Yesterday’s News

Headlines from Harvard’s history

A humorous illustration of women trying to buy football tickets in 1921

Illustration by Mark Steele

1921

Thirteen women, students at the School of Education, apply for tickets to the Yale Game. The Bulletin reports that three ticket clerks “whose temperaments are especially nervous have followed the advice of their physicians by resigning.”

1936

Historian Samuel Eliot Morison reports that the package sealed by President Josiah Quincy in 1836 and opened by President Conant during the Tercentenary hoopla contains 440 manuscripts, mostly replies from graduates invited to the bicentennial dinner (at $1.50 a head).

1941

Two freshmen enliven hour-exam period with a Crimson classified: “Wanted—Information where one may obtain a human corpse in reasonable condition.” The 42 phone calls in response range from students wishing to be embalmed after hourlies to funeral directors, the police department, and the morgue. The Yardlings plead simple curiosity as their impetus.

1961

A faculty committee explores what action, if any, the University should take (in light of local, state, and federal policies) to deal with possible danger from fire or fallout in the event of a nuclear attack.

1986

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences votes to establish an honors concentration in the field of women’s studies. The lone dissenter, professor of government Harvey Mansfield, calls the new program a “foolish and almost pitiful surrender to feminism.”

1991

Over 15 percent of the 1,608 seniors intend to pursue careers in teaching, research, or administration at the college or university level.

2001

The Crimson’s digital archive goes live online and gives readers access to articles as far back as the 1950s.

Related topics

You might also like

Yesterday’s News

How a book on fighting the “Devill World” survived Harvard’s historic fire.

At Harvard’s Beck-Warren House, Ghosts Speak Many Languages

The quirky 1833 home now hosts Celtic scholars.

A Forgotten Harvard Anthem

Published the year the Titanic sank, “Harvard’s Best” is a quizzical ode to the University.

Most popular

Summers Will Retire as Harvard Professor

The former University president is stepping down in the wake of Harvard’s Epstein probe.

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard

How an abundance of A’s created “the most stressed-out world of all.”

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Explore More From Current Issue

Purple violet flower with vibrant petals surrounded by green foliage.

Bees and Flowers Are Falling Out of Sync

Scientists are revisiting an old way of thinking about extinction.

A diverse group of individuals standing on stage, wearing matching shirts and smiling.

How a Harvard and Lesley Group Broke Choir Singing Wide Open

Cambridge Common Voices draws on principles of universal design.