1:00
Sparrow Wars
Melissa Hughes, Professor of Biology at the College of Charleston, will discuss song, territory and personality in song sparrows. We often make generalizations about the behavior of birds and other animals such as, “these birds defend territories” or “those birds sing elaborate songs.” But do all individuals of the same species defend a territory the same way or sing the same songs? Do animals have personal differences? Does it matter?

2:30
Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of Monongahela and the Road to Revolution
David Preston, Professor of National Security Studies at The Citadel, notes that on July 9, 1755 British regulars and American colonial troops under the command of General Edward Braddock suffered a crushing defeat to French and Native American enemy forces in the Ohio Valley. The culmination of a failed attempt to capture Fort Duquesne from the French, Braddock’s defeat was a pivotal moment in American and world history. Also known as the Battle of the Monongahela, the loss altered the balance of power in America and escalated the fighting into a global conflict called the Seven years War. An unprecedented rout of a modern and powerful British army by a predominantly Indian force, Braddock’s Defeat shocked the entire British world.