Headlines from Harvard's history

Headlines from Harvard's history

1921

For the first time in 40 years, Harvard is planning a Chinese-language course, to be taught by philosophy instructor Yuen Ren Chao, Ph.D. ’18. 

 

1931

A new rule on “the entertainment of women in Harvard Houses” requires written permission to be obtained from the House master or senior tutor 24 hours prior to the visit unless the guests are mothers or sisters. 

 

1941

University librarians have completed plans to evacuate 100,000 rare volumes to a secret location if necessary in time of war.

 

1946

As part of a new experiment in General Education, President Conant delivers his first course lecture since taking office, speaking to undergraduates and the general public on the strategy and tactics of science and on the principles of chemistry. 

 

1951

The presidents of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton issue a joint statement declaring that no athletic scholarships are given out by their institutions. “The athletic program,” they assert, “exists for the contribution it can make to [a] healthy educational experience, not for the glorification of the individual or the prestige or profit of the college.” 

 

1956

Martha May Eliot resigns as chief of the U.S. Children’s Bureau to join the School of Public Health as head of the department of maternal and child health, becoming Harvard’s third female full professor. 

 

1981

Fifteen junior-faculty professorships have been created thanks to a $7.5-million gift to the Harvard Campaign from John L. Loeb ’24.

 

1991

A special double issue of the conservative undergraduate magazine Peninsula focused on proving that “homosexuality is bad,” prompts a protest rally in response, during which Plummer professor of Christian morals Peter J. Gomes reveals, “I am a Christian who happens as well to be gay, and these realities which are unreconcilable to some are reconciled in me.”

You might also like

In Sermon, Garber Urges Harvard Community to ‘Defend and Protect’ Institutions

Harvard’s president uses traditional Memorial Church address to encourage divergent views.

Free Speech, the Bomb—and Donald Trump

A Harvard cardiologist on the unlikely alliances that shaped a global movement to prevent nuclear war

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The Medical School goes coed, University poet wins Nobel Prize. 

Most popular

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Do Mitochondria Hold the Power to Heal?

From Alzheimer’s to cancer, this tiny organelle might expand treatment options. 

Explore More From Current Issue

Illustration of college students running under a large red "MAGA" hat while others look on with some skeptisim.

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

John Goldberg

Harvard in the News

University layoffs, professors in court, and a new Law School dean

Whimsical illustration of students rushing through ornate campus gate from bus marked “Welcome New Students.”

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The Medical School goes coed, University poet wins Nobel Prize.