Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Illustration by Mark Steele

1923

The Bulletin notes, without comment, a report in The Harvard Crimson that the Ku Klux Klan has an organization at Harvard, and the first step toward a Harvard branch was taken two years earlier.

1938

The Graduate School of Public Administration (forerunner of the Kennedy School) opens its first regular session with 15 students, 10 of them veterans of federal government service.

1953

Harvard’s new president, Nathan Marsh Pusey, has visited football practice twice during his walks around the University, part of a self-imposed refresher course during which, he says, he is “finding things I did not know existed.”

1963

The 1962-63 Treasurer’s Report indicates that Harvard’s expenses, for the first time, approximate $100 million.

Bursar’s cards are replaced by plastic student identification cards, in part to speed up operations at Widener Library’s circulation desk.

1968

The University Barbershop on the corner of Mass. Ave. and Plympton Street has closed after more than 80 years of service. Co-owner Allen Moloney, son of the founder, laments that most Harvardians are shunning the shears in favor of more substantial decoration for the gray matter below.

1973

A gift from the Andrew H. Mellon Foundation establishes Harvard’s first professorship in African history; Kenneth O. Dike is named the first incumbent.

1978

President Bok announces that the CIA has chosen to ignore a request that all government agencies reveal any contracts, covert operations, and consulting agreements with Harvard personnel. University guidelines urge community members to avoid participation in intelligence operations.

Related topics

You might also like

Derek Bok donated his car for a good cause.

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

Most popular

A former Harvard College writing tutor changes her mind on LLMs.

How Your Social Circle Affects Your Microbiome and Health

The microbiome may be socially exchanged, modulating both health and metabolism.

Professor Cornell William Brooks and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts hold a lively debate on DEI and Project 2025.

Explore More From Current Issue

Runners compete on a track, with a Harvard athlete in the foreground and others behind.

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.

Two laboratory researchers, one seated and one standing, in a scientific lab with equipment.

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

University Hall with steps and the John Harvard statue, surrounded by trees and a grassy lawn.

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.