Yesterday's News

Headlines from Harvard history

1923

Ninety-six women with degrees from the School of Education have been listed in the new Harvard Alumni Directory. “To publish their names,” the Bulletin points out, “is simply an unavoidable recognition of their standing…it does not invite them to attend meetings of the Associated Harvard Clubs nor necessitate a ladies’ dining room in the Harvard Club of New York or Boston…there is no reason to assume the admission of women to a professional school is the ‘entering wedge’ of coeducation throughout the institution.”

1958

An informal survey of drugstores in and around Harvard Square the morning following The Game finds them entirely out of aspirin.

1963

Dean of students Robert Watson criticizes lax undergraduate attitudes toward parietal rules, insisting that Harvard “must be concerned that its students do not set an example for the relaxation of morals among youth…fornication must also be understood as an offense punishable by the University on the same grounds as thievery, cheating, and lying.”

1973

In response to the energy crisis, a new University-wide energy-conservation program lowers the temperature in all Harvard offices and student rooms from 75 degrees to 68 degrees.

1983

Forty coin-operated word processors have been loaned to Harvard in a trial; if enough students demonstrate interest, “additional word processors and possibly computer equipment will be installed on the same basis.” An hour of operation costs $2.

1988

Harvard drops its objections to the conduct of the preceding spring’s union election (the victory margin was 44 votes), clearing the way for the National Labor Relations Board to certify the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers as the collective bargaining agent for more than 3,000 support-staff members after a 13-year struggle.

1993

The Yard is wired to 2.7 million feet of fiber-optic cable, prompting the editors to note that the class of 1997 is “the first in Harvard history to be bonded electronically….Many students correspond daily by E-mail.” (The Quad and Lowell House are to be hooked up by midyear, the river Houses in the spring.)

Related topics

You might also like

The Woman Who Penned the Case for War

Mercy Otis Warren’s poetry and plays incited the Patriot movement.

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.

When the Revolution Hit Cambridge, Harvard Moved to Concord

College students broke hearts and windows during their year in exile.

Most popular

250 Years Ago, Harvard Was Home to a Revolution

A look at the sights, sounds, and characters that put the University on the frontlines of history

Her Bread and Butter

A third-generation French baker on legacy loaves and the magic of baking

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files.

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman in glasses gestures while speaking to two attentive listeners at a table.

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

A woman with long hair leans on a table, looking out a large window with rain-streaked glass.

A Harvard Economist Probes the Affordable Housing Crisis

From understanding gender pay gaps to the housing crisis, Rebecca Diamond’s research aims to improve lives.

Brick archway with a sandy base, surrounded by wooden planks and boxes in a dim space.

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.