Lecture: Hidden History January 19, 2010

Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line. This is the story of Clarence King, a great western explorer who lived a double life after secretly marrying former slave Ada Copeland. King told his wife that he was a Pullman porter named James Todd, and, remarkably, that he was black. She didn't learn the truth until he revealed his identity in a letter written while on his deathbed. King's closest friends didn't know about her until he died, but still fought to protect the famous geologist's reputation by preserving his secret for more than thirty years. Join Princeton University's Marni Sandweiss to learn more.