Join noted author John Geoghegan and Curator Gordon Calhoun in conversation about Geoghegan’s newest book, “When Giants Ruled the Sky” which recounts the true but little-known story of the U.S. Navy airship USS Macon (ZRS-5) and the four men responsible for conceiving, designing, building, and flying the airship. Curator and Historian Gordon Calhoun contributes interesting insights about the Macon as it relates to the museum’s newest exhibition, “The Future Is Now: The Navy’s Lighter than Airships.”
About the Speakers:
John Geoghegan began his career as a Special Correspondent for the "New York Times," worked in "Connecticut" magazine's editorial department, and was Editor of "The Connecticut Business Journal." He specializes in reporting on unusual inventions that fail in the marketplace despite their innovative nature. He helped popularize the term "white elephant technology" (WETech) to describe these inventions and has written about them for the "New York Times" Science section, WIRED, "Smithsonian Air & Space," "Popular Science," and the "San Francisco Chronicle" Sunday Magazine. His most recent book, “When Giants Ruled the Sky” (The History Press, April 2022) tells the little-known story of the U.S. Navy's dirigible program during its two most critical years (April 1933-February 1935). He currently serves as Director of The SILOE Research Institute's archival division in Marin County, California.
Gordon Calhoun is a historian and curator with the National Museum of the United States. He has worked for the Navy Museums Division for over 28 years as a curator, historian, and editor, covering many different time periods of U.S. Naval history. He lives with his family just north of Fredericksburg, Virginia, where they run a thoroughbred horse breeding operation.
Note: This is virtual program that will be aired on the museum’s Facebook page on the date and time indicated. If you have questions accessing the museum’s Facebook page, contact David Barker at
david.a.barker14.civ@us.navy.mil
John Geoghegan, author of When Giants Ruled the Sky: The Brief Reign and Tragic Demise of the American Rigid Airship.
Photo from book, "When Giants Ruled the Sky: The Brief Reign and Tragic Demise of the American Rigid Airship".
Images courtesy of the author.
