Renowned Technology and History Author to Address General Meeting

The National Board has announced noted author James R. Chiles will address the General Session of the 80^th General Meeting next year in Las Vegas.

Mr. Chiles has been writing about technology and history since 1979. In addition to being the author of the books Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology and The God Machine: From Boomerangs to Black Hawks, the Story of the Helicopter, he has published a variety of features and columns in Smithsonian, Air & Space, Popular Science, Harvard, Aviation Week, Mechanical Engineering, and Invention & Technology.

The Springfield, Missouri, native’s approach to research distinguishes him from many other writers in his field. His work has taken him from the wreckage of the World Trade Center; into a nitroglycerine factory; on a helicopter during maintenance of a live, high-voltage power line in Pennsylvania; into remote areas of Alaska’s North Slope; and on a firefighter training mission to extinguish a burning propane tank.

Mr. Chiles was featured commentator for a History Channel television series based on his book, Inviting Disaster. He has also appeared in History Channel programs and series such as Katrina: American Catastrophe, Engineering Disasters, Life After People, Wild West Tech, and Megadisasters. Additionally, he appeared on National Geographic’s Seconds from Disaster series.

Mr. Chiles will present his remarks at the meeting’s General Session on Monday afternoon, May 9.