Breakfast University
Dive into the American story with the nation's greatest history professors
Honor the United States of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 with a unique, engaging learning opportunity that will enrich your understanding of the American story. The New York Historical and Thoughtful Productions present Breakfast University, a monthly lecture series beginning on January 5, 2026, and featuring some of the greatest history professors in the nation, who will present an original, provocative one-hour talk beginning at 9 am. Professors will be chosen based on their popularity and acclaim as determined by each college and university’s students and faculty. Every campus has at least one “superstar”—that’s who will be invited to Breakfast University.
Breakfast University will be offered in four-month semesters and ticket buyers will purchase entire semesters. The talks will take place live in The New York Historical’s Robert H. Smith Auditorium and will also be livestreamed. In addition to coffee and tea, a light breakfast related to the time period discussed in each lecture will be served and a curated Q&A will follow each presentation.
The initial cost per semester will be in-person tickets for $250 ($195 for New York Historical Members) and livestream tickets for $160 ($80 for Members.)
Buy In-Person PackageBuy Livestream PackageThe first semester begins on Jan. 5, 2026, and includes these lectures:
Monday, Jan. 5, 9 am
Are We Rome? Are We Repeating Their Rise and Decline?
Caroline Winterer, Stanford University
From a group of settlements huddled along the Tiber in Italy, Rome rose to conquer much of the Mediterranean world and Europe. At the height of the Roman Empire, one in every five people in the world lived within its territory. For Americans, Rome’s unlikely ascent, spectacular ambitions, and gruesome decline have provided endless fuel for our national self-examination. Is the United States an empire? Are empires good or bad? What makes great civilizations decline and fall—and how can America avoid that fate? This talk will explore the great American question: “Are we Rome?”
Monday, Feb. 2, 9 am
Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Rivalry That Shaped America
Louis Masur, Rutgers University
As virtually everybody knows, Alexander Hamilton has experienced a well-deserved revival. He helped get the Constitution ratified, founded the Federalist Party, and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury—but was often forced to take a back seat to other Founding Fathers. His vision of America as an economic powerhouse with a dynamic and aggressive government eventually became reality. Thomas Jefferson, however, was not a fan! He fought bitterly against the Federalists, articulating a very different American vision from Hamilton’s, promoting an agrarian democracy built upon geographic expansion—he called it “an empire of liberty.” This riveting presentation will discuss in detail the policies of these two great Americans, and how their rivalry helped shape our nation.
Monday, March 2, 9 am
The President's Library: Books That Shaped Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, and More
Joseph Luzzi, Bard College
The “President's Library” explores books that shaped some of the most powerful men ever to sit in the Oval Office. We will discuss why Washington was obsessed with a play about a Roman freedom fighter, how Jefferson came to have the largest personal library in the country; what drew Lincoln to Shakespeare so obsessively (and which Shakespeare play he loved most), which British poet Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorized as a child and read throughout his life, and even why John F. Kennedy was devoted to a spy novelist whose books would create one of the most film franchises in history.
Monday, April 13, 9 am
The Shifting Lens of History: How We Reimagine the Past
Stephanie Yuhl, College of the Holy Cross
From the kiss in Times Square to “Rosie the Riveter” to Saving Private Ryan, Americans tend to cherish their memories of WWII as “the best war ever.” Yet the Vietnam War remains controversial and brings up an entirely different set of images—from anti-war protests to the film Born on the Fourth of July. What helps explain these different understandings of two wars only 20 years apart? In this presentation, we will examine how different societies remember these wars and what those memories tell us about national hopes and values and generational change, and even about military decisions
