Rick Atkinson to speak on American Revolution at The Tower Theatre in Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson will speak at The Tower Theatre in Bend on May 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. The Deschutes Historical Museum is presenting the event, which is timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

Atkinson’s presentation, titled "Fate of the Day: The War for America, 1777-1780," is part of a partnership with the Oregon Historical Society’s Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series and the official America 250 Oregon statewide commemoration. He is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for his narrative histories of American wars.

Atkinson has written eight narrative histories covering five American wars. His works include "The Long Gray Line", the Liberation Trilogy — "An Army at Dawn", "The Day of Battle" and "The Guns at Last Light" — and "The British Are Coming", which is the first volume of his Revolution Trilogy. He also recently appeared in Ken Burns’ "The American Revolution" on PBS. His detailed account of the conflict between Americans and the British offers both deeply researched history and a fresh perspective on the demands a democracy makes on its citizens.

Before his career as an author, Atkinson worked for two decades as a reporter, foreign correspondent and senior editor at The Washington Post. His final assignments included covering the 101st Airborne during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and reporting on roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007.

Born in Munich, Germany, Atkinson grew up on military posts as the son of a U.S. Army officer. He earned a B.A. from East Carolina University and an M.A. in English literature from the University of Chicago.

Tickets for the event became available on Feb. 3 through The Tower Theatre website. General admission tickets are $30, while members of the Deschutes County Historical Society or Oregon Historical Society can purchase tickets for $25. A general admission ticket bundled with a Deschutes County Historical Society membership is available for $45. All ticket purchases incur an $8.00 Tower Preservation Fee at checkout. For more information, individuals can contact info@deschuteshistory.org or call 541-389-1813.

Thanks to VeroFiber, the Deschutes Historical Museum is offering a limited number of free tickets to teachers on a first-come, first-served basis. Teachers interested in obtaining a free ticket should email Kelly Cannon-Miller, executive director of the Deschutes Historical Museum, at kelly@deschuteshistory.org with their school affiliation.