305Z Summer 2026 Red Carpet for the Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is the 960-year-old pictorial account of how William of Normandy crossed the English Channel, won the Battle of Hastings, and changed the course of English history. A national treasure of France and designated by UNESCO as a Memory of the World, it will visit England beginning September, 2026 for the first time ever out of France. The 70 colorful, hand-embroidered scenes are a work of art and perhaps the first documentary. Preparations for the transport and display of the Tapestry will themselves make history.

Bonnie Becker retired from the Department of Personnel Services, FCPS. A former high school social studies teacher, she has also worked with foreign students for the Washington English Center. Previous classes for OLLI include Ice Age Cave Art, Neanderthals, Antarctica, and Fossil Hunting on the Jurassic Coast.