Smithsonian

Thursday, October 19, 2023, 5:00 pm EDT
Online Webinar

October 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the 1973 oil embargo imposed by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) in the wake of the Yom Kippur/Ramadan War. The temporary shortages inflated energy prices, jolted the global economy, and destabilized geo-political relationships around the world. The crisis also inspired new science and technology policies and several innovations, including alternative nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources and more fuel-efficient automobiles.

 

Today, we are again witnessing a resurgence in creative policy solutions and new energy innovations to address the ongoing challenges of war, energy scarcity, inflation, and the environmental impacts of climate change.

 

In this online symposium, a distinguished group of historians, technology innovators, journalists, and policymakers will discuss the lessons we can learn from the 1970s and how they might be applied to address our present-day challenges and opportunities.

 

The symposium is co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation; Arizona State University’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes; and Johns Hopkins University’s Department of History of Science and Technology and Department of the History of Medicine.

 

Accessibility: The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. CART captioning will be available for this online program. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu.