Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Cartoon of a submerged submarine with a cut-out view of the interior, where crew members are taking a Harvard course via video recording.

Illustration by Mark Steele

1935

Director of athletics William J. Bingham states in the Crimson that if the German government persists in its policy of excluding Jewish athletes from the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Harvard will not be represented on the American team.

1950

The newly opened, $3-million Graduate Center, designed by Walter Gropius and The Architects Collaborative, houses 575 students in seven new dorms and can feed 1,200 students per meal in the new Harkness Commons.

1960

Crew members of the Polaris-missile-armed submarine USS George Washington become the first students allowed to take a Harvard extension course outside the Boston area. Crane Brinton’s lectures for “The Anatomy of Revolution,” one of the first extension courses given for television credit, have been recorded for undersea viewing; once back in port, students will have class sessions with a teaching fellow before the final exam.

1970

 A powerful bomb explodes early in the morning inside the Center for International Affairs, causing property damage but no injuries. More than 20 bomb scares in University buildings had been recorded in the previous 13 months, but no bombing had occurred at Harvard since rebellious students set off an explosion at morning chapel in 1834.

1990

A Women’s Center for undergraduates opens in Radcliffe Yard with the help of a grant from Harvard. Radcliffe president Linda Wilson stresses that the new center must be welcoming to both men and women and “an intergenerational and interdisciplinary gathering place.”

2000

An “extremely modest” notice in the September 24 New York Times announces an opening for “President, Harvard University.” Applicants should be persons of “high intellectual distinction and demonstrated leadership qualities.”

The Law School’s first Celebration of Black Alumni draws some 600 of the more than 1,500 graduates invited. The weekend witnesses the conferral of the first Harvard Law School Medal of Freedom on 12 surviving members or relatives of the Brown v. Board of Education litigation team.

You might also like

Helping Harvard Students Disagree

A facilitated conversation about facilitating conversation

Harvard’s New Playbook for Teaching with AI

Faculty across Harvard are rethinking assignments to integrate AI. 

Harvard’s New Online Orientation Emphasizes Intellectual Paths

A summer course for first-years focuses on academic success, diverse viewpoints.

Most popular

Harvard Faculty Discuss Tenure Denials

New data show a shift in when, in the process, rejections occur

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Harvard’s Class of 2029 Reflects Shifts in Racial Makeup After Affirmative Action Ends

International students continue to enroll amid political uncertainty; mandatory SATs lead to a drop in applications.

Explore More From Current Issue

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. 

Students in purple jackets seated on chairs, facing away in a grassy area.

A New Prescription for Youth Mental Health

Kenyan entrepreneur Tom Osborn ’20 reimagines care for a global crisis.

Illustration of tiny doctors working inside a large nose against a turquoise background.

A Flu Vaccine That Actually Works

Next-gen vaccines delivered directly to the site of infection are far more effective than existing shots.