Headlines from Harvard history

Headlines from Harvard history

1915

The Bulletin salutes the fiftieth anniversary of the Harvard Club of New York with particular praise for its activism: more than 30 years earlier, the club “set on foot” the movement to elect non-Massachusetts residents to the University’s Board of Overseers.

 

1925

The Harvard Fund is officially established to provide a way for alumni to support the University through annual contributions, as distinct from special gifts to a particular campaign.

 

1930

Harvard proves one of the largest employers of construction labor north of New York, the “business depression” notwithstanding, with five new undergraduate Houses, new buildings for the physics department and the geography school, new freshman dorms, a biological lab, a faculty club, and a $700,000 addition to the Medical School powerhouse under way.

* * *

An ad in the Bulletin by the Harvard Alumni Placement Service states, “Unemployment, widespread and serious, is causing many Harvard men to look for jobs for the first time in their lives.” Fellow alumni are asked to forward information about job openings.

 

1940

“A decade ago,” note the editors, “any Harvard man who rode a bicycle was thought at least eccentric.” But “since the universal recognition of carbon monoxide,” bicycles have made a comeback in Cambridge, with more than 250 counted in daily use around the Yard and the Houses.

 

1955

The Business School and Radcliffe announce that Radcliffe’s Management Training Program will become the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration. Its directors note a “significant demand for trained women for market research and sales promotion positions.”

 

1960

The Center for the Study of World Religions opens. Scholars from the United States and six foreign countries, representing the Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian faiths, are already in residence, and a Muslim scholar from Iran is expected shortly.

 

1990

Harvard and the City of Cambridge sign a document calling for the University to give $1 million in annual payments to Cambridge in lieu of taxes.

* * *

The “French chef” gives 2,000 cookbooks from her collection to Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library, with a promise of more to come. Julia Child hopes her gift will promote cooking as a respected profession and academic field of study.

Related topics

You might also like

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

Research continues to track down living descendants.

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

Ronny Chieng Tells Harvard to ‘Destroy AI’ as Graduates Cheer

The comedian and The Daily Show host gave the keynote address for Class Day 2026.

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

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

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

The astronaut, doctor, and Navy SEAL delivered keynote remarks on Alumni Day.

Explore More From Current Issue

Portrait of a man with white hair, wearing a black coat, arms crossed, thoughtful expression.

The Framer Who Refused to Sign the Constitution

Harvard’s Elbridge Gerry helped draft the U.S. Constitution, but worried it might create a new monarch.

Colorful illustrated map of Colonial Cambridge and the Harvard College campus featuring buildings of the campus, houses, Cambridge Common, and the Charles River

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

Historical scene depicting a parade with soldiers and a town square in the background.

When the Revolution Hit Cambridge, Harvard Moved to Concord

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