Community Calendar

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is joining forces with the Illinois State Military Museum for the next session of its Illinois History Forum.

The forum will meet Thursday at the military museum for a discussion of Illinois’s role in World War I. Curator William G. Lear will moderate the discussion and then lead a tour of the museum, which features vehicles, weapons and uniforms related to the role of Illinois citizen-soldiers. It also is home to Mexican general Santa Anna’s artificial leg and a board that Abraham Lincoln used as a target when testing a rifle.

The free event begins at noon at 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd.

Anyone who wants to do a little background reading beforehand should check out “Amiens 1918: The Black Day of the German Army” by Alistair McCluskey. It tells the story of a turning point in World War I, when the Allies coordinated a major attack that successfully combined infantry, armor and airpower.

The Illinois History Forum meets every two months. Experts in their fields lead discussions, giving the audience opportunities to ask questions and share their observations.

After Thursday’s meeting, the next forum takes place Sept. 12. Mark DePue, head of the presidential library’s Oral History Program, will lead a discussion of the state’s role in the creation of the atomic bomb. The suggested reading is “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” by Richard Rhodes.

The presidential library and museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.  Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860 presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original Lincoln artifacts.

The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.