The Smithsonian Institution’s Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, Richard Kurin, will discuss his new book, History by a Hair, on Sunday, October 18, at 3 p.m. at the Greensboro History Museum, 130 Summit Ave.
In 2011, staff at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History discovered what appeared to be a hair – light red, possibly human – pressed between the pages of the Thomas Jefferson Bible. That hair sparked an unprecedented scientific quest: determining if modern genomics could recover Jefferson’s DNA and finally resolve the most divisive and enduring question surrounding his life – the paternity of the children of Sally Hemings, one of hundreds of African Americans enslaved by Thomas Jefferson.
In History by a Hair: Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings & Solving a 200-Year-Old Mystery, Kurin provides the definitive account of the sweeping, multi-year genomic investigation that finally resolved a 200-year national controversy. “Written with the gravitas of history and the pace of a thriller, Richard Kurin’s landmark account is vital and compelling,” writes Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.
Kurin, the Smithsonian Institution’s Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, previously served as under secretary overseeing all museums and scientific centers. An author of several popular books on American history and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Kurin has led major national cultural initiatives and produced award-winning public history.
This program is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow with copies available for purchase from Scuppernong Books. Seating is limited, however, and attendees are encouraged to RSVP at the museum's website.
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