"The British are coming! The British are coming!" 1775 was a fateful
year for the American Colonies, and 2025 marks the 250th
anniversary of all those events. In this course, Julie Sweet will
examine those watershed moments like the shots fired at
Lexington & Concord, the contentious meetings of the Second
Continental Congress, and the defense of Bunker Hill. This
background will show just how fraught those times really were and
how what happened in 1775 set the stage for the years to come.

These are not your neighbors’ vacation photos! Instead, Nancy
Moore will share a travelogue that reflects the history, culture, and
people of several less-visited countries. Come journey through
Egypt with the pyramids, Nile River, its temples, & Abu Simbel; the
countries of Southern Africa, its animals, & Victoria Falls; the United
Arab Emirates with the tallest building in the world & Jordan with
Petra; and Brazil & Iguassu Falls, along with the Amazon River and
its piranha fishing, aboriginal tribe, and pink dolphins.

Railroads have played a critical part in the development and the
political, military, economic, and cultural history of America.
Daniel Ogden will discuss this connection between railroads and
American society including the various efforts to build a
transcontinental railroad, the role railroads served in the Civil War
and World Wars I and II, the challenge railroads played in
alternative means of transportation, and the unique cultural and
ongoing appeal of "riding the rails". Various forms of media will be
used to illustrate the nature and appeal of railroads.

The 18th century saw the writing of some of the greatest hymns of
the Christian faith, including "Amazing Grace," "When I Survey the
Wondrous Cross," "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," and "There Is a
Fountain Filled with Blood," and many more. While they may feel
familiar, there are usually stories behind the hymns that you may
not know. Explore (and sing!) with instructor, David Music, these
and other hymns by such luminaries as Isaac Watts and Charles
Wesley and find out why this period is known as the "Golden Age
of English Hymnody"!

Grab your seat to follow the captivating stories of Brad
Livingstone, our ever-popular military history instructor, and
Baylor’s First Gent! Sessions will feature Desmond Doss, a
conscientious objector and medic who is credited with saving
about 75 soldiers at Hacksaw Ridge; Rosie the Riveter, a symbol
of women who filled non-traditional roles during the war in
place of the men who went off to serve in the military; Doris
Miller, the famous Wacoan who received the Navy Cross for
carrying wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl
Harbor; and Louie Zamperini (“Unbroken”), the youngest
American to qualify for the 5,000 meter race in 1936 Berlin and
later became a WWII veteran and Christian evangelist.