The 121st Annual Meeting: A Retrospective

It could perhaps happen only in Atlanta. The historians who usually gather sedately and seriously for the AHA annual meeting could be seen this time stomping their feet and swaying to the sweet sounds of the South—and joining in the singing too—during a plenary session that was given over to history presented as performance. The 121st annual meeting was remarkable also for several other firsts: the first film festival; the first time the presidential address was translated into sign language; and, on a different note, the first time a member was arrested for jaywalking in the meeting city, prompting a letter expressing concern to the mayor of Atlanta....