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

Yesterday’s News

A co-ed experiment that changed dorm life forever

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

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

Wadsworth House Nears 300

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

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

Teen "Grind" Culture and Mental Health

Teens need better strategies to cope with lives lived partly online.

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

A silhouette of a person stands before glowing domes in a red, rocky landscape at sunset.

Getting to Mars (for Real)

Humans have been dreaming of living on the Red Planet for decades. Harvard researchers are on the case.

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy

An image depicting high carb ultra processed foods, those which are often associated with health risks

Is Ultraprocessed Food Really That Bad?

A Harvard professor challenges conventional wisdom.