Headlines from Harvard history, January-February 1918-1973

From the pages of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

1918

To save coal for the war effort, the University closes various buildings on selected days and cuts off heat to student dormitories after 9 p.m.

1928

Harvard Medical School researchers George R. Minot and William P. Murphy prove that eating half a pound of mammal liver or kidney daily will improve and maintain the health of a patient with pernicious anemia. Though the kidney and liver may be either raw or cooked, Minot and Murphy observe that most patients prefer to ingest the substance as raw pulp or mash.

1933

The Board of Overseers approves the creation of President Lowell’s long-cherished project, the Society of Fellows.

1938

The Nieman Fellowships are created when the President and Fellows, in accordance with the provisions of a $1-million bequest from Mrs. Agnes Wahl Nieman, approve a plan “to promote and elevate the standard of journalism in the United States.”

1953

Professor Kirtley Mather, on retiring as president of the American Association for the Promotion of Science, warns that the stultifying atmosphere imposed upon scientists by political trends is hurting the field and stifling intellectual freedom.

1968

President Nathan M. Pusey speculates that undergraduate tuition will be $4,000 by 1988. (It hit $12,015.)

1973

Assistant professor Ivan Tcherepnin proposes a new course, Music 159: “Composition with the Electronic Medium.” Though he anticipates resistance from his department—which is inherently distrustful of the new technology—his course is approved for the following year. The concern is raised, however, that offering credit for “tinkering with electronics” could set the stage for credit courses in such topics as basket-weaving and woodworking.

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

When the Revolution Hit Cambridge, Harvard Moved to Concord

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

The Woman Who Penned the Case for War

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

Most popular

Your Harvard 2026 Commencement Week Guide

College reunions and Alumni Day will take place the following week

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

Research continues to track down living descendants.

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files.

Explore More From Current Issue

Illustration of two students in Harvard hoodies, one speaking animatedly to a phone, the other reading, looking annoyed.

We’re All Harvard Influencers, Like It or Not

In the digital age, it’s hard to avoid playing into the mythology.

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.

Alene Anello smiling surrounded by four chickens in a natural outdoor setting.

This Harvard-Trained Lawyer Fights for the Rights of Chickens

Alene Anello wants to apply animal cruelty laws to birds raised for meat.