Ernie Freeberg, Distinguished Professor of Humanities and head of the UT History Department, will present “America’s First Energy Crisis— The Great Horse Flu of 1872,” Friday, October 2 via Zoom.
In the fall of 1872 an epidemic spread through the horse and mule population of North America, debilitating these animals from Toronto to Nicaragua. The year-long plague stopped the economy in its tracks, revealing how essential horse power was to American life in the late 19th century. The epidemic appeared just when new sources of mechanical and electrical power were being developed, producing a change in the human relationship to animals in the 20th century that some scholars have called “the Great Separation.”
The UT Science Forum takes place via Zoom Friday, Oct. 2 from noon to 1 p.m. Registration is required. Once registered, you will receive a link to join the Zoom presentation.
Register here for the October 2 Science Forum presentation.
Please note, we will not have live captions for the event, but will be recording it. The recording, with captions, will be available on our YouTube channel and posted on our website.