key inventions he developed at his research facility. Audience members, who will hear vintage cylinder records played on a more than 100-year-old Edison phonograph, will have the opportunity to build their own working phonograph.
Art historian Mike Norris will offer a program titled “Meet George Washington” 2 p.m. Feb. 18. Through works of art drawn from area museums and others, Norris and his visual presentation will explore how Washington’s peers saw him and how his country remembered him.
“Fly, Bessie, Fly,” a program on Bessie Coleman, who, in 1921 became the first African-American woman to earn her pilot’s license, is planned for 2 p.m. Feb. 19. Coleman. traveled to France to learn to fly after American flight schools refused her because of her race. In later years she shared her experiences with children, encouraging them with the words, “You, too, can fly.” Dr. Daisy Century, a teacher and actor, will portray Coleman. The program is produced by the American Historical Theatre.
For more information, log on to www.oldbridgelibrary.org or call 732-721-5600, ext. 5033.