Yesterday’s News

1924 In a Crimson poll on Prohibition, the Harvard community votes nearly two to one to keep the Volstead Act in force, and 1488 to 940 in...

1924 In a Crimson poll on Prohibition, the Harvard community votes nearly two to one to keep the Volstead Act in force, and 1488 to 940 in favor of more rigorous enforcement.

Illustration by Mark Steele

1949 Statistics compiled by the Alumni Records Office indicate that "John Harvard," for the first time in history, lives west of the Hudson River: 50.5 percent of Harvard graduates now live outside New England and New York State, and their number is growing.

1954 The College announces that maids will no longer make students' beds, the first step in phasing out a housekeeping arrangement that began 295 years earlier.

1969 The Faculty votes to withdraw academic credit for Reserve Officers' Training Corps activities at Harvard—home of the oldest ROTC program in the country.

1979 The Science Center is evacuated after about 250 milliliters of nitroglycerine is discovered in a basement lab. The undergraduate who produced it, some in his dorm room, where he had been conducting experiments, leaves Harvard for the semester.

   

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Human Impact On New England Ecology Was Minimal before Europeans Arrived

Before Europeans arrived in New England, local ecology was driven by climate shifts, not by human interventions.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.

Explore More From Current Issue

Nineteenth-century prison ruins with brick guardhouse surrounded by forest.

This Connecticut Mine Was Once a Prison

The underground Old New-Gate Prison quickly became “a school for crime.”

David McCord in suit reading a book at cluttered wooden desk in office filled with framed art and shelves.

The Pump Celebrates Its 85th Birthday

Giving Harvard traditions their due 

Illustrated world map showing people connected across countries with icons for ideas, research, and communication.

Why Harvard Needs International Students

An ed school professor on why global challenges demand global experiences