Headlines from Harvard history

A morgue for movies, and more from the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

Illustration by Mark Steele

1917

The editors advise Harvard men who want to serve their country in case of war to contact Professor R. M. Johnston, who is “acting in correspondence with the Intercollegiate Intelligence Bureau.” College-educated men are particularly sought after, because “Intelligent, unhysterical effort in the handling of American resources, human and physical, in the months to come, may effect far-reaching results.” 

1927

The College Entrance Examination Board announces a new, standardized admissions exam called the Scholastic Aptitude Test. 

The Department of Fine Arts, backed by the Fogg Museum and the University Library, announces plans to establish a library of those “motion picture films” voted worthy, by a faculty committee, of preservation as works of art. 

1957

The “Harvard ‘Veritas’ Committee” circulates a letter urging fellow alumni to complain to the Board of Overseers about the appointment of J. Robert Oppenheimer ’26 as the biennial William James Lecturer. 

1962

The Radcliffe Government Association’s rules committee recommends that any student past her freshman year be allowed to sign out of her dorm in the evening until any hour without advance permission. But, reports the Undergraduate columnist, a “determined number of ’Cliffies” insist that committee members mistakenly consider the average Radcliffe girl a stable and responsible adult capable of making reasoned decisions about “social problems.” Says one opponent, “People our age are notorious for being foolish.”

1972

The Committee on Housing and Undergraduate Life votes to condemn the term-paper industry after 40 to 60 student papers are stolen during intersession. Attorneys from Harvard and other Boston-area universities meet to consider possible court action to close the firms down.

Related topics

You might also like

Yesterday’s News

A co-ed experiment that changed dorm life forever

A Forgotten Harvard Anthem

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

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?

Harvard Commencement 2018

Speakers, ceremonies, and celebrations

Explore More From Current Issue

A jubilant graduate shouts into a megaphone, surrounded by a cheering crowd.

For Campus Speech, Civility is a Cultural Practice

A former Harvard College dean reviews Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber’s book Terms of Respect.

Two bare-knuckle boxers fight in a ring, surrounded by onlookers in 19th-century attire.

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment. 

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.