Harvard Square History Quiz

Think you know Harvard Square? Take our quiz—and submit your answers to be enrolled in a contest to win a copy of Harvard Square: An Illustrated History Since 1950 by Mo Lotman.

Think you know Harvard Square? Take our quiz--and submit your answers to be enrolled in a contest to win a copy of Harvard Square: An Illustrated History Since 1950 by Mo Lotman. For the accompanying article, see "Pictures in the Square," November-December 2009.

Note: The contest has ended. The answers, along with the winner and runner-up, are posted here.

 

1. What is the maximum number of gas stations that operated in Harvard Square at any one time since 1950? (Today, there are none.)
 

2. In what Harvard Square club did Joan Baez give her first concert, and how old was she at the time?



Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library, The Boston Herald

3. What is this man's name and what business did he own?

 

 



Photograph by Lynn Millar/Radcliffe Archives (https://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/)

4. What was the name of this bookstore and what was its motto?

 

 

 


Photograph by David Hunsberger

5. What is the name of this café?

 

 


Photograph by Hugh Blackmer

6. What is this man’s name and what kind of business did he run?

 

7. What international soap chain began in the equipment room of the Brattle Theatre?

 

 

Photograph by Elsa Dorfman

8. What bookstore did the man on the right found in 1927, and what is his name?

 

9. What now stands on the site of the original Design Research?

 

 

Photograph by Harvard Magazine/VL

10. What function did this building serve before it became a shopping mall, The Garage?

 

 


Photograph by Eric Antoniou

11. What is the name of this bar and restaurant?

 

12. What record album did Van Morrison write while living on Green Street in 1968?

 


Photograph by Harvard Magazine/VL

13. What year did Leavitt & Peirce open?

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Releases Database of 1,613 People Enslaved by University Affiliates

Research continues to track down living descendants.

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

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.

Most popular

Don’t Be A ‘Solo Superhero,’ Jonny Kim Tells Harvard Alumni

The astronaut, doctor, and Navy SEAL delivered keynote remarks at the University’s Alumni Day festivities.

Harvard Honors Its Oldest Alumni

At 97 and 101, Linda Cabot Black ’51 and William “Bill” Dubey ’46 led the way on Alumni Day.

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

Explore More From Current Issue

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

For This Poet, AI Is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.

Historical battle scene with soldiers in red and blue uniforms, flags waving, chaotic action.

The Harvard-Trained Doctor Who Urged a Revolution

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

Katie Benzan stands on a basketball court holding a ball, with a hoop in the background.

How Women Are Changing the NBA

From coaching staffs to front offices, female leaders are bringing new strategies to men’s basketball.