Renowned American Revolutionary War Expert to Deliver Insights on the Eve of Country’s 250^th Birthday

The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) has announced that Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, journalist, and bestselling author Rick Atkinson will keynote its 2025 Annual Luncheon taking place on October 21 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside hotel. 

BGR is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization dedicated to informed public policymaking and effective use of public resources in the Greater New Orleans area. 

The backdrop of one country’s most unique and vibrant cities is fitting as Atkinson has been invited to discuss his in-depth historical research with a keynote titled “The Fate of the Day: America and Our Revolution at 250,” marveling at the country’s founding a quarter millennium ago. 

“BGR is excited to welcome Rick Atkinson as our keynote speaker this year, and he continues our tradition of presenting some of the country’s most respected thought leaders to headline our Annual Luncheon,” said BGR President and CEO Rebecca Mowbray. “As an organization committed to building a healthy democracy at the local level, BGR looks forward to his insights on the birth of American democracy and the lessons we can carry forward today.”

Atkinson is renowned for his meticulously researched and vividly written books on military history. Born in Munich, Germany, to a U.S. Army officer, Atkinson grew up on military bases, shaping his interest in military affairs. He graduated from East Carolina University and studied at the University of Chicago.

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Atkinson gained prominence with “The Liberation Trilogy”, a critically acclaimed series on the U.S. Army in World War II: “An Army at Dawn” (2002), which won the Pulitzer Prize for History; “The Day of Battle” (2007); and “The Guns at Last Light” (2013). His other works include “The Long Gray Line” (1989), about West Point’s class of 1966, and "In the Company of Soldiers" (2004), based on his time embedded with the 101st Airborne in Iraq. 

The first volume in his trilogy on the American Revolution, “The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777,” spent nearly three months on The New York Times bestseller list in 2019. He recently published the second volume, “The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780,” which debuted in 2025 as the #1 New York Times nonfiction bestseller, which he will be signing at the event before his keynote. 

Highly revered documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has exclusively consulted with Atkinson for his upcoming PBS documentary on the American Revolution. “Rick Atkinson takes his place among the greatest of all historians. This superb second volume in his Revolution Trilogy is that rare narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat,” said Burns. 

Before writing books, Atkinson was a journalist at The Washington Post, earning Pulitzer Prizes in 1982 (national reporting) and 1999 (public service). Known for blending narrative storytelling with scholarly depth, he lives in Washington, D.C.

If you’re interested in tables or individual tickets for his keynote, go here.

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