1920
The French government presents Harvard with a collection of artifacts from the recent war—guns, bayonets, gas masks, a flamethrower—on condition that the material is “well separated from the German trophies in the exhibition room.”
1950
Harvard hosts the first International Congress of Mathematicians since 1936. There are 10 social events, including a “Memorial Hall beer party at which blackboards were supplied so that the guests would have profundity with their pretzels.” The Soviet Academy of Science declares its mathematicians are “too busy to attend.”
1955
Helen Keller ’04 becomes the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Harvard.
1965
Students for a Democratic Society sponsors a teach-in on Vietnam that fills Sanders Theatre and Lowell Lecture Hall.
1975
The admissions offices of Harvard and Radcliffe are consolidated, making the class of 1979 the last one chosen by separate admissions committees.
1985
The New York Times reports that President Ronald Reagan is being considered as speaker and honorary degree recipient for Harvard’s 350th anniversary convocation, prompting a flood of letters to this magazine and a public furor. (Reagan declined the invitation. No honorary degrees were conferred at the commemoration.)
2000
The Harvard Alumni Association says it will debut a new, password-protected online directory in the fall, enabling even the newest alumni to find classmates and update their own information. The massive hardcover volume, meanwhile, will continue to be printed “as long as there is a demand for it.”
