Talks on demand
Explore our diverse collection of event recordings, talks, and podcasts at your convenience to discover inspiration from a range of engaging speakers.
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Epic achievement: 11 traits of history’s boldest achievers
For the past decade, author Brad Borkan explored the lives of extraordinary individuals who shaped the last two centuries in some way. In this entertaining talk, Brad reveals the 11 common traits that propelled these figures to greatness.
A 19th-century odyssey from the Potomac to the Nile
Andrew Rhodes, FRGS, will present on the topic of Alexander Macomb Mason (1841-1897): a naval officer, a mercenary, an explorer, and a diplomat whose remarkable career put him on the scene at many of the late 19th century’s most dramatic events.
Rude or robust? Rehabilitating a 19th-century Gujarati chart of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Join speakers John P Cooper and Kumail Rajani as they discuss their interpretation of the 19th-century Gujarati chart of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from the Society's Collections.
Through Siam with a camera - John Thomson
In 1865 John Thomson travelled to Siam and photographed the King and his subjects creating a unique record of the country. This talk revisits the original negatives to see Siam as recorded by Thomson’s lens in 1865.
Overnight adventures
Our speaker, Dan Richards, focuses on nocturnal stories past and present, beginning with the time he got benighted in the Swiss Alps, on the trail of his great grand aunt Dorothy Pilley’s mountaineering legacy, before going on to discuss the various adventures and journeys after dark which feature in his new book, Overnight.
Integrating maps and instruments in art
Kristina Chan will discuss her current art exhibition, Habitable Climes, which includes images of instruments in our Collections. Attendees will be able to see the instruments following the talk.
Mapping the manuscript archives
Drawn to the objects that reveal the human hand charting interpretations of place, Loraine is fascinated by the liminal traces of geographical experience in the overlap of explorer, surveyor, cartographer and viewer. Join Loraine as she talks about her work and the inspiration she has drawn from the Collections of the Society.
On the backs of others: rethinking the history of British geographical exploration
Ed reveals the strange, violent and sexual practices of famous explorers of Africa and the Antarctic in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and their reliance on the bodily toil of others for their survival.
A history of polar exploration in 50 objects - Anne Strathie
Anne returns with her fourth polar book to talk about objects from a period of exploration which is the bedrock of our present-day knowledge and fascination with polar regions.
Hamilton Rice’s Amazon
This talk celebrates the centenary of Alexander Hamilton Rice’s final expedition to Amazonia (1924-25) which pioneered technological innovations such as the use of hydroplanes for reconnaissance, aerial photography and shortwave radio in the field. Part of the Explore festival.
Exploring the explorers’ maps
This talk will discuss explorers’ maps with an especial emphasis on the collaborative effort that goes into creating them, an effort that often included Indigenous peoples. It asks what stories we can and should tell with explorers’ maps? Part of the Explore festival.
Vindicating Cherry
Apsley Cherry-Garrard knew he could have done nothing more to save Scott’s polar party, but he could never quite shake off accusations levelled at him after the expedition. Blending personal memories and considered analysis, Hugh remembers his uncle’s later years and reflects on why his uncle’s life had such an unhappy ending.