Headlines from Harvard history, May-June 1913-1998

From the pages of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

 1913

Mrs. George D. Widener lays the cornerstone of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library during Commencement week.

 1928

The Parietal Committee, facing new problems caused by an increasingly urban environment, forbids Harvard undergraduates to live in apartment houses.

 1938

Members of the Harvard Young Communist League, promoting a peace strike on Boston Common, run afoul of the U.S. Post Office by stuffing House mailboxes with informational fliers. The postmaster plans to collect postage due, not the $300 per flier maximum fine.

 1943

The Crimson ends publication for the duration; Harvard Service News adds undergraduate news to its coverage of the trainees stationed at Harvard.

 1953

The Corporation decides not to remove three instructors who have refused to answer questions from congressional committees, but officially deplores the use of the Fifth Amendment by faculty members and states that “present membership in the Communist party,” in the absence of extraordinary circumstances, would be considered “grave misconduct, justifying removal.”

 1963

Harvard, Radcliffe, and graduate-school students form the Harvard African and Afro-American Club.

 1973

The Bulletin publishes “A Harvard Man’s Guide to the Watergate Scandal.” “Harvard men were not directly involved in the…break-in,” but all 13 alumni known to be otherwise linked to the proceedings are listed.

 1988

President Bok announces plans for a University-wide institute to expand and accelerate AIDS research at Harvard.

 1998

The Crimson celebrates its 125th anniversary, capping off a year that includes inauguration of free delivery to all undergraduates, a financial-aid program, and a change from a six- to a five-day-per-week production schedule.

Related topics

You might also like

They Might Be (Harvard) Giants

Two tales of University greats—and an encounter with a Tiger

A Harvard President’s VW Beetle That Kept On Giving

Derek Bok donated his car for a good cause.

The Year a Beat Poet Squatted at Harvard

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Most popular

Harvard Stabilizes Finances With Strong Endowment Returns, Philanthropy

Small operating surplus is dwarfed by reduced federal research support and endowment tax liabilities.

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

Treat AI Like a New Species, Harvard Scientist Says

Joshua Joseph discusses how society can manage and coexist alongside self-governing AI agents.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two fans celebrate in front of a TV showing a football game.

Researchers at Harvard Kennedy School say yes.

A woman jogs on a path beside a boy riding a bicycle, surrounded by trees.

Why Harvard Medical School is training physicians to think more like coaches

Ancient Egyptian painted sarcophagus with detailed hieroglyphs and a woman's face.

A rare Egyptian mummy case is on display at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.