The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, Lower Township, NJ, will host its 2026 lecture series this spring, featuring a mix of in-person and virtual presentations focused on American and aviation history. The program will take place at the museum’s historic Hangar No. 1 at Cape May Airport, New Jersey, and will include topics ranging from the Revolutionary War to World War II-era aviation.
One of the scheduled events, a virtual lecture on April 15, will be presented by Joel Farkas. Titled The Revolutionary War (and Beyond) in One Hour, the session will trace key events from the French and Indian War through the Revolutionary War and into the War of 1812, providing a broad overview of the early conflicts that shaped the United States.
An in-person lecture on April 23 will focus on the Doolittle Raid. Retired U.S. Army Major Ralph Corsi will examine the April 18, 1942, mission, in which 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in the first U.S. strike against Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the raid caused limited physical damage, it had a significant impact on morale in the United States and influenced subsequent developments in the Pacific War.
A third lecture, scheduled for April 30, will explore the role of military working dogs during World War II. Presented by Ben Ridings, Fur and Fury: War Dogs in the Fight for Freedom will examine the “Dogs for Defense” program, under which thousands of dogs were trained for roles including sentry duty, scouting, and message delivery across multiple theaters of war.
The lecture series is part of the museum’s ongoing public programming and comes as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding. Organizers say the series is intended to provide historical context across a range of topics, from early American conflicts to aviation milestones. All lectures are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with the April 15 session taking place online and the remaining events held at the museum. For more information and to support the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, click on the link here: usnasw.org.
