Headlines from Harvard history, November-December 1912-1992

Headlines from Harvard history

1912

Noting that the $50,000 maintenance fund necessary for a new music building to replace Holden Chapel is $15,000 short, the editors remind readers that “ a healthy and useful university is forever uncovering new needs….”

 

1927

Economics surpasses English as a concentration choice for the first time, with more than 400 freshmen entering the field.

 

1937

Courtesy of NBC and the BBC, the Harvard Club of London hosts a live broadcast of The Game, including Harvard and Yale cheers transmitted back to the teams in the Harvard stadium. (Harvard won, 13-6.)

 

1947

Professors attempting to separate “the sheep from the goats” (as the editors remark)—by locking classroom doors at exactly seven minutes past the hour—run afoul of the Cambridge fire department, which notifies lecturers that obstructing emergency exits is illegal.

 

1952

In a straw poll of undergraduates, loser Adlai Stevenson nevertheless gets the largest slice of “Harvard’s normally Republican majority” since Woodrow Wilson beat a split G.O.P. in 1912. The faculty members who are polled go for Eisenhower, 379-298.

 

1967

The Program for Science in Harvard College gets under way; one goal is a $14-million science center north of the Yard.

 

1982

MIT pranksters disrupt The Game with a balloon that erupts from the earth and inflates in front of the Crimson bench—but Harvard wins 45-7.

 

1992

Harvard has “locked the doors and [thrown] away the keys” for the Yard dorms, the editors report. The installation of card-reading devices there will likely be extended to the Houses to crack down on crime, despite occasional glitches—a door held open too long for a good-night kiss summons a University police car to investigate.

You might also like

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

In Sermon, Garber Urges Harvard Community to ‘Defend and Protect’ Institutions

Harvard’s president uses traditional Memorial Church address to encourage divergent views.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts's Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Rachel Ruysch’s Lush (Still) Life

Now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, a Dutch painter’s art proved a treasure trove for scientists.

A Flu Vaccine That Actually Works

Next-gen vaccines delivered directly to the site of infection are far more effective than existing shots.

Explore More From Current Issue

A lively concert in a modern auditorium with an audience seated on multiple levels.

Concerts and Carols at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Tuning into one of Boston's best chamber music halls 

Wadsworth House with green shutters and red brick chimneys, surrounded by trees and other buildings.

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

Two small cast iron pans with berry-topped desserts, dusted with powdered sugar, alongside lemon slices.

Shopping for New England-made gifts this Holiday Season

Ways to support regional artists, designers, and manufacturers