Yesterday's News

Happenings at Harvard in Januarys and Februarys past

1929

The Student Council criticizes the administration’s plan to erect one of the newly endowed Houses east of DeWolfe Street, arguing that the future Dunster House will be too far from such “immovable centers” as Widener, Mallinckrodt Laboratory, and the University Museum. 

1934

The editors publish a list of nearly 200 books Widener Library cannot afford to buy because of the Depression, prompting gifts of books and money from Bulletin readers. 

1939

A group of undergraduates begins raising money for 15 scholarships to bring South American students to Harvard; U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull calls it a great idea. 

1949

Lamont Library opens, prompting a special 18-page issue of the Crimson that raves about its comfort, brightness, and efficiency.

1954

The Faculty’s Educational Policy Committee approves a program of early admission and advanced placement for able and mature students. 

1959

Assistant U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Elliot Richardson ’41, LL.B. ’44, proposes that the federal government help out the parents of college students by means of tax exemptions, tax deductions, or tax credits. 

1969

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

The Harvard-Radcliffe Policy Committee proposes that a co-residential trial exchange of students in the undergraduate Houses begin at once. A committee survey has indicated that 80 percent of Radcliffe students and 65.5 percent of Harvard students support the plan. 

1989

Judith Richards Hope, J.D. ’64, becomes the first woman appointed to serve on the Harvard Corporation. 

Related topics

You might also like

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

The Costly Choice Native Americans Faced

How the Revolution reshaped indigenous New England

The Harvard-Trained Doctor Who Urged a Revolution

Before his heroic death, General Joseph Warren was dubbed “the greatest incendiary in all of America.”

Most popular

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files.

Harvard study: termite mounds circulate air, sneezing once a day

Physicists look into the function of towering termite mounds.

Harvard Law Professor Explains the AI Battle Between Tech and Government

Jonathan Zittrain compares today’s conflicts to tensions surrounding the early internet.

Explore More From Current Issue

Four stylized magnifying glasses arranged in a gradient background with abstract patterns.

AI Hunts For Stolen Harvard Coins

A museum curator and a computer scientist track down ancient coins taken in a legendary heist.

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

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.