White Elephant Technology
From Jeeps that flew to tanks that shouldn't; from a jet-powered train that nearly shook itself apart to a wave-powered boat that took forever to reach its destination--an entertaining look at crazy inventions that should never have been built and what we can learn from them. Intended to inform, amuse and delight, this historical survey course will leave you shaking your head in wonder while asking the question, "What in the world were they thinking?" The course will be lavishly illustrated with photographs, film clips and first person accounts.
Faculty Bio
A former Special Correspondent for the New York Times, John Geoghegan is a journalist, author and teacher with four non-fiction books to his name. His articles have appeared in the New York Times Science section, The Wall Street Journal, WIRED, BusinessWeek and numerous other publications. John has also been a featured presenter in documentaries for PBS-Television and the Smithsonian Channel. His latest book, White Elephant Technology: 50 Crazy Inventions that Should Never Have Been Built and What We can Learn from Them, has been optioned for a cable TV series.
This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Course
- Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time
- Classes will also be video recorded
- You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.
Schedule Highlights
- Course starts on Thursday, April 4, and ends on Thursday, April 25
- Classes meet for 4 weeks, 1.5 hours per session (9:30–11 AM)
- Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
- All course materials, including videos, will remain available to view and enjoy through May 31
Member Praise for John Geoghegan
BEST class. Well organized. Learned SO much. John was wonderful!!
Faculty Q&A
- Read a recent interview with John Geoghegan about his upcoming course.