The most important swamp in American history: Joseph Alexiou at TEDxGowanus

"Every schoolchild in America should know the name of a former bog located on the southwest shore of Brooklyn... Gowanus." Joseph Alexiou is a journalist and historian obsessed with the history of Brooklyn. In researching his first non-fiction book on the history of the Gowanus Canal, he discovered that one of the largest and most important Battles of the Revolutionary War took place right in Brooklyn—fought along the banks of the Gowanus Creek—and yet it has been totally neglected in the national consciousness.

Through the story of the destructive and tragic battle, Joseph shares how the Battle of Brooklyn was a key moment in the Revolution, from which General George Washington took a great lesson and matured into the great military and political leader that we remember today.

For more talks from TEDxGowanus please visit www.TEDxGowanus.com

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)