The New York Historical Launches Breakfast University

Breakfast University at The New York Historical takes place in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium. (Pictured: Brent Staples.) Photo credit: Don Pollard.

America’s greatest history professors serve up real history

The New York Historical is proud to announce the creation of Breakfast University at The New York Historical, a unique and timely program series that welcomes renowned history professors from leading universities across the country to lead college-like lectures every month at The New York Historical. Created in partnership with Thoughtful Productions, Breakfast University seeks to provide historical context and a nuanced understanding to today’s rapidly changing world and onslaught of headlines. Launching January 2026, lectures take place in the morning, generally on a Monday, and are paired in-person with refreshments. Online access to the programs is also available. 

“At The New York Historical, we are excited to welcome distinguished history professors from around the nation to bring their expertise to a wider audience beyond the college campus,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “We hope participants of Breakfast University will be inspired by what they learn in order to better understand the shifting landscape around them.” 

Breakfast University at The New York Historical will be offered for three semesters annually, with each semester including four classes presented by four different acclaimed professors. The first semester includes:

Are We Rome? Are We Repeating Their Rise and Decline? 
January 5, 2026 | Featuring 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?”

Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Rivalry that Shaped America
February 2 | Featuring 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.

The President’s Library: Books that Shaped Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, and More
March 2, 2026 | Featuring Joseph Luzzi, Bard College
The “Presidents’ 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 famous film franchises in history.

Together, we will see how presidential action and presidential reading are intimately linked, as we explore the momentous events in these presidents’ lives in light of the books that inspired their thoughts and actions.

The Shifting Lens of History: How We Reimagine the Past
April 13, 2026 | Featuring 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.

Tickets for the full semester of four classes, including breakfast, is $250; for Members of The New York Historical, $150. A live stream option is also available. Tickets can be purchased online.

About The New York Historical 
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.

About Thoughtful Productions
Building on their success with One Day University, Steven Schragis and Kevin Brennan have founded Thoughtful Productions. Their goal remains clear: to create fun, meaningful, and inspiring learning experiences for people of all ages. Thoughtful Productions achieves this through valuable collaborations with cultural institutions, corporations, and theaters nationwide, ensuring diverse, enriching, and incredibly engaging educational programs are widely available.