Headlines from Harvard history

A morgue for movies, and more from the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

Illustration by Mark Steele

1917

The editors advise Harvard men who want to serve their country in case of war to contact Professor R. M. Johnston, who is “acting in correspondence with the Intercollegiate Intelligence Bureau.” College-educated men are particularly sought after, because “Intelligent, unhysterical effort in the handling of American resources, human and physical, in the months to come, may effect far-reaching results.” 

1927

The College Entrance Examination Board announces a new, standardized admissions exam called the Scholastic Aptitude Test. 

The Department of Fine Arts, backed by the Fogg Museum and the University Library, announces plans to establish a library of those “motion picture films” voted worthy, by a faculty committee, of preservation as works of art. 

1957

The “Harvard ‘Veritas’ Committee” circulates a letter urging fellow alumni to complain to the Board of Overseers about the appointment of J. Robert Oppenheimer ’26 as the biennial William James Lecturer. 

1962

The Radcliffe Government Association’s rules committee recommends that any student past her freshman year be allowed to sign out of her dorm in the evening until any hour without advance permission. But, reports the Undergraduate columnist, a “determined number of ’Cliffies” insist that committee members mistakenly consider the average Radcliffe girl a stable and responsible adult capable of making reasoned decisions about “social problems.” Says one opponent, “People our age are notorious for being foolish.”

1972

The Committee on Housing and Undergraduate Life votes to condemn the term-paper industry after 40 to 60 student papers are stolen during intersession. Attorneys from Harvard and other Boston-area universities meet to consider possible court action to close the firms down.

Related topics

You might also like

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks

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

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

Most popular

Harvard Institute of Politics Director Setti Warren Dies at 55

The former Newton mayor is remembered as “a visionary and tireless leader” by the University community. 

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Explore More From Current Issue

Aisha Muharrar with shoulder-length hair, wearing a green blazer and white shirt.

Parks and Rec Comedy Writer Aisha Muharrar Gets Serious about Grief

With Loved One, the Harvard grad and Lampoon veteran makes her debut as a novelist.

People gather near the John Harvard Statue in front of University Hall surrounded by autumn trees.

A Changed Harvard Faces the Future

After a tense summer—and with no Trump settlement in sight—the University continues to adapt. 

Two women in traditional Japanese clothing sitting on a wooden platform near a tranquil pond, surrounded by autumn foliage.

Japan As It Never Will Be Again

Harvard’s Stillman collection showcases glimpses of the Meiji era.