Author Erik Larson is drawn to events in history that once captivated the nation, "and then, for whatever reason, became forgotten more or less," he says.
Larson writes about The 1893 Chicago World's Fair in "The Devil in the White City." The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 in "Isaac's Storm." And the sinking of the Lusitania in his most recent book, "Dead Wake."
Larson speaks Thursday evening at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory as part of the school's visiting writer's series. He spoke to WFAE's Marshall Terrr from Washington, D.C., and explained why the late 19th and early 20th centuries interest him so much.
